Nation News

After weeks of uncertainty and pleas for action by Gov. David Paterson, New York's Senate failed to vote on a bill legalizing same-sex marriage during a special session Tuesday. Read More

Virginia's governor refused to spare the life of John Allen Muhammad and cleared the way for his execution Tuesday night for the sniper attacks in 2002 that left 10 dead and spread such fear people were afraid to go shopping, cut grass or pump gas. Read More

A man opened fire with a rifle Tuesday at a drug-testing laboratory in suburban Portland, killing a female employee and wounding two other workers before fatally shooting himself, police said. The gunman and the dead woman apparently had a "relationship," Tualatin Police Chief Kent Barker said. He did not elaborate. Read More

A first-grader in central Illinois gets to keep his autism helper dog in school, a Douglas County judge ruled Tuesday. Read More

A Cuban-born man identified as a leader of a Hispanic prison gang has been executed for the robbery-slaying of a Houston drug dealer more than 10 years ago. Read More

A 42-year-old man upset by the treatment of U.S. military personnel sneaked a disassembled shotgun into a middle school just after classes began Tuesday, put it together in a bathroom, then held the principal hostage for more than two hours before surrendering without firing a shot, police said. Read More

Authorities threw the book at 12 people Tuesday, accusing them of checking out pricey textbooks from a public library system outside Washington to sell for quick cash. Read More

More than 400 students escaped a three-alarm fire that heavily damaged a southeast Portland elementary school. Read More

Bernard Kerik, the former New York City police commissioner and one-time candidate for Homeland Security chief, was freed from jail Tuesday for the holidays to await sentencing on federal crimes. Read More

A district attorney in Colorado has decided no criminal charges are warranted against the sheriff who disclosed that child welfare workers were involved in the inquiry in the runaway balloon case. Read More

A fifth foreign mission to the United Nations has received an envelope with a suspicious white powder inside, police say. Read More

Sniper John Allen Muhammad is meeting with relatives in the hours before his execution and one of his attorneys described the convicted killer as fearless. Read More

A man opened fire with a rifle Tuesday at a drug-testing laboratory in suburban Portland, killing one woman and wounding two other people before fatally shooting himself, police said. No names were immediately released. Read More

A Marine reservist accused of attacking a Greek Orthodox priest with a tire iron after apparently calling him a terrorist was actually defending himself after being sexually attacked by the cleric, his defense attorney said Tuesday. Read More

Dozens of wild bison from Yellowstone National Park would be relocated to a Montana ranch owned by billionaire Ted Turner, under a recommendation made by state and federal officials Tuesday. Read More

Fort Hood officials say that 15 of 29 people wounded in last week's shooting rampage remain hospitalized. Read More

It was a heartwarming story: A 200-year-old general store suffers a fire, the owner can't afford to rebuild it and the town's historical society steps in to buy the building, hoping to make it the commercial and social hub of town once again. Read More

Somberly reciting 13 names and 13 stories, President Barack Obama saluted the Americans killed at this Army post as heroes who died for their country _ and promised a nation demanding answers that "the killer will be met with justice." Read More

A former Bush administration lawyer is asking a federal court to toss a lawsuit by a convicted terrorist who accuses him of drafting the legal theories that led to his alleged torture. Read More

The families of three Americans accused of espionage in Iran are attempting the delicate feat of keeping a spotlight trained on the plight of their loved ones while trying to avoid the tangled politics of the tense U.S.-Iran relationship. Read More