VIDEO: After Encampment Ends, NYC Occupiers Become Nomads

Band of homeless protesters stirs debate over how remaining funds should be allocated

2012-01-12

Meghan Barr The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) -- It was only a few nights after the Occupy protesters began sleeping in his church sanctuary when the Rev. Bob Brashear realized that his laptop was missing. Read the complete article

Credit Score Focus of New Celeb-Backed Debit Card

Suze Orman experiment could be game-changer for the 60 million people who rely mainly on cash

2012-01-11

Eileen AJ Connelly, AP Personal Finance Writer

NEW YORK (AP) -- Personal finance media personality Suze Orman is thinking big. She's the first out of the gate in the fast-growing prepaid debit card market with a card that aims to help its users build a credit score. It's a gamble that could pay off, if it can help create a way measure the creditworthiness of millions who function outside the traditional financial system. Read the complete article

Man Accused of Starting Fake College From Prison

Con man incarcerated in Wisconsin worked with outside associates to churn out fake diplomas

2012-01-11

Carrie Antlfinger The Associated Press

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- A lifelong con man accused of starting a fake university and churning out fake diplomas - while in prison in Wisconsin - appeared in court Tuesday to face a fraud charge, years after the complex scheme was uncovered. Read the complete article

Homicide Drops Off US List of Top Causes of Death

First time since 1965 that murder wasn’t ranked in top 15

2012-01-11

Mike Stobbe AP Medical Writer

ATLANTA (AP) -- For the first time in 45 years, homicide has fallen off the list of the nation's top 15 causes of death, government health officials said Wednesday. Read the complete article

Guantanamo Closure Hopes Fade as Prison Turns 10

Obama’s deadline has come and gone, leaving human rights observers dismayed

2012-01-10

Ben Fox The Associated Press

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) -- Suleiman al-Nahdi waits with dozens of other prisoners in a seemingly permanent state of limbo five years after he was cleared for release from Guantanamo Bay. Read the complete article

Supreme Court Struggles With Texas Election Case

State’s GOP-dominated government at odds with minority groups over how to draw up voting maps

2012-01-10

Mark Sherman The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court appeared to struggle Monday with what to do about holding elections in Texas for the state legislature and Congress in a case that could affect the federal Voting Rights Act and even the balance of power in the House. Read the complete article

Discrimination Suit Filed Against Elway Dealership

Former sales manager at Toyota lot owned by football great says minorities denied promotions

2012-01-10

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A former employee is alleging workers were routinely subjected to racial discrimination at a California car dealership partially owned by former Denver Broncos star John Elway. Read the complete article

Feds Charge Ex-Kosovo Man in Florida Islamic Plot

25-year-old Sami Osmakac arrested after buying explosives from undercover FBI agent

2012-01-09

Tamara Lush The Associated Press

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- A 25-year-old man from the former Yugoslavia was charged with plotting a radical Islamic attack on crowded locations around Tampa, including nightclubs and a sheriff's office, with a car bomb, assault rifle and other explosives, federal authorities said Monday. Read the complete article

North Carolina to Recommend Money for Sterilization Victims

State officials sterilized more than 7,600 people from 1929 to 1974 under eugenics programs

2012-01-09

Martha Waggoner The Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- A North Carolina panel is tasked with answering a question that has not been answered before, and seems to not have one: How do you repay people for taking away their ability to have children? Read the complete article

GOP Candidates Wade Into Food Stamp Debate

Gingrich, others point to program (that benefits 45 million) as welfare gone awry

2012-01-09

Mary Clare Jalonick The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Politicians normally shy away from saying they want to cut food stamps, but this year's Republican presidential candidates are using domestic food aid as an example of a welfare state gone awry. Read the complete article