Police: 9 family members killed in Ky. house fire

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• Police: 9 family members killed in Ky. house fire
• Ahead of Super Bowl, police target NYC sex ring
• Ukraine leader's sick leave prompts guessing game
• US prosecutors seek execution of marathon suspect
• Johansson steps down as humanitarian ambassador
• Politicians under fire as icebound U.S. South gets relief
• U.S. says results encouraging for healthcare delivery reforms
• Another $4M in outside money heading to Fla. race
• Family fight: GOP debates next move on immigration
• District apologizes after taking student lunches
• Knox in US as Italian court begins deliberations
• US says Syria must comply with chemical arms deal
• Doctors trying to bring Schumacher out of coma
• U.S. to seek death penalty for accused Boston Marathon bomber
• Toyota tells dealers to stop selling 6 models
• Scarlett Johansson, Oxfam part ways over politics
• Bruno Mars 'grateful' to perform at Super Bowl
• Hagel voices frustration with Afghan foot-dragging
• Exclusive: In diplomatic shift, Europe seeks improved ties with Cuba
• INSIDE WASHINGTON: Greens hit Obama on energy plan
• US stocks move higher, helped by Facebook, GDP
• Senate passes bill to delay flood insurance hikes
• Top Republican calls for boycott of MSNBC
• Iraq forces free hostages as January toll tops 900
• US to seek death penalty for accused Boston bomber 
• Police target NYC prostitution ring
• Militants assault government building in Baghdad
• Obama: Job training must reflect changing economy
• Chemical weapons watchdog discusses Syria mission
• Solid growth brightens economic outlook for 2014
• C.Africa rebels seize town north of Bangui, population flees
• NJ university offers course studying Beyonce
• Air Force: 92 implicated in nuke cheating scandal
• NASCAR creates winner-take-all championship format
• 20-term Democratic Rep. Waxman to retire
• Biting cold puts a freeze on restaurant business
• NYC agrees to stop-and-frisk monitor, reforms
• Lunches taken from Utah students who owed money
• As world ages, immigration seen as big boost to US

Police: 9 family members killed in Ky. house fire Posted: 30 Jan 2014 12:53 PM PST GREENVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Eight children and their mother were killed in an early morning house fire in western Kentucky on Thursday, with only the injured father and an 11-year-old girl escaping, Kentucky State Police said.

Ahead of Super Bowl, police target NYC sex ring Posted: 30 Jan 2014 12:51 PM PST NEW YORK (AP) — New York law enforcement authorities cracked down Thursday on a prostitution ring that they said advertised on public access cable TV, took credit cards and used text messages to market "party packs" of cocaine and sex to clients.

Ukraine leader's sick leave prompts guessing game Posted: 30 Jan 2014 12:51 PM PST KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Amid the deepest turmoil since the Orange Revolution, President Viktor Yanukovych's announcement Thursday that he was taking indefinite sick leave prompted a guessing game among Ukrainians about what was happening to their country.

US prosecutors seek execution of marathon suspect Posted: 30 Jan 2014 12:49 PM PST BOSTON (AP) — Federal prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty against Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (joh-HAHR' tsahr-NEYE'-ehv) in the Boston Marathon bombing.

Johansson steps down as humanitarian ambassador Posted: 30 Jan 2014 12:46 PM PST JERUSALEM (AP) — Scarlett Johansson has parted ways with the international charity Oxfam because of a dispute over her work for SodaStream, a company operating in a West Bank settlement that features the Hollywood star in an ad that will air during the Super Bowl.

Politicians under fire as icebound U.S. South gets relief Posted: 30 Jan 2014 12:45 PM PST By David Beasley ATLANTA (Reuters) - City and state leaders admitted missteps on Thursday in their handling of a rare ice storm that swept across the U.S. South, killing at least 14 people, snarling traffic and setting off a barrage of criticism from Atlanta residents. "I am a disappointed parent and taxpayer," said Stacy Shipman, 43, a corporate trainer in Atlanta. "Someone should have prepared the city for what a mass exodus of 1.2 million people would do to our travels." Georgia Governor Nathan Deal, a Republican running for re-election this year, angered many - including local meteorologists - when he described the storm late Tuesday as "unexpected." After the avalanche of criticism, the governor on Thursday took responsibility for the slow response and vowed to conduct a review aimed at improving procedures. "Our preparation was not adequate." Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, a Democrat who easily won a second term last fall, was mocked for his Tweet on Tuesday that said: "Atlanta, we are ready for the snow." In interviews on Thursday, Reed said government and school leaders shared responsibility for the errors.

U.S. says results encouraging for healthcare delivery reforms Posted: 30 Jan 2014 12:42 PM PST By David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration on Thursday reported what it called encouraging results from efforts to reduce healthcare costs and improve the quality of care for more than 5 million Medicare beneficiaries under Obamacare As part of President Barack Obama's healthcare reform law, the efforts center around more than 360 accountable care organizations (ACOs), which are networks of doctors, hospitals and other providers specially organized to help move Medicare away from traditional fee-for-service medicine. The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said preliminary data show that the ACOs produced $380 million in savings vis-a-vis traditional Medicare in 2012 by giving doctors and other healthcare providers the incentive to focus on improved outcomes for patients instead of fees from tests and services. Medicare, the $575 billion government healthcare system for 51 million elderly and disabled beneficiaries, faces growing financial pressures as a result of America's aging population.

Another $4M in outside money heading to Fla. race Posted: 30 Jan 2014 12:41 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Need proof outside money matters in this year's elections? Just look at spending this week.

Family fight: GOP debates next move on immigration Posted: 30 Jan 2014 12:38 PM PST CAMBRIDGE, Md. (AP) — House Republicans wrestled with the outlines of immigration legislation on Thursday, sharply divided over both the contentious issue and the political wisdom of acting on it in an election year.

District apologizes after taking student lunches Posted: 30 Jan 2014 12:35 PM PST SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah school district is apologizing after 32 elementary students in Salt Lake City had their school lunches thrown out because money was owed on their food accounts.

Knox in US as Italian court begins deliberations Posted: 30 Jan 2014 12:34 PM PST FLORENCE, Italy (AP) — An appeals court in Florence deliberated into the evening Thursday in the third murder trial of U.S. student Amanda Knox and her former boyfriend as she waited a continent away with, in her words, "my heart in my throat."

US says Syria must comply with chemical arms deal Posted: 30 Jan 2014 12:33 PM PST BEIRUT (AP) — The United States accused the Syrian government Thursday of using stalling tactics to delay efforts to remove and destroy chemical agents, an indication that the international community's patience is wearing thin over the slow pace of the operation.

Doctors trying to bring Schumacher out of coma Posted: 30 Jan 2014 12:30 PM PST LONDON (AP) — Michael Schumacher's doctors have started trying to wake up the Formula One great from the medically induced coma he's been in since a skiing accident last month, his manager said Thursday.

U.S. to seek death penalty for accused Boston Marathon bomber Posted: 30 Jan 2014 12:28 PM PST By David Ingram and Richard Valdmanis WASHINGTON/BOSTON (Reuters) - Accused bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev should be put to death if he is found guilty of planting bombs that killed three people and wounded 264 at the Boston Marathon last year, the U.S. government's chief prosecutor said on Thursday. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement that he was authorizing trial prosecutors to seek the death penalty against Tsarnaev, who is charged with committing one of the largest attacks on U.S. soil since September 11, 2001. Holder had faced a Friday deadline for deciding whether to seek the death penalty as part of Tsarnaev's upcoming trial in Boston. The decision drew fire from the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, which pointed out the case would be prosecuted in a state that had scrapped the death penalty decades ago.

Toyota tells dealers to stop selling 6 models Posted: 30 Jan 2014 12:28 PM PST DETROIT (AP) — Toyota has told North American dealers to stop selling six popular models with heated seats because the fabric doesn't comply with U.S. safety codes and potentially could catch fire.

Scarlett Johansson, Oxfam part ways over politics Posted: 30 Jan 2014 12:27 PM PST JERUSALEM (AP) — Scarlett Johansson has parted ways with the international charity Oxfam because of a dispute over her work for SodaStream, a company operating in a West Bank settlement that features the Hollywood star in an ad that will air during the Super Bowl.

Bruno Mars 'grateful' to perform at Super Bowl Posted: 30 Jan 2014 12:27 PM PST NEW YORK (AP) — Before Bruno Mars performs in front of the biggest audience of his career at the Super Bowl, he talked about it in front of a much smaller crowd Thursday.

Hagel voices frustration with Afghan foot-dragging Posted: 30 Jan 2014 12:27 PM PST WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Expressing growing U.S. impatience, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Thursday he doesn't know what to believe about new assurances from Afghanistan that President Hamid Karzai is moving closer to signing a pact to keep American troops in his country next year as advisers.

Exclusive: In diplomatic shift, Europe seeks improved ties with Cuba Posted: 30 Jan 2014 12:26 PM PST By Robin Emmott and Fiona Ortiz BRUSSELS/MADRID (Reuters) - The European Union will agree next month to deepen relations with Cuba in its most significant overture to the communist nation since diplomatic sanctions were lifted in 2008, people close to the matter told Reuters. Foreign ministers from the EU's 28 countries will give the go-ahead on February 10 to launch talks with Havana on a special cooperation accord to increase trade, investment and dialogue on human rights. "Cuba wants capital, and the European Union wants influence," said one person involved in the talks who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue. "This cooperation could serve as a prelude to much more." Two other people with knowledge of the negotiations told Reuters that a consensus had been reached in Brussels to give momentum to the market-oriented reforms introduced under Cuban President Raul Castro and to position European companies for any transition to a more capitalist economy in the longer term.

INSIDE WASHINGTON: Greens hit Obama on energy plan Posted: 30 Jan 2014 12:24 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is sticking to a fossil-fuel dependent energy policy, delivering a blow to a monthslong, behind-the-scenes effort by nearly every major environmental group to convince the White House that the policy is at odds with his goals on global warming.

US stocks move higher, helped by Facebook, GDP Posted: 30 Jan 2014 12:21 PM PST NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks moved higher Thursday as investors cheered strong earnings from Facebook and an encouraging report that the U.S. economy grew at a robust annual rate of 3.2 percent in the fourth quarter.

Senate passes bill to delay flood insurance hikes Posted: 30 Jan 2014 12:20 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has easily passed a bill to delay premium hikes for years for hundreds of thousands of homeowners who buy flood insurance from the federal government.

Top Republican calls for boycott of MSNBC Posted: 30 Jan 2014 12:17 PM PST NEW YORK (AP) — The head of the Republican National Committee is urging GOP officials to avoid appearances on MSNBC because of what he called the network's "petty and demeaning" attacks.

Iraq forces free hostages as January toll tops 900 Posted: 30 Jan 2014 12:11 PM PST Iraqi forces ended a hostage-taking at a Baghdad government building killing four militants on Thursday, as nationwide violence took January's death toll past 900 with elections looming. The brazen assault on a building in the northeast of the capital came as security forces grapple with intensifying violence and an extended standoff with anti-government fighters in the western province of Anbar. It is likely to raise fresh concerns about the capabilities of Iraq's security forces amid fears the April 30 general election could be partially delayed, as was the case for provincial elections in April 2013. Six militants wearing suicide vests initially attempted to storm the building, which houses offices of a state-owned firm, by blowing up a minibus rigged with explosives at the main gate, police at the scene said.

US to seek death penalty for accused Boston bomber  Posted: 30 Jan 2014 12:09 PM PST The United States is to seek the death penalty for accused Boston bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev if he is convicted of involvement in the deadly attack, Attorney General Eric Holder said Thursday. Three people were killed and around 260 wounded on April 15 last year when two bombs made of explosives-packed pressure cookers exploded near the finish line of the Boston marathon. Tsarnaev, then 19, and his 26-year-old brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev were cornered by police after a four-day manhunt.

Police target NYC prostitution ring Posted: 30 Jan 2014 12:08 PM PST NEW YORK (AP) — New York law enforcement authorities cracked down Thursday on a prostitution ring that they said advertised on public access cable TV, took credit cards and used text messages to market "party packs" of cocaine and sex to clients.

Militants assault government building in Baghdad Posted: 30 Jan 2014 12:05 PM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — Gunmen and suicide bombers staged a brazen assault on a government building in Baghdad, officials said, killing two people in the latest such attack in the heart of the Iraqi capital by militants trying to undermine further the Shiite-led government's shaky authority.

Obama: Job training must reflect changing economy Posted: 30 Jan 2014 12:04 PM PST WAUKESHA, Wis. (AP) — Stressing the importance of having job-training programs that work, President Barack Obama on Thursday ordered a "soup to nuts" review of federal workforce training initiatives and pledged to copy the most successful ones.

Chemical weapons watchdog discusses Syria mission Posted: 30 Jan 2014 12:00 PM PST THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The United States on Thursday criticized Syria for its slow pace in moving chemical weapons out of the country for destruction, ratcheting up pressure on President Bashar Assad to cooperate with an unprecedented international chemical disarmament mission.

Solid growth brightens economic outlook for 2014 Posted: 30 Jan 2014 11:56 AM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumers will spend more. Government will cut less. Businesses will invest more. And more companies will hire.

C.Africa rebels seize town north of Bangui, population flees Posted: 30 Jan 2014 11:54 AM PST Bangui (Central African Republic) (AFP) - Fighters from the Central African Republic's Seleka rebel group violently seized a town north of the capital Bangui Thursday, sending terrorised civilians fleeing, according to military and diplomatic sources. A paramilitary police source told AFP a convoy of about 50 vehicles loaded with Seleka fighters surrounded Sibut on Wednesday night, committing atrocities against the population of the town about 180 kilometres (110 miles) north of Bangui. It was not clear where the Seleka fighters had come from, but it was unlikely to be from Bangui, where the presence of the convoy would have been detected along the main road by French and African troops stationed in the capital. And a contingent of Gabonese troops from the African Union-led peacekeeping mission MISCA has withdrawn from the town, both sources said.

NJ university offers course studying Beyonce Posted: 30 Jan 2014 11:53 AM PST NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (AP) — Beyonce is one of the world's most scrutinized pop stars, and now that study is moving to academia.

Air Force: 92 implicated in nuke cheating scandal Posted: 30 Jan 2014 11:50 AM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Top Air Force officials described a persistent culture of "undue stress and fear" that led 92 out of 550 members of the military's nuclear missile corps to be involved in cheating on a monthly proficiency test on which they felt pressured to get perfect scores to get promoted.

NASCAR creates winner-take-all championship format Posted: 30 Jan 2014 11:37 AM PST CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — NASCAR overhauled its championship format Thursday, creating an elimination, winner-take-all system designed to reward "the most battle-tested" driver at the end of the season.

20-term Democratic Rep. Waxman to retire Posted: 30 Jan 2014 11:26 AM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Henry Waxman, one of Congress' fiercest negotiators and a policy expert on everything from clean air to health care, will retire at the end of the year after four decades in the House.

Biting cold puts a freeze on restaurant business Posted: 30 Jan 2014 11:26 AM PST TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — The homemade matzo ball and beef barley soups are lost on customers walking into Rascals' NY Deli — because there just aren't very many of them.

NYC agrees to stop-and-frisk monitor, reforms Posted: 30 Jan 2014 11:26 AM PST NEW YORK (AP) — The new mayor on Thursday delivered on his promise to reform stop-and-frisk police tactics, agreeing to the appointment of a monitor and seeking to end a 14-year court fight that culminated in a judge's ruling that New York City had discriminated in carrying out the crime-reduction program.

Lunches taken from Utah students who owed money Posted: 30 Jan 2014 11:12 AM PST SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Parents say about 50 elementary students in Salt Lake City had their school lunches thrown out because money was owed on their food accounts.

As world ages, immigration seen as big boost to US Posted: 30 Jan 2014 11:05 AM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans are among the least likely to be concerned about retirement security, or to view the growing number of older people as a major concern, a new global study finds.

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