Atheist student groups flower on college campuses
AMES, Iowa (AP) -- The sign sits propped on a wooden chair, inviting all comers: "Ask an Atheist."...

A bad month in Afghanistan rippled across the US
Every afternoon, seven days a week, Ed Epley has a 5 p.m. appointment with the war....

Atlantis astronauts take 2nd spacewalk of mission
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) -- A spacewalking astronaut put aside the impending birth of his daughter and concentrated instead on his first-ever venture outside the International Space Station on Saturday....

More Americans expected to travel for Thanksgiving
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The number of Americans traveling away from home for Thanksgiving will be up only slightly this year from 2008, according to a report from the AAA auto club....

Mental health cases tax police, emergency workers
BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) -- Police found him sitting on the floor of his old apartment near a bucket of urine, still dressed in his hospital gown....

NC man gets life in prison for woman's fatal scare
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- A man will spend the rest of his life in prison after he was found guilty in what prosecutors said was a case of scaring a 79-year-old North Carolina grandmother to death....

Report finds wide disparities in gifted education
ATLANTA (AP) -- When Liz Fitzgerald realized her son and daughter were forced to read books in math class while the other children caught up, she had them moved into gifted classes at their suburban Atlanta elementary school....

Hawaii anxiously watching year-end tuna supply
HONOLULU (AP) -- On New Year's Eve each year, thousands line up at fish counters across Hawaii to buy blocks of raw tuna, hoping that eating it will bring good luck and prosperity in the new year. This year, the long tradition may get a little more difficult to observe....

Losing Winfrey would be big blow for Second City
CHICAGO (AP) -- Step outside Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Studios and into the near west side neighborhood that's been home to her television talk show for two decades, and it's easy to get a sense of what she's meant to Chicago....

Motown caps 50th anniversary with hometown gala
DETROIT (AP) -- Berry Gordy founded what would become Motown Records a half-century ago with an $800 loan. Today, that would get you two tickets with a bit to spare to the Motown 50 Golden Gala....