News United States
December 2007

A man and a woman have been arrested in connection with the deaths of six people -- believed to be three generations of the same family -- in a rural area outside Seattle, Washington, on Wednesday, authorities said.

The pair, who are in their late 20s, were being taken to the King County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday evening, deputies told CNN. Read more

A tiger escaped from its enclosure in the San Francisco Zoo on Christmas Day, mauled one man to death and left two others seriously injured. The tiger was shot and killed by police after it charged officers.

A police spokesperson said the zoo was evacuated after the incident, which occurred late in the afternoon near the Terrace Cafe at the east end of the zoo. The zoo was being searched for other possible victims Tuesday evening, even though there were no missing person reports. Police helicopters circled the area with searchlights as ambulances stood by. Read more

Sunny conditions on Monday helped road crews deal with the remnants of a blustery snowstorm that blacked out thousands of homes and businesses and was blamed for at least 22 traffic deaths in the upper Midwest.

Sgt. Michael Melgaard of the Wisconsin State Patrol in Eau Claire said driving conditions improved substantially for holiday travelers starting in the late morning. Read more

A fire in an electrical closet near Vice President Dick Cheney's ceremonial office forced the evacuation Wednesday of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next door to the White House -- and sparked Internet chatter speculating on nefarious activities in the vice presidential suite.

The vice president was in the White House West Wing when the fire broke out about 9:15 a.m., White House officials said. Read more

Cold, windy weather gripped northern New England on Monday as a blustery nor'easter that dumped 6 to 12 inches of snow across most of the region moved into the Canadian Maritimes.

A winter storm warning remained posted throughout the morning in extreme northern Maine, where up to 3 more inches of snow was expected. Winds gusting up to 35 mph were blamed for blowing and drifting snow that limited visibility. Read more

Hundreds of thousands of Oklahoma homes and businesses remained without power Thursday afternoon with another winter storm barreling into the state today and expected to bring up to 4 inches of snow in some parts of the state.

The National Weather Service issued winter weather watches for the northwestern two-thirds of the state from this afternoon through Saturday morning. Read more

Assailants shot six young people Tuesday who had stepped off a bus coming from a high school in a midday attack just blocks from two elementary schools, authorities said.

Clark County Sheriff Doug Gillespie said the incident appeared to have been sparked by a fight at a high school earlier in the day. The fight, which is believed to involve a girlfriend, resulted in three arrests at Mohave High School, he said. Read more

Athick glaze of ice brought down power lines and cut electricity to close to a million homes and businesses, closed schools and cancelled flights yesterday as a major storm blasted the midsection of the United States.

At least 23 deaths had been blamed on the storm system since the waves of sleet and freezing rain started during the weekend. Read more

Holiday shoppers scattered in terror Wednesday as a young gunman sprayed a shopping mall with gunfire, killing eight people and wounding five others before he fatally shot himself.

Nebraska public safety officials and witnesses said most of the casualties were inside the Von Maur department store at the Westroads Mall on Omaha's west side. The 20-year-old assailant, who wore military-style camouflage, opened fire from the store's third floor shortly after 1 p.m., targeting employees and customers with a semi-automatic weapon, witnesses said. Read more

Drivers in much of the Northeast navigated a treacherous mix of rain, sleet and snow Monday as a storm blamed for at least 11 deaths blanketed the region after glazing roads in the Midwest.

Lake-effect snow and high winds gusting to 40 mph hit parts of western New York Monday morning. Three to 6 inches fell in central New York state, and schools from New York to Maine either delayed or canceled class. Parts of northern New Jersey measured about 3 inches of snow. Read more