In this Nov. 30, 2006 photo, people watch through glass as a killer whale swims by in a display tank at SeaWorld in San Diego.

SeaWorld says it will end orca shows in San Diego by 2017

SAN DIEGO — SeaWorld will end orca shows at its San Diego park after visitors at the tourist attraction made it clear they prefer seeing… Continue reading

In this Nov. 30, 2006 photo, people watch through glass as a killer whale swims by in a display tank at SeaWorld in San Diego.
New York Police Department officers investigate a shooting at a subway station entrance at 35th Street and Eighth Avenue Monday in New York.

3 shot, 1 dead, in Manhattan subway entrance

NEW YORK — An argument that began inside a midtown Manhattan McDonald’s early Monday erupted in gunfire at the steps of a nearby subway entrance… Continue reading

New York Police Department officers investigate a shooting at a subway station entrance at 35th Street and Eighth Avenue Monday in New York.
Pallbearers carry the casket of 6-year-old Jeremy Mardis to the grave site at Beaumont Cemetery in Beaumont, Mississippi on Monday. Jeremy Mardis, a 6-year-old autistic boy, was killed and his father wounded when marshals opened fire on their vehicle in Marksville, Lousiana on Nov. 3.

Lawyer: Body cam showed no threats as police killed boy

MARKSVILLE, La. — A police body camera recorded the father of a 6-year-old autistic boy with his hands up and posing no threat as police… Continue reading

Pallbearers carry the casket of 6-year-old Jeremy Mardis to the grave site at Beaumont Cemetery in Beaumont, Mississippi on Monday. Jeremy Mardis, a 6-year-old autistic boy, was killed and his father wounded when marshals opened fire on their vehicle in Marksville, Lousiana on Nov. 3.

Armed groups target elephants

JOHANNESBURG — The eight suspected poachers stood under a tree, apparently unaware they were being tracked by 10 rangers from Congo’s Garamba National Park. But… Continue reading

Burundians load belongings on a truck Saturday in Bujumbura, Burundi. Carrying their prized possessions, scores of people fled Burundi's capital Saturday before a looming security crackdown.

Witnesses: 9 killed in attack on bar in Burundi’s capital

BUJUMBURA, Burundi — At least nine people were killed in an overnight attack at a bar in the latest violence in Burundi’s capital, witnesses said… Continue reading

Burundians load belongings on a truck Saturday in Bujumbura, Burundi. Carrying their prized possessions, scores of people fled Burundi's capital Saturday before a looming security crackdown.
Flames rise from a vehicle following a fatal crash Sunday in Hyattsville, Maryland.

4 killed, 14 hurt in fiery crash near D.C.

HYATTSVILLE, Md. — Four people, including a child, died Sunday and 14 others were injured after a pickup truck rammed into a church van and… Continue reading

Flames rise from a vehicle following a fatal crash Sunday in Hyattsville, Maryland.

Mysterious electric car startup looking to build $1B factory

LOS ANGELES — The luxury electric car market may be small, but it’s lucrative enough to get another jolt — this time from a mysterious… Continue reading

In this Oct. 30 photo, Leanna Mulvihill poses at the Hudson Valley Farm Business Incubator in New Paltz, New York. Mulvihill grazes her pigs and lambs on about 50 acres at the incubator.

Young farmers help keep land in production

NEW PALTZ, N.Y. — Hauling feed, herding pigs, long hours. Farming is hard. And 25-year-old Leanna Mulvihill loves it.Young farmers like Mulvihill are bright green… Continue reading

In this Oct. 30 photo, Leanna Mulvihill poses at the Hudson Valley Farm Business Incubator in New Paltz, New York. Mulvihill grazes her pigs and lambs on about 50 acres at the incubator.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, and Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou, left, shake hands at the Shangri-la Hotel on Saturday in Singapore.

A China-Taiwan handshake, 66 years in the making

It was just a handshake. Just two prosperous-looking men in dark suits walking across a hotel meeting room to say hello.But, of course, it wasn’t.… Continue reading

Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, and Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou, left, shake hands at the Shangri-la Hotel on Saturday in Singapore.
A sign posted in front of TransCanada's Keystone pipeline facilities in Hardisty, Alberta, Canada, is seen on Friday.

Without Keystone, industry must find new paths for oil

TORONTO — Following the Obama administration’s rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline, the oil industry faces the tricky task of making sure the crude oil… Continue reading

A sign posted in front of TransCanada's Keystone pipeline facilities in Hardisty, Alberta, Canada, is seen on Friday.
In this Sept. 8 photo, Jack Baker hugs his father's PTSD service dog, Honor, at his home in Clyde, N.C.

After vet felled by PTSD, service dog aids family

CLYDE, N.C. — Part of the Labrador retriever’s training was to sense when the demons of war had invaded Wade Baker’s dreams.“I woke up with… Continue reading

In this Sept. 8 photo, Jack Baker hugs his father's PTSD service dog, Honor, at his home in Clyde, N.C.

Job creator or job killer? A look at Pacific trade deal

WASHINGTON — The sweeping Pacific Rim trade deal now being debated would cover everything from Vietnamese labor unions to copyright protections to trade in sockeye… Continue reading

Detective: ‘Hero’ cop sought hit-man to cover up thefts

FOX LAKE, Ill. — Months before an Illinois police officer staged his suicide to make it seem like he died in the line of duty,… Continue reading

NASA: Sun stripping away Martian atmosphere, left dry planet

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA’s Mars-orbiting Maven spacecraft has discovered that the sun likely robbed the red planet of its once-thick atmosphere and water.On… Continue reading

Woman who held disabled people captive gets life in prison

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A woman who kept mentally disabled adults captive in the basement of a Philadelphia home and in other states for their disability… Continue reading

George Barris, creator of TV’s original Batmobile, has died

LOS ANGELES (AP) — George Barris, who created television’s original Batmobile, along with scores of other beautifully customized, instantly recognizable vehicles that helped define California… Continue reading

Student who stabbed 4 at university meant to do more harm

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A freshman student who stabbed four people at a California university meant to do even more harm, but he acted alone… Continue reading

Illinois mom who watched 3 kids drown fights for new family

CHICAGO (AP) — In horrifying detail, prosecutors described how three children, trapped in the back seat of their mother’s car, screamed for help before they… Continue reading

A woman holds a portrait of Nina Lushchenko, one of the victims of a plane crash,  during her funeral at a cemetery in the village of Sitnya, 80 km (about 50 miles) of Veliky Novgorod, Russia, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015.  The first victim of Saturday's plane crash in Egypt was laid to rest on Thursday following a funeral service in a medieval church in the north Russian city of Veliky Novgorod.  Russia's Airbus 321-200 broke up over the Sinai Peninsula en route from the resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg, killing all 224 on board. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky)

Russia, Egypt dismiss bomb theory

LONDON — Five days after a Russian jetliner broke apart high above the Sinai, Russia and Egypt on Thursday dismissed Western suggestions that a terrorist… Continue reading

A woman holds a portrait of Nina Lushchenko, one of the victims of a plane crash,  during her funeral at a cemetery in the village of Sitnya, 80 km (about 50 miles) of Veliky Novgorod, Russia, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015.  The first victim of Saturday's plane crash in Egypt was laid to rest on Thursday following a funeral service in a medieval church in the north Russian city of Veliky Novgorod.  Russia's Airbus 321-200 broke up over the Sinai Peninsula en route from the resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg, killing all 224 on board. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky)

IS bomb on plane would herald new phase in conflict

BEIRUT — At this stage, there is no hard evidence. But reports from the U.S. and Britain suggesting an Islamic State group bomb may have… Continue reading