Staff to be removed during probe at LA school
LOS ANGELES (AP) _ The entire staff at an elementary school where two teachers were arrested on suspicion of lewd conduct will be removed while the school district investigates, the Los Angeles school superintendent said Monday night. Superintendent John Deasy told parents and media that 88 teachers and 40 support staff at Miramonte Elementary School are being replaced because a full investigation of allegations is disruptive and staffers will require support to get through the scandal.
Autopsies: Powell boys suffered ’chop injuries’
GRAHAM, Wash. (AP) _ Josh Powell’s boys were coming for a visit, and he had preparations to make. He boxed up their books and toys and took them to a charity. He carried heavy cans of gasoline inside his house and set aside a hatchet.
US closes Syrian embassy as diplomacy collapses
BEIRUT (AP) _ The U.S. closed its embassy in Syria and Britain recalled its ambassador to Damascus on Monday in a new Western push to get President Bashar Assad to leave power and halt the murderous grind in Syria _ now among the deadliest conflicts of the Arab Spring. Although the diplomatic effort was stymied at the U.N. by vetoes from Russia and China, the moves by the U.S. and Britain were a clear message that Western powers see no point in engaging with Assad and now will seek to bolster Syria’s opposition.
New US sanctions on Iran aim to head off Israel
WASHINGTON (AP) _ Additional U.S. sanctions on Iran are more significant for their timing than their immediate effect on Iran’s economy, coming as the United States and its allies are arguing that Israel should hold off on any military strike on Iranian nuclear facilities to allow more time for sanctions to work. The U.S. ordered tough new penalties Monday to give U.S. banks additional powers to freeze assets linked to the Iranian government and close loopholes that officials say Iran has used to move money despite earlier restrictions imposed by the U.S. and Europe.
Romney works to fend off Santorum challenge
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (AP) _ Sensing a possible threat, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney criticized rival Rick Santorum’s time in the Senate as "not effective" because of his past support for spending on pork-barrel projects as he worked to fend off an unexpected challenge in the next states to vote. Santorum countered that Romney "should not be our nominee" because he was "dead wrong on the most important issue of the day" when, as governor, he signed a health care overhaul into law in Massachusetts.
Tea party: Warming or resigned to Mitt Romney?
DENVER (AP) _ Long skeptical of Mitt Romney, tea party activists are either warming up to the GOP presidential front-runner or reluctantly backing him after abandoning hope of finding a nominee they like better. Whatever the reason, the former Massachusetts governor who is coming off of back-to-back victories in Florida and Nevada now is picking up larger shares of the tea party vote than he did when the Republican nomination fight began. And that fact alone illuminates the struggles of the nearly three-year-old movement to greatly influence its first presidential race.
’Halftime in America’ ad creates political debate
DETROIT (AP) _ People rarely pick a fight with Dirty Harry. But Chrysler’s "Halftime in America" ad featuring quintessential tough guy Clint Eastwood has generated fierce debate about whether it accurately portrays the country’s most economically distressed city or amounts to a campaign ad for President Barack Obama and the auto bailouts. The 2-minute ad holds up Detroit as a model for American recovery while idealistic images of families, middle class workers and factories scroll across the screen.
Wal-Mart debuts ’Great for You’ seal
NEW YORK (AP) _ You may like the food you buy, but is it "Great for You"? Wal-Mart Stores Inc. plans to help its customers figure that out by adding a new green icon that reads "Great for You" to packaging of some of its house-brand foods.
Randy Travis arrested for public intoxication
SANGER, Texas (AP) _ Country singer Randy Travis has apologized after being arrested on a charge of public intoxication outside a North Texas church. Denton County sheriff’s spokesman Tom Reedy says police in the town of Sanger arrested Travis early Monday after spotting a vehicle parked in front of a church and finding an open bottle of wine and Travis smelling of alcohol.
Belichick: Giving Giants TD gave Pats best chance
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ Bill Belichick gave clear instructions to his defensive unit: Let the runner score. Playing the odds and inviting critics, the calculating coach of the New England Patriots told his players to get out of the way, open a wide path for Ahmad Bradshaw and give Tom Brady a chance to win the Super Bowl in the final 57 seconds.
