JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- A fight is brewing in Mississippi over a proposal to issue specialty license plates honoring Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, who was an early leader of the Ku Klux Klan.

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) -- A natural gas explosion rocked a downtown neighborhood overnight, leveling two houses and spawning fires that burned for hours through an entire row of neighboring homes

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama wants nearly all Americans to have access to speedy wireless services.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The number of people applying for unemployment benefits plunged last week to the lowest level in nearly three years, continuing a downward trend that suggests hiring could pick up this year.

TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- A second powerful blizzard in a week roared through parts of the nation's midsection on Wednesday, bringing biting winds and dumping more than a foot of snow on areas still digging out from last week's major storm.

TOKYO (AP) — Toyota shares jumped 4.6 percent to a nine-month high in Wednesday morning trading in Tokyo, following a U.S. government report that ruled out electronic flaws in runaway Toyota vehicles.
The Japanese automaker welcomed the findings as confirming the reliability of its products.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- California hasn't executed anyone in more than five years and its death row population has risen, recently reaching 720 inmates - the largest in the country.

The founder of a Muslim-oriented TV station in western New York has been convicted of beheading his wife after jurors rejected his claim that he was the victim of spousal abuse.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama is calling for a six-year, $53 billion spending plan for high-speed rail, as he seeks to use infrastructure spending to jumpstart job creation.

Internet company AOL Inc. is buying news hub Huffington Post in a $315 million deal that represents a bold bet on the future of online news.