6 die in family murder-suicide in Los Angeles

By Brian Lawdermilk (AP)

The Minnesota Vikings forced three turnovers and used two big plays by cornerback Antoine Winfield to take a 20-17 lead over the New Orleans Saints at the end of three quarters on Monday night.

The Vikings led 20-10 at halftime, but Reggie Bush drew the Saints within three with a 71-yard punt return for a touchdown late in the third quarter.

On the first play of the second quarter, Winfield, who already had returned a blocked field goal 59 yards for a touchdown, stripped Drew Brees of the ball on a sack and returned the fumble 9 yards to the Saints 5. Running back Chester...

By Brian Lawdermilk (AP)

The Minnesota Vikings forced three turnovers and used two big plays by cornerback Antoine Winfield to take a 20-10 halftime lead over the New Orleans Saints on Monday night.

On the first play of the second quarter, Winfield, who already had returned a blocked field goal 59 yards for a touchdown, stripped Drew Brees of the ball on a sack and returned the fumble 9 yards to the Saints 5. Running back Chester Taylor threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to tight end Visanthe Shiancoe on third down to give the Vikings their first lead, 17-10.

New Orleans, which outgained Minnesota 251...

By David Zalubowski (AP)

Former Denver Broncos running back Travis Henry appeared in court Monday, handcuffed and wearing yellow prison clothes for a hearing that stemmed from his arrest last week over an alleged cocaine deal.

A judge set bail for Henry at $400,000 and ordered the case moved to Montana, where authorities say they discovered a car with three kilograms of cocaine and six pounds of marijuana that was supplied by Henry and co-defendant James Mack.

The two men remain in federal custody on suspicion of knowingly and intentionally conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to...

By Gerald Herbert (AP)

Running short on time, John McCain has the most riding on the second presidential debate, though Barack Obama will be out of his scripted comfort zone in the town hall-style confrontation. It could be ugly if Monday\'s tussling is any indication.

Tuesday night\'s debate comes exactly four weeks before Election Day with a lot going on both inside and outside the campaign: Polling shows Obama approaching the 270 Electoral College votes needed for victory, Wall Street is tumbling even further and both candidates are escalating character attacks.

Their target audience in the...

By Gerald Herbert (AP)

Running short on time, John McCain has the most riding on the second presidential debate, though Barack Obama will be out of his scripted comfort zone in the town hall-style confrontation. It could be ugly if Monday\'s tussling is any indication.

Tuesday night\'s debate comes exactly four weeks before Election Day with a lot going on both inside and outside the campaign: Polling shows Obama approaching the 270 Electoral College votes needed for victory, Wall Street is tumbling even further and both candidates are escalating character attacks.

Their target audience in the...

By Elise Amendola (AP)

The American League Division Series resume today with the Tampa Bay Rays playing the White Sox in Chicago and the Los Angeles Angels facing the Red Sox in Boston. Both are game 4 in the best-of-5 series with the Rays and Red Sox leading 2 games to 1. The National League Championship Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies begins on Thursday.

The Los Angeles Angels stayed alive in the American League Division Series after winning a five-hour, 19-minute marathon 5-4 game over Boston on Erick Aybar\'s run-scoring bloop single in the 12th inning.

That...

By ISAAC BREKKEN (AP)

On a muggy afternoon, more than 3,000 immigrants, most of them Hispanic, wave flags, cheer and weep as they swear to protect and defend the United States of America as its newest citizens.

Moments later, dozens of volunteers from the Democratic and Republican parties swoop down on the new citizens as they file out of their citizenship ceremony in a Miami auditorium, competing to sign them up to vote. It\'s a scene that is being played out nationwide.

Supporters of Barack Obama and John McCain are fighting for every voter this campaign, and naturalized citizens of Hispanic...

By Daniel Gluskoter (AP)

Jurors who convicted O.J. Simpson of armed robbery and kidnapping in Las Vegas say they relied more on video and other documented evidence than on witness testimony.

Juror Michelle Lyons said Sunday that the panelists felt they \"could not rely on that witness testimony.\"

She says jurors instead used video, audio and documented evidence to evaluate whether Simpson was guilty of each of 12 counts. She was one of seven jurors to speak to reporters.

Jury foreman Paul Connelly says it might have been a waste for prosecutors to give plea deals to several Simpson...

By Douglas C. Pizac (AP)

Rattlesnakes aren\'t to be trifled with, but if you\'re trying to collect the sound of every creature in the West that slithers, hops, flies or flops, distance isn\'t a luxury you can afford.

\"You get yourself in some strange situations,\" said Jeff Rice, a soft-spoken University of Utah research librarian who\'s trying to create the first comprehensive _ and free to the public _ archive of natural sounds in the West.

Minutes later he was squatting in the hills above Salt Lake City, training his lightweight parabolic microphone toward a Great Basin rattlesnake a few feet...

By JACK DEMPSEY (AP)

The high-flying Broncos finally discovered a defense, generating a pass rush that sent Brian Griese to the sideline with an injured throwing shoulder and yet another bad memory of Denver.

Jay Cutler guided a patient Denver offense to a 16-13 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who lost their starting quarterback on a cornerback blitz in the third quarter.

Griese, making his first visit to Invesco Field since his five frustrating years in Denver as John Elway\'s successor, never looked at Champ Bailey barreling in on him from his right side and was smothered at the goal line...

By Jack Dempsey (AP)

The high-flying Broncos finally discovered a defense, generating a pass rush that sent Brian Griese to the sideline with an injured throwing shoulder and yet another bad memory of Denver.

Jay Cutler guided a patient Denver offense to a 16-13 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who lost their starting quarterback on a cornerback blitz in the third quarter.

Griese, making his first visit to Invesco Field since his five frustrating years in Denver as John Elway\'s successor, never looked at Champ Bailey barreling in on him from his right side and was smothered at the goal line...

By Ben Smidt (AP)

The Philadelphia Phillies found plenty of power to go with their pitching, right in time for the NL championship series. Pat Burrell broke out of his slump in a big way with two homers, one a three-run shot, and Jimmy Rollins and Jayson Werth added solo drives Sunday to lead the Phillies to a 6-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers that clinched their first trip to the NLCS since 1993.

Overshadowed by the offensive barrage was a gem by midseason addition Joe Blanton, who held the Brewers to one run after an eight-day layoff. Rollins got the Phillies started with a leadoff shot and...

By Morry Gash (AP)

The Philadelphia Phillies found plenty of power to go with their pitching, right in time for the NL championship series. Pat Burrell broke out of his slump in a big way with two homers, one a three-run shot, and Jimmy Rollins and Jayson Werth added solo drives Sunday to lead the Phillies to a 6-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers that clinched their first trip to the NLCS since 1993.

Overshadowed by the offensive barrage was a gem by midseason addition Joe Blanton, who held the Brewers to one run after an eight-day layoff. Rollins got the Phillies started with a leadoff shot and...

By Daniel Gluskoter (AP)

O.J. Simpson is being isolated from other prisoners for his own safety, and is focusing on a motion for new trial and a strong bid for appellate reversal of his conviction for kidnapping and robbery, his lawyer said Sunday.

Attorney Yale Galanter told The Associated Press he will continue to pursue a request for Simpson to be released on bond pending appeal.

Meanwhile, Galanter said Simpson will be living a lonely life, advised by his lawyers to do no media interviews and allowed to see only family members and a few friends placed on a special list at the jail.

Simpson...

By Matt Joyce (AP)

As a Johnny Cash tune played over the loudspeakers, horse trainer Gary Main Jr. coaxed Victory through a display of discipline and skill inside the Wyoming State Fair arena.

Hundreds of potential horse buyers looked on as Victory stopped on a dime, backed up on command and trotted along the perimeter. On this day, the horses were not from breeders but rather the Western range _ separated from their wild origins by only a few months of training.

Faced with a surplus of wild horses, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and its nonprofit partner, the Mustang Heritage Foundation,...

By Daniel Gluskoter (AP)

In a city where luck means everything, O.J. Simpson came out the big loser _ and his unlucky number in a case full of bizarre twists was 13.

He was convicted of an armed robbery that happened on Sept. 13 and was found guilty on the 13th anniversary of his Los Angeles murder acquittal. The Las Vegas jury deliberated for 13 hours after a 13-day trial.

And then, as only the sobs of Simpson\'s sister broke the silence late Friday, the lights went out.

Court marshals flipped on flashlights and shouted for everyone to stay seated. Only the judge knew what had happened. It was...

By Spencer Weiner (AP)

California officials say recovery efforts around the site of adventurer Steve Fossett\'s downed plane might not resume until summer.

Snowfall ended the search in the Sierra Nevada on Friday. Madera County Sheriff\'s Department spokeswoman Erica Stuart says she does not expect weather conditions to improve enough for crews to return to the site this year.

Authorities say they completed most of what they needed to do Friday when they removed debris from Fossett\'s plane and found three more bone fragments.

The bone fragments will be sent to a lab to determine whether they...

By Nati Harnik (AP)

Missouri\'s misery in Lincoln is over. Chase Daniel threw three touchdown passes, Derrick Washington ran for 139 yards and scored three times and the fourth-ranked Tigers beat overmatched Nebraska 52-17 on Saturday night for their first road win against the Cornhuskers in 30 years.

\"That wasn\'t just about the 2008 football team,\" Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said. \"It\'s about 30 years of fans from around the world and a lot of former Missouri players. It\'s pretty good to get a win at one of the toughest places to play in the country.\"

The 35-point defeat was the...

By Dave Weaver (AP)

Missouri\'s misery in Lincoln is over. Chase Daniel threw three touchdown passes, Derrick Washington ran for 139 yards and scored three times and the fourth-ranked Tigers beat overmatched Nebraska 52-17 on Saturday night for their first road win against the Cornhuskers in 30 years.

The 35-point defeat was the Huskers\' most lopsided home loss in 53 years and fifth-worst in Lincoln in the program\'s 119-year history.

Missouri scored the first four times it had the ball, then went up 31-7 on Brock Christopher\'s 16-yard interception return late in the second...

By Carlos Osorio (AP)

The NCAA football season has kicked off and AP College Football Writer Ralph Russo will blog with the latest news, observations and opinions all the way through to the BCS.

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SATURDAY, Oct. 4:

Quick hits from around the nation

_ Explain this score: Virginia 31, Maryland 0. The Terps were coming off wins over California and Clemson. The Cavaliers had lost to Duke and looked awful doing it. Go figure.

_ My apologies to the ACC and Pac-10, conferences I rated BEHIND the Big East when the season started. The latest examples of how bad the Big East has been...

By Reinhold Matay (AP)

The NCAA football season has kicked off and AP College Football Writer Ralph Russo will blog with the latest news, observations and opinions all the way through to the BCS.

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SATURDAY, Oct. 4:

Maybe this will be Pittsburgh\'s breakout season after all.

The Panthers were a trendy pick for up-and-coming teams before the season. They promptly devastated their pumped up fans and lost all their buzz-worthy appeal by falling over themselves in an opening day loss at home to Bowling Green.

Wins over Buffalo, Iowa and Syracuse _ none particularly impressive _ did...

By David Zalubowski (AP)

Chris Ogbonnaya\'s sweet blend of speed and strength put Texas in the end zone and kept Colorado out.

Ogbonnaya scored two touchdowns and saved another in the fifth-ranked Longhorns\' 38-14 rout of the Buffaloes on Saturday night.

The oft-overlooked senior running back scored on a 65-yard dump-off and a 13-yard gallop through the befuddled Buffs\' defense, then saved a score when he chased down cornerback Jalil Brown at the Texas 16 after a rare interception of Colt McCoy, who was picked off twice.

By Myung J. Chun (AP)

Several jurors in O.J. Simpson\'s robbery trial in Las Vegas have said they disagreed with his murder acquittal 13 years ago.

Jury questionnaires released Saturday show that five of the 12 jurors disagreed with the 1995 verdict that cleared Simpson of murdering his ex-wife and her friend in Los Angeles.

Most others claimed to be uncertain or did not answer the question. All jurors said they could set aside their feelings.

The judge in the robbery case released edited versions of the questionnaires. Simpson was convicted late Friday of all counts in a botched hotel-room...