Melting snow causes heavy flooding in Wash. state
SNOQUALMIE, Wash. (AP) -- Rain and high winds lashed Washington state Wednesday, causing widespread avalanches, mudslides, flooding and road closures as the heavy snowfall that has buried parts of the state began to rapidly melt....

NY hears wedding bells, aims to compete with Vegas
NEW YORK (AP) -- Watch out, Las Vegas: New York City wants to become the new No. 1 place to tie the knot....

Richardson adviser worked for firm feds probing
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) -- One of Gov. Bill Richardson's close friends and advisers worked as a consultant for the California firm at the center of a federal pay-to-play probe that derailed the governor's appointment as commerce secretary....

3 wildfires prompt evacuations near Boulder, Colo.
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) -- Three wind-driven wildfires swept across Boulder County grasslands Wednesday, prompting authorities to call for evacuations of threatened residential areas....

Police search Ky. landfill for NJ baby remains
MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. (AP) -- The search for the remains of a Jersey City baby apparently thrown in the trash by a hospital has moved to Kentucky, but police fear the corpse has already been incinerated....

Vets sue CIA, DoD over military experiments
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Six veterans who say they were exposed to dangerous chemicals, germs and mind-altering drugs during Cold War-era experiments filed a federal lawsuit against the CIA, Department of Defense and other agencies Wednesday....

FBI: Man allegedly threatened to bomb LA-bound jet
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A man who claimed to have a bomb aboard a Los Angeles-bound jetliner and was then tackled and bound by other passengers will not face federal charges, the FBI said Wednesday....

Baltimore city councilwoman, developer indicted
BALTIMORE (AP) -- A grand jury indicted a Baltimore councilwoman and a prominent developer Wednesday, the first public corruption charges in a three-year probe of city finances that has targeted the mayor....

TVA ratepayers may be stuck with ash cleanup bill
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The tab for a toxin-laden ash flood at a coal-fired power plant in Tennessee could reach hundreds of millions of dollars, and ratepayers for the nation's largest public utility will probably be stuck with the bill....

Ex-sheriff's defense blasts Calif. corruption case
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) -- Lawyers for a former Orange County sheriff blasted federal prosecutors Wednesday for failing to call one of his ex-assistants as a key witness in his corruption trial....