Safe room mandates remain rare in tornado states
MOORE, Okla. (AP) -- After living nearly 20 years in their one-story brick home, Sherry and Larry Wells finally won the lottery - for a state rebate on a home storm shelter, that is. A contractor finished installing the concrete bunker beneath the slab of their garage in early May. About three weeks later, the shelter saved their lives when a tornado that killed 24 people tore through their neighborhood....

Truck in Wash. span collapse hauled drilling equip
MOUNT VERNON, Wash. (AP) -- A truck hauling an oversized load of drilling equipment struck an overhead bridge girder on the major interstate between Seattle and Canada, sending a section of the span and two vehicles into the Skagit River below. All three occupants suffered only minor injuries....

Swim coach sentenced to 7 years for sex abuse
ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) -- A once-prominent swimming coach who trained thousands of children was sentenced to seven years in prison Thursday for sexually abusing one of the girls he instructed....

Boy Scouts approve plan to accept openly gay boys
GRAPEVINE, Texas (AP) -- After lengthy and wrenching debate, local leaders of the Boy Scouts of America have voted to open their ranks to openly gay boys for the first time, but heated reactions from the left and right made clear that the BSA's controversies are far from over....

Jersey shore reopens for 1st post-Sandy summer
SEASIDE HEIGHTS, N.J. (AP) -- New Jersey rolled out some of its big guns Friday to proclaim that the shore is back following Superstorm Sandy, using Gov. Chris Christie and the cast of MTV's "Jersey Shore" to tell a national audience the state is ready for summer fun....

Plastic ocean debris the target of new Calif. bill
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- It's a common sight on the nation's beaches: among the sand, sea foam and gnarled kelp lay plastic bottles, bags and other garbage....

Distraught mom becomes face of Oklahoma storm
MOORE, Okla. (AP) -- A massive tornado was carving its way through town. There was no time to hesitate. LaTisha Garcia had to get to her children....

Kid Rock, Rolling Stones on scalping, summer tours
NEW YORK (AP) -- Kid Rock is a scalper....

Hurricane center: Beware of the storm surge
MIAMI (AP) -- During a hurricane, storm surge is one of the greatest threats to life and land, yet many people don't understand the dire warnings from forecasters to get out of its way. So this season, they hope to offer easy-to-understand, color-coded maps and change the way they talk to the public....

Some damage reported from 5.7 quake in N. Calif.
GREENVILLE, Calif. (AP) -- An earthquake in far northeastern California did not injure anyone but did cause moderate damage, including to a water tank that supplies hundreds of homes with drinking water, local authorities said Friday....