David Leroy Blurton Convicted Of Shooting Himself In Groin

BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. — A Colorado man who claimed he was trying to defend himself from a mugger when he shot himself in the groin has been convicted of illegal discharge of a firearm. Investigators said there was no evidence to substantiate David Leroy Blurton’s self-defense claim and jurors convicted the 50-year-old on Wednesday. The shooting happened at the parking lot of a grocery store in Dillon, Colo., on May 2009. Prosecutors say Blurton had been drinking.

Jurors also convicted Blurton of ..read more

Yemen: U.S. Troops Unwanted

SAN’A, Yemen — Yemen’s deputy prime minister says the Nigerian accused of trying to blow up a U.S. passenger jet on Christmas met here with a radical American-Yemeni cleric linked to al-Qaida and the alleged Fort Hood shooter.

Rashad al-Alimi says Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab met with cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, and other al-Qaida leaders in Yemen.

Al-Awlaki, a cleric popular among al-Qaida sympathizers for his calls for jihad, or holy war, became notorious in the U.S. after he exchanged dozens of e-mails with ..read more

Byron Dorgan To Retire, Not Seek Re-Election

WASHINGTON — North Dakota Democrat Byron Dorgan says he will not seek re-election to the Senate in 2010, a surprise announcement that could give Republicans an opportunity to pick up a seat from the Republican-leaning state.

Dorgan, who was first elected to the Senate in 1992 after serving a dozen years in the U.S. House, said he reached the decision after discussing his future with family over the holidays.

The moderate Democrat said he has other interests he wants to pursue.

Republican Gov. ..read more

Bill Barrett Corp. Agrees To Deal To Protect Ancient Art

SALT LAKE CITY — An agreement to protect a central Utah canyon rich with ancient American Indian art while allowing for nearby mineral development has been approved.

The unusual pact governing Nine Mile Canyon was signed Tuesday at the Utah Capitol by federal and state agencies, conservation and archaeology groups, tribal leaders and a Colorado natural gas producer.

The deal sets out a list of tasks, including increased efforts to tamp down dust kicked up by trucks in the canyon that some ..read more

Cowboys Are NFC East Champions With Shutout Of Eagles

ARLINGTON, Texas — Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys had their way with the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. Their reward: the NFC East title and the challenge of trying to do it again.

Romo threw a pair of early touchdown passes and the defense took over from there, sending Dallas to a 24-0 victory over Philadelphia on Sunday and setting up a rematch at their new palace in the first round of the playoffs next weekend.

The Cowboys (11-5) have quickly become ..read more

Heroin Handout Funded By New York City, Called How-To For Heroin Users

NEW YORK — A New York City-funded guidebook for heroin users offers information on how to prepare drugs carefully and care for veins to avoid infection.

The state’s top official with the Drug Enforcement Administration calls the “Take Charge Take Care” guide a “step-by-step instruction on how to inject a poison.” DEA special agent-in-charge John Gilbride says the handout is disturbing.

The city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene printed about 70,000 copies.

A health official says the goal is to promote health ..read more

Jahvid Best To Enter NFL Draft

BERKELEY, Calif. — California star tailback Jahvid Best announced Saturday that he will skip his senior year and enter the NFL draft after a disappointing final college season cut short by injury.

“It wasn’t an easy decision. It took a lot of thought and we got a lot of advice from everybody,” Best said on a conference call. “This is an opportunity that I can’t pass up.”

Best missed the final four games of the season after a frightening fall knocked him ..read more

Cotton Bowl 2010: Ole Miss Beats Oklahoma State, 21-7

ARLINGTON, Texas — Dexter McCluster gave Mississippi fans a finale to remember, rushing for 182 yards and two touchdowns, including the go-ahead 2-yard run on a direct snap with 4:03 left as the Rebels beat No. 21 Oklahoma State 21-7 in the Cotton Bowl on Saturday.

McCluster also had an 86-yard TD run in the second quarter after the senior had already become the first Southeastern Conference player with 1,000 yards rushing and 500 yards receiving in the same season.

Ole Miss ..read more

White House Defends Erroll Southers, TSA Nominee

HONOLULU — President Barack Obama’s pick to lead the Transportation Security Administration has provided Congress inconsistent reports about – and regrets for – running background checks on his then-estranged wife’s boyfriend two decades ago.

Erroll Southers, a former FBI agent whose nomination has been delayed by Republicans for unrelated concerns, wrote to senators in November to correct what he called a distortion of his record.

“I am distressed by the inconsistencies between my recollection and the contemporaneous documents, but I assure you ..read more

William Tuohy Dead: Pulitzer-Prize Winner Died At 83

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Pulitzer Prize-winning foreign correspondent William Tuohy has died at 83.

Tuohy’s stepson Adam Wheeler says the veteran reporter who worked for the Los Angeles Times and Newsweek died Thursday after open heart surgery at St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica.

Tuohy won his international reporting Pulitzer in 1969 for his coverage of the Vietnam War as the Times’ Saigon bureau chief. He also headed up the Times’ Beirut, Rome and London bureaus during his 29 years at ..read more