KMPH Fox 26 Central San Joaquin Valley News Source in Fresno, California Entertainment, News, Sports and Weather | AP Top News at 11:38 p.m. EST -Saturday, March 13, 2010

AP Top News at 11:38 p.m. EST -Saturday, March 13, 2010

Northeast storm leaves half-million without power

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) - Strong winds and heavy rain pounded parts of the Northeast on Saturday, knocking out power to more than a half-million homes and businesses, delaying and diverting flights, and stranding about 500 passengers on a train for more than five hours. The New Jersey Transit train became stuck on the tracks more than halfway through its trek from Trenton to New York City along the Northeast Corridor line, spokeswoman Penny Bassett Hackett said.

Pelosi confident House will pass health care bill

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Saturday she's confident the House will pass health care legislation and dismissed Republican criticism that she did not have enough votes for the measure. "We're very excited about where we are and will not be deterred by estimates that have no basis in fact," she said during a dedication of the renamed Lim P. Lee Post Office in San Francisco. The post office was renamed after the nation's first Chinese-American postmaster.

Al-Qaida suspect from US tricked his Yemeni guard

SAN'A, Yemen (AP) - An American al-Qaida suspect detained in Yemen fooled his hospital guards into unshackling him by asking to join them for prayers, security officials said Saturday. He then killed a guard who laid down his weapon as he went ahead at prayer time. The new details of Sharif Mobley's failed escape attempt, obtained by The Associated Press, indicate the 26-year-old American of Somali descent has a level of training and cunning characteristic of the terror network.

Suicide attackers hit Afghan city; at least 30 die

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) - A suicide squad detonated bombs at a newly fortified prison, police headquarters and two other locations late Saturday, killing at least 30 people in the largest city of the southern Taliban heartland. The prison was themain target, but no prisoners escaped, Afghan President Hamid Karzai's half-brother said. Ahmed Wali Karzai, a member of the Kandahar provincial council, said two of the explosions occurred near his home, which was not damaged.

US mom: Daughter held in Ireland 'lost her mind'

LEADVILLE, Colo. (AP) - Before her daughter disappeared last fall, Christine Mott recalls that the 31-year-old who had been held in connection with an alleged assassination plot announced she had converted to Islam and told her family they'd go to hell if they didn't follow in her steps. Jamie Paulin-Ramirez also began talking about Jihad with her Muslim stepfather and spent most of her time online as she withdrew from her family, Mott said.

New Sen. Brown bashes Obama's 'bitter' health push

WASHINGTON (AP) - Newly arrived Republican Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts accused President Barack Obama and Democrats on Saturday of a "bitter, destructive and endless" drive to pass health overhaul legislation that Brown warned would be disastrous. "An entire year has gone to waste," Brown said in the weekly GOP radio and Internet address. "Millions of Americans have lost their jobs, and many more jobs are in danger. Even now, the president still hasn't gotten the message.

Thousands mourn death of Southern Calif. teen

POWAY, Calif. (AP) - Thousands of teachers, classmates and neighbors filled a high school stadium Saturday to honor a 17-year-old girl whose body was discovered in a shallow, lakeside grave as her parents vowed to dedicate themselves to protecting children from sex predators. Dozens of doves werelet go at the end of the nearly two-hour service for Chelsea King as many in the bleachers raised sunflowers with pale blue ribbons tied around the stems.

Lesbian sgt. discharged after police tell military

Jene Newsome played by the rules as an Air Force sergeant: She never told anyone in the military she was a lesbian. The 28-year-old's honorable discharge under the "don't ask, don't tell" policy came only after police officers in Rapid City, S.D., saw an Iowa marriage certificate in her home and told the nearby Ellsworth Air Force Base. Newsome and the American Civil Liberties Union filed a complaint against the western South Dakota police department, claiming the officers violated her privacy when they informed the military about her sexual orientation. The case also highlights concerns over the ability of third parties to "out" service members, especially as the Pentagon has started reviewing the 1993 "don't ask, don't tell" law.

ABC, Lifetime among winners of GLAAD Media Awards

NEW YORK (AP) - Joy Behar, Cynthia Nixon and the ABC drama series "Brothers&Sisters" are among this year's recipients of media awards from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. Presented Saturday in New York, winners of the 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards also include the NBC sitcom "Parks and Recreation," MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show," the Lifetime network film "Prayers for Bobby" and a report on CNN's "American Morning" program called "Why Will Won't Pledge Allegiance."

Butler, West Virginia win Big East championship

NEW YORK (AP) - Da'Sean Butler's second game-winner in three days gave West Virginia its first Big East championship. The senior guard, who banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give West Virginia a quarterfinal win, scored in the lane with 4.2 seconds left and the seventh-ranked Mountaineers beat No. 22 Georgetown 60-58 on Saturday night.

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