 Jobless claims fall for 3rd week
 Associated Press
Jobs brochures are seen on display at a state unemployment office in Sunnyvale, Calif. The government said Thursday, the number of newly laid-off workers seeking unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week, the second straight weekly drop fro a six-year high.
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As Gustav nears, Gulf Coast puts faith in planning
NEW ORLEANS, 6:19 p.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
With Gustav approaching hurricane strength and showing no signs of veering off a track to slam into the Gulf Coast, authorities across the region began laying the groundwork Thursday to get the sick, elderly and poor away from the shoreline.
The first batch of 700 buses that could ferry residents inland were being sent to a staging area near New Orleans, and officials in Mississippi were trying to decide when to move Katrina-battered residents along the coast who were still living in temporary homes, including trailers vulnerable to high wind.
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HOUSTON, 8:13 p.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
Federal judge indicted on sex abuse charges: A federal judge accused of fondling a former court employee was indicted by a federal grand jury Thursday on sexual abuse charges.
SEATTLE, 8:11 p.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
Former Boeing worker charged with bomb threats: Federal authorities say they found more than 100 guns at the home of a former Boeing Co. worker charged with sending bomb threats to some of the company's top executives.
NEW ORLEANS, 7:37 p.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
New Orleans asks: Will the rebuilt levees hold?: Just three years after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans confronts a new threat from Gustav and a stark question: Will the partially rebuilt levees hold?
FORT DODGE, Iowa, 7:10 p.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
Iowa college president steps down after beer photo: An Iowa community college president resigned less than a week after a photo was published appearing to show him pouring beer into a young woman's mouth.
COLUMBUS, Ohio, 5:10 p.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
Condemned Ohio inmate's murder claim gets examined: A claim by an Ohio death row inmate that he committed an unsolved murder more than two decades ago will be investigated, a prosecutor said Thursday.
WOBURN, Mass., 4:46 p.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
Author of faked Holocaust book fights publisher: An author who fabricated a best-selling memoir about surviving the Holocaust by living with wolves asked a judge Thursday to affirm a $32.4 million jury award in her favor.
CARSON CITY, Nev., 4:27 p.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
Nevada Supreme Court won't delay Simpson trial: A request from O.J. Simpson's last remaining co-defendant to delay the Sept. 8 start of the pair's armed robbery and kidnapping trial was rejected Thursday by a divided Nevada Supreme Court panel.
DAYTON, Ohio, 4:19 p.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
Prosecutor: Ohio mother put baby girl in microwave: A mother intentionally put her month-old daughter in a microwave oven and cooked the child to death after a fight with her boyfriend, a prosecutor told jurors Thursday.
TAMPA, Fla., 4:16 p.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
'Junior' Gotti pleads not guilty in Tampa: Looking upbeat and waving confidently to his family in a Tampa federal courtroom, John A. “Junior” Gotti entered a not guilty plea to federal racketeering charges that link him to three mob slayings, cocaine distribution and other crimes.
ORLANDO, Fla., 4:08 p.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
Mom of missing Fla. girl could return to jail: A bounty hunter who helped free the mother of a missing Florida toddler wants his associates to withdraw her bail.
NEW HAVEN, Conn., 4:02 p.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
Accountant pleads guilty to price fixing in CT, NY: An accountant who worked for a trash hauler at the center of a sweeping federal investigation of mob influence in the industry pleaded guilty Thursday to participating in price fixing for hauling services in Connecticut and New York.
DETROIT, 3:52 p.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
Trying to stop removal hearing, Detroit mayor sues: Lawyers for Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick filed a lawsuit Thursday aimed at scuttling a hearing that could lead to his ouster, saying the proceedings would be unfair and presided over by a governor who is biased against him.
WASHINGTON, 3:23 p.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
Amtrak supporters cheer commuter Biden's VP bid: Amtrak's having a great year, with soaring gas prices making the long-struggling railroad a more popular option for travelers and helping it gain traction in Congress. Now its fans are excited about the vice presidential candidacy of Joe Biden, a longtime passenger and supporter.
NEW YORK, 3:17 p.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
Help-wanted ad for nanny: 'My kids are a pain': It was an unusually honest ad for a live-in nanny, a 1,000-word tome beginning, “My kids are a pain.” But it worked, attracting a brave soul who's never been a nanny before.
JONESBORO, Ga., 2:40 p.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
Group: Troubled Ga. district loses accreditation: A Georgia school district lost its accreditation Thursday, an unusual move blamed in part on what has been called a “dysfunctional” school board.
PITTSBURGH, 2:38 p.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
Judges refuse to rehear W. Pa. ex-Nazi guard case: A federal appeals court has refused to rehear the deportation case of a retired western Pennsylvania steelworker who served as a Nazi concentration camp guard during World War II.
DENVER, 2:28 p.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
Man accused in Obama threat uses crutches in court: A Colorado man suspected of making racist threats against Barack Obama limped into federal court on crutches Thursday and was formally advised of a methamphetamine-possession charge against him.
DEARBORN, Mich., 2:07 p.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
Automakers face conflicting safety rules worldwide: It seems like an easy solution: Americans are looking for more fuel-efficient vehicles, so Ford Motor Co. is bringing over some of the small, gas-sipping cars it's been selling to Europeans for years.
CHICAGO, 2:05 p.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
New Katrina death tally: Half of victims 75 and up: As New Orleans residents warily track another threatening storm, a new report presents the clearest picture yet of deaths from Katrina in Louisiana. Of the nearly 1,000 who died, almost half were 75 or older, according to researchers.
KINGSTON, Jamaica, 1:49 p.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
Tourists, residents flee as Gustav swamps Jamaica: Residents, tourists and oil workers fled as Gustav swamped Jamaica on Thursday, leaving 59 people dead in its wake. Louisiana and Texas put their national guards on standby, and New Orleans said a mandatory evacuation might be necessary.
NEW YORK, 1:45 p.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
Huge underground water plant takes shape under NYC: It requires enough concrete to build a sidewalk from New York to Miami and enough pipe to reach the top of the Empire State Building 140 times over. Workers carved out enough dirt from the ground to fill more than 100,000 dump trucks.
WASHINGTON, 1:39 p.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
Spring's economic rebound unlikely to last: The economy pulled out of a dangerous rough patch in the spring, thanks largely to strong exports, but the rebound isn't expected to last. Economic slowdowns overseas could make exports tail off just as Americans are hunkering down after the bracing impact of rebate checks wanes, plunging the country into another rut later this year.
NEW YORK, 1:38 p.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
Railroads redirecting trains from New Orleans: At least three of the nation's largest railroads said Thursday they will redirect traffic out of New Orleans ahead of Tropical Storm Gustav.
DALLAS, 1:12 p.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
2 workers hurt when crane topples in Dallas: A crane lowering a heavy length of pipe toppled Thursday morning at a city water pumping station on the Trinity River in Dallas, injuring two city workers.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn., 1:04 p.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
Tenn. prosecutors want accused teen tried as adult: Tennessee prosecutors want to try a 15-year-old boy as an adult in last week's fatal shooting of a classmate in the middle of a crowded school cafeteria.
LOS ANGELES, 12:51 p.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
Defense contractor accused of human trafficking: The families of 12 Nepali men killed by Iraqi insurgents have filed a federal lawsuit accusing defense contractor KBR Inc. and a Jordanian subcontractor of human trafficking, saying the men were sent to work in Iraq against their will after being promised jobs in a posh hotel in Jordan.
12:27 p.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
Small GPS devices help prosecutors win convictions: Like millions of motorists, Eric Hanson used a GPS unit in his Chevrolet TrailBlazer to find his way around. He probably didn't expect that prosecutors would eventually use it too – to help convict him of killing four family members.
WASHINGTON, 11:20 a.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
CDC: Salmonella outbreak appears to be over: The government said Thursday that the salmonella outbreak that sickened at least 1,440 people appears to be over, but its ultimate source may never be known, partly because of shortcomings in the nation's food safety system.
TORONTO, 10:25 a.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
Airline removes life vests to save weight and fuel: An official with Air Canada's regional carrier Jazz says the airline is removing life vests from all its planes to save weight and fuel.
WASHINGTON, 9:57 a.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
Friends: Abramoff a changed man, deserves leniency: It used to be, when Jack Abramoff needed something, he had an address book full of powerful Capitol Hill contacts to call on, people he plied with expensive meals, campaign contributions and golf junkets.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., 9:23 a.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
Fla. man charged in road rage shooting of agent: A grand jury has indicted a Broward County man on manslaughter charges in what police are calling the road rage shooting of a federal customs agent.
NEW YORK, 9:01 a.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
NY appeals court upholds dismissal of KPMG case: A federal appeals court says a criminal case against more than a dozen former KPMG tax firm employees was properly dismissed.
STAIRTOWN, Texas, 7:03 a.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
Gas plant explosion rocks Texas town: Fire officials say there's been an explosion at a natural gas plant in a town south of Austin, Texas, but no injuries have been reported.
DETROIT, 6:31 a.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
Ex-lawyer for Detroit mayor sues over unpaid fees: A former lawyer for Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has filed a lawsuit against the mayor claiming he's owed about $80,000 in fees stemming from his work after Kilpatrick's text-message scandal surfaced.
BOISE, Idaho, 3:26 a.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
Death for man who kidnapped, murdered Idaho boy: In the end, killer pedophile Joseph Edward Duncan III couldn't – or wouldn't – offer a reason why he should live.
DES MOINES, Iowa, 2:38 a.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
Great Ape Trust says flood bill is $1 million: One of the largest great ape research centers in North America needs more than $1 million to recover from damage suffered in Iowa's record June floods.
ST. LOUIS, 2:25 a.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
Mo. county posts meth lab seizures online: Savvy homebuyers and residents have long taken it upon themselves to do a little amateur sleuthing, checking on the quality of schools, crime rates and whether sex offenders live in the neighborhood.
HONOLULU, 2:14 a.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
A raft made of junk crosses Pacific in 3 months: Tanned, dirty and hungry, two men who spent three months crossing the Pacific on a raft made of plastic bottles to raise awareness of ocean debris finally stepped onto dry land.
MONTPELIER, Vt., 1:52 a.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
Vermont courthouses may close a half day a week: Lawmakers have approved a round of budget cuts designed to respond to sagging state revenues. Among the results: Vermont's courthouses likely will close for a half day each week.
STONEWALL, Texas, 1:47 a.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
Family, friends mark ex-President LBJ's centennial: Former President Lyndon B. Johnson's family and admirers remembered his civil rights and education legacy during a celebration of the 100th anniversary of his birth and the opening of his Texas ranch office to the public.
DETROIT, 1:21 a.m. Aug. 28 (AP)
Plea deal may be Detroit mayor's best option: Kwame Kilpatrick has been a master salesman, bargaining to bring improvements to Detroit and to prove to skeptics that the struggling city is worth the investment. But now the two-term mayor could be forced to negotiate a more personal deal, one that exchanges a dimming political future for his freedom.
DALLAS, 5:54 p.m. Aug. 27 (AP)
Lone Star State serves up frightening Fair fare: Everything is bigger in Texas, especially the calorie counts at the State Fair, which will offer such delicacies this year as deep-fried s'mores and a fried banana split.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn., 5:29 p.m. Aug. 27 (AP)
TVA asks NRC to renew build permits for 2 reactors: The Tennessee Valley Authority, faced with growing electricity demand and rising coal costs, asked regulators Wednesday to renew construction permits for two unfinished nuclear reactors it virtually abandoned 20 years ago.
TUCSON, Ariz., 5:24 p.m. Aug. 27 (AP)
More charges against accused driver in Ariz. crash: A Mexican man who had been accused of transporting illegal immigrants after a rollover crash killed nine people faces new charges that could bring the death penalty.
BOISE, Idaho, 5:16 p.m. Aug. 27 (AP)
Professor's body found in burned Idaho home: The air was still thick with the smell of smoke when fire crews allowed Christopher Lee and his wife to return to their charred neighborhood and collect their belongings – or what was left of them.
CLOVIS, N.M., 4:49 p.m. Aug. 27 (AP)
4 inmates accused of helping with NM jailbreak: Four jail inmates who authorities say helped eight others make a brazen escape were charged Wednesday, as officials kept up the search for the five prisoners who remain on the loose, including a convicted murderer.
LAUREL, Miss., 4:08 p.m. Aug. 27 (AP)
Factory had tension between union, immigrants: Union bosses in this region of rural Mississippi have long grumbled that the largest factories here hire illegal immigrants, and that the immigrants were starting to get more overtime and supervisory positions.
LOS ANGELES, 3:54 p.m. Aug. 27 (AP)
L.A. park to stand as tribute to Robert F. Kennedy: With a band of traditional Korean drummers, a Latin dance group and a martial arts exhibition, city officials broke ground Wednesday on a small urban pocket park at the site where Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated 40 years ago.
BOISE, Idaho, 3:37 p.m. Aug. 27 (AP)
Death for man who kidnapped, murdered Idaho boy: A longtime sex offender was sentenced to death Wednesday for the 2005 kidnapping, torture and murder of a 9-year-old northern Idaho boy after federal jurors who watched video of some of the brutality deliberated just three hours.
WASHINGTON, 3:33 p.m. Aug. 27 (AP)
Durable goods post strong gains in June, July: U.S. factories saw a surprisingly hefty increase in their orders for big-ticket products in July, reflecting continued strength in export sales and a boost to business investment from the government's tax stimulus package.
BOSTON, 12:33 p.m. Aug. 27 (AP)
Soros behind Mass. effort to decriminalize pot: A measure that would decriminalize minor marijuana-possession cases is on the ballot in Massachusetts largely because of one man: billionaire financier and liberal activist George Soros.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., 12:09 p.m. Aug. 27 (AP)
Husband gets guardianship in Schiavo-like case: A judge on Wednesday granted temporary guardianship to the husband of a woman on a feeding tube in a case similar to the lengthy legal dispute over whether Terri Schiavo should be kept alive.
CHARLESTON, S.C., 12:06 p.m. Aug. 27 (AP)
Public defender to take ex-prof's appeal in scam: The federal public defender for South Carolina will handle the court appeal of Al Parish, the former college professor convicted of bilking hundreds of investors out of $66 million.
NEW YORK, 11:55 a.m. Aug. 27 (AP)
In NYC, new HIV infections 3 times national rate: New data shows New York City residents are contracting the virus that causes AIDS at three times the national rate.
WASHINGTON, 11:55 a.m. Aug. 27 (AP)
Judge fears secret hearings over Guantanamo Bay: A federal judge overseeing cases against dozens of Guantanamo Bay detainees said Wednesday that he fears the public – and the detainees themselves – will be locked out of the courtroom when evidence in the case is scrutinized for the first time.
WELLESLEY, Mass., 11:40 a.m. Aug. 27 (AP)
Wellesley museum loses prized 1921 cubist painting: Wellesley College has lost a 1921 painting by French cubist Fernand Leger that was likely worth millions of dollars, officials said.
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla., 11:26 a.m. Aug. 27 (AP)
Study: Bankruptcies soar for senior citizens: First came the health problems. Then, unable to work, Ada Noda watched the bills pile up. And then, suffocating in debt, the 80-year-old did something she never thought she'd be forced to do.
MIAMI, 10:39 a.m. Aug. 27 (AP)
Fla. prosecutor: handyman tried to kill songwriter: Latin songwriter Estefano was shot twice and nearly killed at his waterfront mansion last year by a trusted former handyman who carefully plotted his death but miraculously failed, prosecutors said in closing arguments Wednesday at the handyman's trial.
VALLEY CITY, N.D., 9:07 a.m. Aug. 27 (AP)
Godly or gimmick? Churches offer free gas: Carol Umsted got more than the word of God during services this summer at the Congregational United Church of Christ of Valley City.
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., 8:33 a.m. Aug. 27 (AP)
Officer pleads not guilty to body-slam of woman: A New York policeman pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a charge that he body-slammed an unarmed woman to the floor, breaking her jaw.
NEW YORK, 8:02 a.m. Aug. 27 (AP)
Oil rises after crude supplies fall unexpectedly: Oil prices are rising after the government reported that U.S. crude supplies fell unexpectedly last week.
DENVER, 7:39 a.m. Aug. 27 (AP)
Is Denver big enough for Sean Penn and Obama Girl?: Is this town big enough for both Sean Penn and the Obama Girl? Entertainers at all levels of political seriousness are finding their niches on the sidelines of the Democratic National Convention.
ATLANTA, 7:04 a.m. Aug. 27 (AP)
FAA says communication breakdown delayed flights: Numerous flight delays caused by an electronic communication failure at a Federal Aviation Administration facility drew new criticism for an agency that has been scrutinized over air traffic controller staffing levels and inspection standards for its ground-based equipment.
NEW ORLEANS, 6:29 a.m. Aug. 27 (AP)
Louisiana, Mississippi keeping eye on Gustav: As Friday's third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaches, officials in Louisiana and Mississippi are keeping an eye on storm Gustav.
HOUSTON, 6:18 a.m. Aug. 27 (AP)
Correction: Whales-Oil Exploration story: In the first paragraph of an Aug. 21 story about how sperm whales may be affected by seismic testing for hydrocarbons in the Gulf of Mexico, The Associated Press overstated the conclusions of a federally funded study.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska, 4:29 a.m. Aug. 27 (AP)
Alaska voters decide mining over fish: Alaskans were given an option when voting for an initiative in their primary election: mining or fish.
FORT JACKSON, S.C., 3:58 a.m. Aug. 27 (AP)
Army opens prep school for dropouts to fill ranks: Austin Swarner left high school to care for his mother while she fought a losing battle with cancer. Tony Brown wanted to begin supporting himself and left two classes shy of a diploma. Haelee Holden got tired of trying to make it through school while flipping burgers until 1 a.m.
DENVER, 3:53 a.m. Aug. 27 (AP)
AP News in Brief: Hillary Rodham Clinton closed the book on her 2008 presidential bid with an emphatic plea for the party to unite behind Barack Obama.
ALBANY, N.Y., 1:49 a.m. Aug. 27 (AP)
Board members quit, suspends government in NY town: Only eight months on the job as supervisor of the small town of Ancram, Thomas Dias finds himself faced not with a crisis in government but no government at all.
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich., 1:37 a.m. Aug. 27 (AP)
Incomes fall in Michigan, number in poverty rises: Government data painted a bleak economic picture for Michigan, where the auto industry's downward plunge has rippled across the state.
HICKMAN, Neb., 1:16 a.m. Aug. 27 (AP)
Nebraska city council votes to evict aging horse: This one-horse town is looking like becoming a no-horse town. The owner of a 32-year-old horse named Peter Rabbit wasn't able Tuesday to buck a local ban on livestock within city limits.
DETROIT, 12:53 a.m. Aug. 27 (AP)
Mich. governor, Detroit mayor have strained past: Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick come from the same powerful Democratic political machine, yet they have had a strained relationship for years.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska, 12:39 a.m. Aug. 27 (AP)
Arctic sea ice drops to 2nd lowest level on record: Arctic Ocean sea ice has melted to the second lowest minimum since satellite observations began, according to scientists at the National Snow and Ice Data Center.
AKRON, Ohio, 12:30 a.m. Aug. 27 (AP)
Akron eyes sewage system deal for scholarships: Some people dub it “stools for schools,” yet a plan to lease the city's sewage system gets high marks from others.
COLUMBUS, Ohio, 12:20 a.m. Aug. 27 (AP)
Homeowners mix vegetables, flowers to save money: Tidy lawns have been replaced by a jumble of hot peppers, tomatoes, peas, peaches, berries and plums in the front yards of two next-door neighbors.
NEW ORLEANS, 12:17 a.m. Aug. 27 (AP)
Memorial to Katrina victims taking shape: Six mausoleums for the unclaimed dead of Hurricane Katrina stand on what was vacant land just five weeks ago, as New Orleans – in what could be a testament to its determination – scrambles to complete a memorial by Friday's third anniversary of the storm.
TRUMBULL, Conn., 12:13 a.m. Aug. 27 (AP)
State news of national interest: Police said they arrested a young man after he boasted of eluding authorities during a high-speed chase. Officers said Michael Giurintano, 18, of Monroe crashed his car and successfully fled on foot last week. Police said they found his cell phone number in the car and called him. Thinking it was a friend, Giurintano bragged about the incident, police said.
