Protesters vow to fight on after return to NY park

Protesters have flooded back into the New York Park where police demolished their two-month-old tent camp, vowing to step up the Occupy Wall Street movement despite a ban on camping out there. The movement to protest supposed corporate greed and political dysfunction was thrown into crisis during a turbulent 24 hours on Tuesday that began with a surprise early morning police raid on the privately-owned Zuccotti Park.

Protesters then spent the day playing cat-and-mouse with authorities as they required to re-establish their base near Wall Street, the symbolic epicenter of a movement that has enthused similar protests in other US cities and abroad.

In the evening, police reopened the park and let the protesters back in one-by-one -- but only after a New York judge backed a ban on pitching tents, rejecting the demonstrators' legal challenge to the dismantling of the camp.

"No one will be deprived of entry," a police officer said at the gate, as people began to wander back in. Organizers put the number at 1,200. Once inside, the crowd began to chant: "All day, all week, occupy Wall Street."

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Oklahoma Hit with 10 Aftershocks Following 5.6-Magnitude Earthquake

Clouds of dust belched from the corners of almost every room in Joe Reneau's house as the largest earthquake in Oklahoma history rocked the two-story building.

A roar that sounded like a jumbo jet filled the air, and Reneau's red-brick chimney distorted and fell into the roof above the living room. By the time the shaking stopped, a pantry worth of food had been strewn across the kitchen and shards of glass and pottery enclosed the floor.

"It was like WHAM!" said Reneau, 75, gesturing with swipes of his arms. "I thought in my mind the house would stand, but then again, maybe not."

The magnitude 5.6 earthquake and its aftershocks still had residents rattled Sunday. No injuries were reported, and aside from a misshapen highway and the collapse of a tower on the St. Gregory's University administration building, neither was any major damage. But the weekend earthquakes were among the strongest yet in a state that has seen a dramatic, mysterious increase in seismic activity.

Oklahoma characteristically had about 50 earthquakes a year until 2009. Then the number spiked, and 1,047 quakes shook the state last year, prompting researchers to install seismographs in the area.

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Suicide bombers strike U.S. charity in Kandahar as attacks on American benefit escalate

A co-ordinated Taliban suicide bombing and gun attack on a U.S. charity in Afghanistan has killed four people in the most recent outrage to target American interests in the country.

Terrorists struck with a vehicle bomb driven into a check-point at the offices of United Nations and international charities in the southern city of Kandahar throughout the early hours of this morning.

Gunmen then hurried into the neighborhood and detained control of at least one building, sparking a battle with Afghan and NATO forces, Kandahar police chief Gen. Abdul Razzaq said.

The firefight lasted more than two hours before the two insurgents were shot dead, according to a statement from the local governor's office.

Tx may be at risk for disease

Chagas disease, a tropical disease that can guide to heart and digestive disorders, may be more widespread in Texas than before thought, researchers say.

Epidemiological maps prepared by researchers from the University of Texas at Austin suggest south Texas, in exacting, is an area of high risk for infection by the parasitic disease.

Endemic to rural areas of Latin America, Chagas disease is frequently transmitted by triatomine bugs, also known as "kissing bugs."

"We've been studying this for four years now, and this year the number of disease-causing insects is quite amazing," biology Professor Sahotra Sarkar said in a UT release Thursday.

Researchers have been collecting and classifying insects from the field and analyzing them to decide how many of the bugs carry the protozoa Trypanosoma, which causes the disease.

The epidemiological maps are prepared from data counting the number and location of carrier insects, recorded human Chagas infections and hospitable habitats for the insects.

They recommend eleven counties in south Texas are at high risk for Chagas infection, and Sarkar says there may already be hundreds of undiagnosed cases of the disease.

Minnesota trial for woman accused of aiding Somali group

MINNEAPOLIS - One of two Minnesota women facing charges of raising money for the al Qaeda-affiliated Somali set al-Shabaab, was cited for contempt after refusing to stand on Monday as a federal judge entered the courtroom.

Amina Farah Ali, who became a U.S. citizen in 2004 and lived in Rochester, Minnesota, cited religious grounds for refusing to stand when Chief Judge Michael Davis entered the courtroom for the start of jury assortment in her trial.

Ali and Hawo Mohamed Hassan, who became a U.S. citizen in 2008 and also lived in Rochester, face numerous federal charges each for supposedly raising more than $8,600 for al-Shabaab from September 2008 to July 2009. The U.S. had chosen al-Shabaab a terrorist group months before in February 2008.

Ali and Hassan are accused of communicating with al-Shabaab persons in Somalia and in turn going door-to-door in Somali communities in Rochester, Minneapolis and elsewhere to raise money and holding teleconferences to solicit support.

The defendants starved of raising money for the group, saying it was planned for the poor and needy. The indictment accuses Ali of saying on two conference calls that the priority was support for the Mujahadin or Jihad, not the needy.

Ali was prearranged removed from the courtroom, temporarily delaying the start of jury selection and later returned to the courtroom, court officials said. Ali, who had been free on bail, was being detained on the contempt charge.

Ron Paul calls US killing of American-born al-Qaida cleric in Yemen an 'assassination'

Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul is condemning the Obama administration for killing an American born al-Qaida functioning without a trial.

Paul, a Texas congressman recognized for libertarian views, says the killing of Anwar al-Awlaki on Yemeni soil amounts to an "assassination." Paul warned the American people not to casually accept such violence against U.S. citizens, even persons with strong ties to terrorism.

Anwar al-Awlaki was measured one of the most influential al-Qaida operatives wanted by the United States. U.S. and Yemen officials say he was killed in a U.S. air strike targeting his group Friday morning.

Paul made the comments to reporters after a crusade stop Friday at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire. He said America's leaders must think hard about "assassinating American citizens with no charges."

Broken Tail Trim in Nevada Air Crash Doubled Plane's 'G-Load,' Caused Pilot to Black Out, specialist Says

The deadly Nevada air racing tragedy that killed 11 people may have been caused by a missing tail trim that doubled the plane's "G-load" and made the pilot pass out, an aviation expert tells Fox News.

The WWII-era P-51 Mustang fighter plane -- named the Galloping Ghost -- packed up in Reno during an air race Friday, killing 11 people and injuring at least 70 others. The National Transportation Safety Board is examining photographs taken before and after the disaster for any clues into the crash.

Pilot and aviation expert Blake Mathis told on Wednesday that a broken tail trim seen in one of the photos probable caused the plane to speed upwards into the sky, creating a "tremendous G-load" that made pilot Jimmy Leeward pass out.

"For anyone, not just a man of Mr. Leeward’s age, it might have caused him to black out or pass out," Mathis said. "It can even snap someone’s neck if they’re not prepared for that."

Mathis' theory comes a day after an aviation mechanic said another photo suggests the pilot became dislodged in the cockpit as a consequence of a broken seat

Aviation mechanic J.R. Walker told that Leeward would have been seen in the photo even if he had passed out and was drooping in his seat.

Walker, who has worked on comparable planes, suggested that Leeward’s seat may have slipped back, causing him to lose organize of the plane.

Gunman Kills Three National Guard Members, One further in Shooting Rampage at Nevada IHOP

Authorities recognized the gunman behind a deadly rampage at a Nevada IHOP as a 32-year-old local man, who opened fire with an AK-47 on five uniformed National Guard members, killing 3 and another person before killing himself.

Police say Eduardo Sencion of Carson City at home in a minivan registered to his brother, and opened fire at an IHOP restaurant in Nevada's capital city Tuesday, wounding eight people and killing three before terminally shooting himself.

Aside from the AK-47 rifle used in the attack, establishment say they found a pistol and another rifle in the minivan Sencion left in the parking lot.

Carson City Sheriff Kenny Furlong said Sencion was not in the military, had no known ties to anybody in the restaurant and had worked at a family business in South Lake Tahoe. Family members say Sencion had mental issues.

"We came into this with everything we had. All agencies were dedicated to it," Furlong told the Associated Press. "There were concerns at the onset, so we took certain steps to make certain we had the capability to embrace an even larger circumstance. At this point in time it appears to be remote to this parking lot."

Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval released a statement Tuesday indicating the shooting was an inaccessible event.

Thousands Evacuated as Wildfire Destroys almost 500 Homes in Texas

Firefighters trying to control a wind-fueled wildfire that has destroyed almost 500 homes in Central Texas were looking for a few overnight hours of diminished winds as thousands of evacuees spent the night away from their in danger homes.

Slack winds were predictable after midnight Tuesday and could enable firefighters to make progress on the enormous blaze racing through rain-starved farm and ranchland, authorities said. Fanned in part by howling winds from the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee, the blaze quickly grew Monday to at least 25,000 acres.

"You have to be hopeful and at the same time prepared for the worst," Texas Forest Service spokesman John Nichols said Monday night, acknowledging the weather's randomness.

At least 5,000 people were required from their homes in Bastrop County about 25 miles east of Austin, and about 400 were in emergency shelters, officials said Monday. School and school-related behavior were canceled Tuesday.

Missouri Housing Panel Approves Aid for Tornado Vvictims

Tornado victims left homeless could advantage from $100 million in tax credits accepted Thursday to rebuild low-income rental housing in the Joplin and St. Louis areas. The state's latest housing plan includes new incentives to expand homes for people with mental and physical ailments.

The 2012 housing incentive plan accepted by the Missouri Housing Development Commission takes a noticeably different approach from many of its past versions, dedicating about 40 percent of its primary tax credit program to tornado relief and -- for the first time -- earmarking one-third of its total tax incentives for housing projects tailored to people with particular needs.

One of the biggest beneficiaries will be the Joplin area, where a May tornado killed 160 people and injured about 7,500 homes, a majority of which were engaged by people with low-to-moderate incomes.

The commission voted to assign the Joplin area $90 million of the $250 million of state and federal tax credits to be awarded under its main incentive program during 2012, and an additional $10 million in state and central tax credits to the St. Louis County community of Berkeley which was hit by a tornado in April. Although the actual tax credits are extend out over a 10-year period, developers typically produce cash upfront by selling their tax-credit vouchers on a discounted basis.

Heavy Rain, Traffic and Low-Lying Land Contributed to Deadly Pittsburgh Floods

The flash flooding that killed four people and enforced others to swim to safety or climb onto car roofs was a freak accident caused by heavy rainfall that inundated the sewer system just as rush-hour traffic clogged low-lying city streets, officials said Saturday.

A mother and her two daughters died in Friday's flood after becoming attentive in their vehicle and rising water pinned it to a tree. Another woman's body was washed into the Allegheny River, where she was establish Saturday morning.

Back-to-back storms crushed the city with 3 to 4 inches of rain. The water drained quickly onto Washington Boulevard, a main street near the Allegheny River on the city's east side, with a force too great for a pair of sewer pipes 9 feet in diameter. The torrent blew off 60-pound manhole covers,

"We had geysers here," said Raymond DeMichiei, deputy director of the city Office of Emergency Management.

Coast Guard: Marine Corps jet missing off Calif.

Search-and-rescue teams took to the air and water early Thursday looking for a Marine Corps fighter jet that went missing over the Pacific Ocean near San Diego, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

The aircraft was flying with an additional jet when contact with the plane was lost, said Coast Guard spokesman Henry Dunphy Wednesday night. Crews were searching for the F/A-18 Hornet in the area about 60 miles southwest of San Diego and 35 miles west of Ensenada, Mexico.

The Coast Guard was notified about the missing jet around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dunphy said.

Several aircraft were being used in the mission. Two Coast Guard cutters and a Navy ship have been unfocused into the area.

A spokesman for the Marine Corps confirmed the jet is assigned to the Marines.

The aircraft is based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in California, said Marine Corp. Capt. Brian Block.

Officials have not free how many crew members were aboard the plane. Additional details were not immediately obtainable.

Satellite images show outbreak on Alaska volcano

A volcano on a remote Alaska island has begun erupting, but poses slight danger to people or aircraft, officials said Tuesday.

The eruption at Cleveland Volcano is a sluggish effusion of magma that is forming a lava dome, and not an explosive eruption that generates big ash plumes, said John Power, the scientist-in-charge at the Alaska Volcano Observatory.

"So far, it's now lava as far as we can tell from our satellite imagery and the people who have managed to see it from passing airplanes," he said.

The volcano is in a very remote area, on unoccupied Chuginadak Island, and that lowers the danger level.

"Surely, if there were people who were going to be in the area, they would need to be worried but there aren't many of those folks there right now," he said.

Currently the lava dome is restricted within the summit crater. Power said the biggest danger would be if the lava dome began to grow large sufficient to spill out, then it could begin to produce ash-producing explosions.

"If it were to explode and push a group of ash up into the flight levels, then it would be a much more dangerous condition," he said.

Based upon past annotations at several volcanoes, dome growth like this can go on for weeks to months.

"It's something we're going to be watching very directly, or as close as we can given our operational constraints there," he said.

Man gets 60 years in Ohio firebombing, arson

A centralized judge has sentenced an Ohio man to 60 years in prison in the 2009 firebombing of a city hall and a bar fire.

Forty-one-year-old Kevin Dye also was prearranged Friday to pay some $860,000 in restitution.

Federal prosecutors say Dye used bombs made from milk jugs, cloth, duct tape and gasoline to damage Mansfield City Hall court offices in north-central Ohio in December 2009. He was planned to go on trial at the court on drug and other charges two days later.

Prosecutors also say he set an August 2009 fire at Belcher's House of Rock, where he had been debarred.

Dye's attorney, Javier H. Armengau, says he's dissatisfied in the sentence. He says Dye maintains his virtue and will seek to appeal his convictions.

Ore. dad jailed in slaying of wife, 4 children

The man accused of killing his wife and four children and setting their house on fire improved enough to leave the hospital Thursday and was immediately jailed on provoked murder charges.

Police said Jordan Adam Criado, 51, was alert and able to walk when he left the Rogue Valley Medical Center in Medford and was taken to the Jackson County Jail. He suffered smoke breathing in the July 18 fire and was unconscious and on a ventilator for days.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Beth Heckert said he would be arraigned Friday in Jackson County Circuit Court on charges of provoked murder, felony murder, manslaughter and arson. Detective Sgt. Mike Budreau said Criado did not up till now have an attorney.

An autopsy showed Tabasha Paige-Criado was stabled multiple times in the neck and abdomen.

The probable cause of death for the children — Elijah, 7; Isaac, 6; Andrew, 5; and Aurora, 2 — was listed as smoke inhalation. Stab wounds to the neck were listed as an extra cause of death for Isaac and Andrew.

Firefighters and medics worked excitedly on all six family members on the front lawn of their home before rushing them to the hospital. Only Criado survived.

Family members said Criado met his wife at a community college in Bakersfield, Calif. They married, even though she found out he went to prison for sexually abusing three girls in Sacramento County, they said.

Paige-Criado's family has said he moved them to Oregon to get away from his wife's family, who urged her to go away him.

Friends and family have said Paige-Criado required a divorce. Her postings on Facebook referred to Criado with disdain.

Small plane crash kills 3 in Idaho

Authorities say a private plane has crashed at an Idaho landing strip close to the community of Grace, killing all three men aboard.

The Caribou County sheriff's office said the plane went downward late Monday afternoon.

Sheriff Ric Anderson did not straight away identify the victims pending notification of relatives.

The plane's origin and purpose were not immediately available.

Witnesses told KIFI the landing strip in the southeast region of the state is used by a crop-dusting company and it's unusual for private planes to land there.

The smash into is being investigated by the sheriff's office and the National Transportation Safety Board.

Heat Wave Continues Throughout Midwest as Temperatures Climb

As temperatures climbed into the 90s Sunday in Steele, N.D., a small window air conditioner in Paul and Betty Smokov's ranch home just couldn't keep up.

"It's 82 in the house," Betty Smokov said. "The heat is really cruel and sticky."

That observation could be made wherever in the central U.S. Heat advisories and warnings were in place in 17 states, from Texas to Michigan, as temperatures and humidity joint to make being outside uncomfortable for millions. One National Weather Service forecaster called the heat wave "unrelenting" and said sweaty residents shouldn't wait for any relief soon: A so-called "heat dome" over the region isn't moving much.

"The trend is not our friend right now," said Daryl Williams, a forecaster in Norman.

In Oklahoma City, forecasters probable another day of 100-degree heat Sunday, which would be the 27th day this year the city has reached 100 or above. The city is on pace to break its record for such days -- 50 set in 1980 -- with triple-digit heat probable through September.

U.S. Coast Guard Calls Off look for for 7 Missing American Fishermen

The U.S. Coast Guard is ending aerial searches for seven Americans still missing after a charter fishing boat sank off Mexico.

The Coast Guard says its look for on Tuesday of a 803 square-mile (2,080 square-kilometer) area of the Sea of Cortez by a C-130 Hercules aircrew would be its last.

Rear Admiral Joseph Castillo said the 11th division's "deepest sympathies go out to the friends and families of the missing men."

Baja California state Civil Protection Director Alfredo Escobedo Ortiz said small Mexican naval craft and other fishermen would carry on searching for bodies or survivors.

The boat went down on July 3. Nineteen U.S. tourists and 16 Mexican crew members made it to land. One was found drowned on a remote island beach. The others stay missing.

New York Man Runs Over Girlfriend With Wife's Car, Drives Off

A married man driving his wife's car mowed down his girlfriend and then left her bleeding in the street as he sped off -- only to wind up seriously injured in another crash five hours later, New York authorities said Saturday.

Ricky Pena, 28, of The Bronx, struck the 23-year-old woman with the 2006 Honda Pilot SUV at 3:12am local time on West 46th Street flanked by Fifth and Sixth avenues in Midtown Manhattan, then sped away, police said.

Later, at 8:13am, Pena crashed the Honda, which is registered in his wife's name on the Harlem River Drive near 174th Street, police alleged.

He was rushed to the Harlem Hospital, where he was in severe condition. The hit-and-run victim was taken to the Bellevue Hospital Center in steady condition with a gash on her forehead.

Detectives are still investigating the situation of both crashes.

Small plane crashes into hospital in Calif.

Authorities say a small plane has stopped into a community hospital in central California.

Witnesses told the Santa Cruz Sentinel that the plane took a nose dive and landed partly into the first floor of the building, just a few blocks from the Watsonville Municipal Airport.

The crash happened at about 7:30 p.m. Thursday. A fire dispatcher had no word on any probable fatalities.

Witnesses told the newspaper that the plane rupture into flames and black smoke billowed into the air.