Society
US fires captain of Japan-bound nuclear warship
TOKYO (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy said it had replaced the captain of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier scheduled for a controversial berth in Japan after blaming him for a fire on board on the warship.
Chronic homeless population down 15%, U.S. says
WASHINGTON -- The number of chronically homeless people declined by 15% last year, according to a first-of-its-kind government report released Tuesday, though officials cautioned that part of the decline may be attributable to better counting meth...
McCain skin biopsy negative for cancer: clinic
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A biopsy conducted on skin taken from the face of U.S. Republican presidential candidate John McCain showed no skin cancer, medical authorities said on Tuesday.
Efforts Against AIDS Among Black Americans Criticized
A prominent AIDS organization accused the federal government yesterday of doing too little to fight AIDS among black Americans, in whom the size and scope of the epidemic resembles that seen in many African nations.
Seattle woman rescuing 'death row dogs'
As Ginger Luke tells it, it all began with a delivery of Chinese food, a wiener dog locked in a bathroom, and a grumpy old man. While Luke has no idea what was in the man's fortune cookie, if the dog had had one it would have read: This is your lu...
World War II veteran dies hours after Army apology
SEATTLE -- Samuel Snow, an 83-year-old black World War II veteran who had traveled across the country to receive an apology from the Army for being unfairly convicted on rioting charges, died early Sunday just hours after the ceremony honoring him...
FDA Officials Narrow Salmonella Warning To Mexican Peppers
Federal health officials are one step closer to finding the cause of a three-month-old salmonella outbreak and are now warning consumers to avoid only Mexican-grown raw jalapeño and Serrano peppers.
Youth anti-gang initiative offers chance for a fresh start
Walking as a pack down Rainier Avenue earlier this week, a dozen African-American youths paused at bus stops, beauty salons and minimarkets -- even shiny cars stopped in traffic -- to pass out fliers and invite other streetwise kids to join them.
1 Dead in N.H. Storms That Levels Several Homes
Violent storms on Thursday in a 25-mile-long swath of central New Hampshire destroyed several homes, damaged dozens of others and left at least one person dead, authorities said as police and firefighters went door-to-door searching for more possi...
California adopts stiff pollution rules for ships
California regulators adopted the world's toughest pollution rules for oceangoing vessels Thursday, vowing to improve the health of coastal residents and opening a new front in a long battle with the international shipping industry.
Polygamist sects likened to mob
WASHINGTON — A Senate committee on Thursday heard appeals for the creation of a federal task force to combat polygamist sects that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid described as sophisticated organized crime rings.
Black doll's head on police car sparks anger in Harlem
A black doll's head sparked accusations of racial insensitivity among police in Harlem. State Sen. Bill Perkins (D-Manhattan) yesterday accused the New York Police Department of turning a blind eye to accusations that a white lieutenant and office...
Massive flooding feared as Hurricane Dolly hits Texas
BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS -- Hurricane Dolly hammered the southern tip of Texas on Wednesday, lashing buildings with violent winds, triggering tornado warnings and fueling fears of massive flooding and failed levees along the Rio Grande.
Gates Foundation breaks ground on Seattle's newest tourist attraction: its headquarters
SEATTLE: Across the street from the Space Needle and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's tribute to Jimi Hendrix and rock music, Allen's old friend Bill Gates is building his headquarters for charitable giving, something sure to become another Seatt...
Man blows up apartment spraying for bugs?
A New Jersey man trying to exterminate insects in his apartment blew it up instead, the New York Daily News reported on Monday.
Dissident group claims three women ordained as priests
A group advocating for the ordination of women held a ceremony yesterday in a packed Protestant church at which it declared three women to be Catholic priests and a fourth woman to be a deacon.
Dissident group claims three women ordained as priests
A group advocating for the ordination of women held a ceremony yesterday in a packed Protestant church at which it declared three women to be Catholic priests and a fourth woman to be a deacon.
Judge in Montana restores protections for Northern Rockies wolves
BILLINGS, Mont. - A federal judge in Montana has ordered gray wolves in the Northern Rockies be returned to the endangered species list. U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy has granted a preliminary injunction restoring federal protections for the w...
US hits weight marker: 1 in 4 officially obese
Americans, who have been getting fatter for decades, reached an unwelcome milestone in a report released Thursday: More than one in four of us are obese.
Warning on Tomatoes Is Withdrawn
The Food and Drug Administration revoked its warning against eating certain kinds of raw tomatoes on Thursday, even though officials said they had yet to pinpoint the source of the nation’s largest food-borne outbreak of illness in the last decade.