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Country wrestles with spike in food stamp use

There are now almost 46 million people in the United States on food stamps, roughly 15 percent of the population. That's an increase of 74 percent since 2007.

Strauss-Kahn prosecutors seek to drop charges

The Manhattan district attorney's office filed papers recommending that a judge dismiss some or all of the sexual assault charges against former IMF director Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

Hurricane Irene grows on path to US Southeast

Hurricane Irene could be a major storm with winds above 110 mph when it reaches Florida, forecasters warned as Puerto Rico cleaned up and the Dominican Republic geared up.

Casey Anthony back in Fla. for probation

Casey Anthony is back in Florida and will report to a probation office in Orlando to start probation if an appeal fails, her lawyer said.

Hike took Scout leader into killer's path

As a 76-year-old scoutmaster led two young charges on a nature hike, they stopped to identify a tree. The pause, authorities say, put them in the path of a man who emerged with a knife and fatally stabbed the group's leader.

No sign of missing US woman in Aruba search

Police in Aruba searched a brushy coastal area for seven hours Monday but found no new leads into the case of a Maryland woman who disappeared on the Dutch Caribbean island.

Post-9/11: Is US hiding too much info?

As a staggered nation scrambled after Sept. 11, 2001, to anticipate possible next targets, there was a widespread sanitizing of publicly available information suddenly viewed as tip sheets and road maps for terrorists.

Siblings accused in crime spree charged in Colo.

Prosecutors in Colorado have filed charges against each of the three siblings accused in a cross-country crime spree that began in Florida.

'Sickening' spill kills hundreds of thousands of fish

A rotten stench hung over a 60-mile stretch of Louisiana's Pearl River as boats trawled through thick layers of dead fish, and sweating workers bent to scoop the carcasses from the water.

Father Accused of Drowning Children

A man accused of drowning his two children on the first day of school is in police custody.

Feds probe wing walker death at Mich. air show

A Michigan wing walker who fell to his death after trying to grab a helicopter's skid while standing on the fuselage of a small plane had performed the same maneuver successfully a number of times.

Somali gets life in prison for US yacht hijacking

A Somali man was sentenced to life in prison on Monday for his role in the hijacking of a yacht off the coast of Africa that left all four Americans on board dead, telling a federal judge that he never meant for anyone to get hurt.

Martin Luther King Jr. memorial opens in DC

Martin Luther King Jr. stood 30 feet tall on the National Mall as a memorial to him was unveiled on Monday morning â€" the first memorial on the Mall not dedicated to a war, president or white man.

Victim of Ind. fair collapse to be organ donor

The family of a 24-year-old cheerleading coach from Ohio who suffered serious head injuries when a stage at the Indiana State Fair collapsed in high winds earlier this month said she is "no longer with us" and will undergo organ donation surgery Monday.