"Civic Center Slapper" Strikes Again In Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES - An elusive assailant known as the "Civic Center Slapper" -- or possibly a copycat -- has struck again in Los Angeles, punching a federal prosecutor in the jaw, police said on Thursday.

Blue Dog Democrat Heath Shuler To Retire From Congress

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina - Democratic U.S. Representative Heath Shuler said on Thursday he would not seek a fourth term representing a North Carolina congressional district that was redrawn to include more Republican voters.

Oakland Hires First Black Woman As U.S. Big-city Fire Chief

OAKLAND, California - In a career spent climbing ladders, Teresa Deloach-Reed of Oakland has grasped a landmark rung by being named to become the first black woman chief of a major metropolitan U.S. fire department.

Roommate-matching Site Does Not Violate Housing Laws, Court

- A roommate-matching website that allows users to hunt for living partners based on gender and sexual orientation does not violate fair-housing laws that ban discrimination, a federal appeals court ruled on Thursday.

Spirit Airlines Names Fare Hike After Transportation Department

WASHINGTON - Commercial airlines often complain about government rules and at times seek to change them, but Spirit Airlines has created turbulence in Washington in response to a new mandate by naming a $2 fare hike after the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Packer Fans Warned Off Drunk Driving With Super Bowl Blues

MILWAUKEE, Wis - Many Green Bay Packers fans may be driven to drink this weekend as they watch the Super Bowl without their beloved team after its historic season came to an end abruptly three weeks ago.

Judge's Order Could Force Pittsburgh Protesters To Move

PITTSBURGH - A Pennsylvania judge on Thursday issued an order that could force the anti-Wall Street protesters in Pittsburgh to leave the Mellon Square property they have inhabited since October.

Gay Marriage Foes To Fight Expected Washington State Law

SEATTLE - As gay couples and their supporters cheered the Washington state Senate's unexpectedly swift and decisive passage of a same-sex marriage bill, opponents were already considering how to take down the anticipated law.

Judge Orders hearing On Accused Tucson Shooter's Competency

PHOENIX - A federal judge ordered a hearing for Monday to discuss giving prison doctors more time to make accused Tucson mass shooter Jared Loughner mentally fit to stand trial, and indicated he was inclined to extend his stay in hospital.

Komen Struggles To Defuse Planned Parenthood Crisis

WASHINGTON - The world's leading breast cancer charity, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, struggled on Thursday to defuse a growing crisis over its decision to cut funding for Planned Parenthood, which provides abortion and birth control services.

Famed Boxing Trainer Dundee Dies At 90, Guided Ali

LOS ANGELES - Famed boxing trainer Angelo Dundee, who helped guide the careers of legendary fighters Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard, died at age 90 on Wednesday in Florida.

Alabama Immigration Crackdown Costing State Billions: Study

BIRMINGHAM, Ala - Alabama's crackdown on illegal immigrants, widely seen as the toughest in the United States, could cost the state's economy up to $10.8 billion, according to a new study.

Unpaid Intern Sues Magazine For Minimum Wage, Overtime

NEW YORK - A former intern at Harper's Bazaar is suing the magazine's publisher, Hearst Corporation, saying that her internship violates labor laws because it was unpaid, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court in New York on Wednesday.

Court Unseals Indictment Of Native American Gang Members

MINNEAPOLIS - Federal authorities were looking for three members of a Native American gang on Wednesday charged alongside 21 others in a 47-count federal indictment with racketeering and drug offenses.

Mississippi Supreme Court To Decide On Barbour Pardons

STARKVILLE, Miss - The Mississippi Supreme Court said on Wednesday that it will decide whether a lower court has the authority to block pardons issued by former Governor Haley Barbour, including some to convicted murderers.

L.A. Contemporary Artist Mike Kelley Found Dead

LOS ANGELES - Influential contemporary artist Mike Kelley has been found dead at his home in a Los Angeles suburb and authorities said on Wednesday they were investigating his death as a possible suicide.

Washington State Senate Passes Gay Marriage Bill

OLYMPIA, Wash - The Washington state Senate passed legislation on Wednesday to legalize gay marriage in a highly charged vote that moved the state closer to joining six others and the District of Columbia in recognizing same-sex nuptials.

Group Sues To Halt Artist Christo's Colorado Project

DENVER - A coalition of environmentalists, outdoor enthusiasts and wildlife advocates filed a federal lawsuit on Wednesday to block a project by the artist Christo that would drape fabric canopies along a 42-mile stretch of the Arkansas River in Colorado.

U.S. Missionary Couple Killed In Mexico

MEXICO CITY - A U.S. missionary couple was killed in Mexico's industrial capital city of Monterrey, local and U.S. officials said on Wednesday, in what a personal website called a home invasion.

Indiana Becomes 23rd "right-to-work" State

INDIANAPOLIS - Indiana became the 23rd state to pass anti-union "right-to-work" legislation on Wednesday and the first in the nation's manufacturing heartland, dealing a blow to organized labor by allowing workers to opt out of paying union dues.