OTTUMWA, Iowa – An early morning house fire killed two young children Tuesday, fire officials said. The two-story house was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived just after 6:30 a.m., said Fire Chief Steve O’Connor. A 1-year-old and a 3-year-old, who were in an upstairs bedroom, died in the blaze, …

MINNEAPOLIS – It lived up to its name: The temperature in International Falls fell to 40 below zero Monday, just a few days after the northern Minnesota town won a federal trademark making it officially the “Icebox of the Nation.” It was so cold that resident Nick McDougall couldn’t get …

LONDON – Britain’s Home Office on Thursday approved the extradition of an Islamic preacher who is accused of trying to establish a terrorist training camp in Oregon, a spokesman said. Abu Hamza al-Masri was arrested on an U.S. extradition warrant in May 2004, but the process was put on hold …

ORANJESTAD, Aruba – An FBI analysis of fabric collected from a crab trap off Aruba showed the material did not match clothing worn by missing American Natalee Holloway, prosecutors said Tuesday. The fabric was recovered in January by divers in about 90 feet of water as they searched for the …

Two tanker trucks, stolen this week from a construction company lot in northern Virginia, were recovered overnight Friday, the Prince William County Police Department said Saturday. Tips from witnesses led authorities to the tankers, which were found separately in Maryland. Both trucks had been drained of their diesel fuel, and …

GREEN BAY, Wis. – A 14-year-old boy is charged in Brown County with trying to kill his mother by choking her while she slept. A criminal complaint says Wade Klipstine admitted that he tried to kill his mother, Jessie Klipstine, because she kept bringing up his past problems, including bomb …

CANBERRA, Australia – Australia’s defense minister said Saturday he wanted the option of buying Lockheed’s F-22 Raptor — a jet fighter barred by U.S. law from sale overseas. Defense Minister Joel Fitzgibbon told reporters he wanted to consider buying the state-of-the-art F-22 as part of a review of Australia’s air …

GRANTSDALE, Mont. – David Dahl is suffering from a tumor so rare that only 18 other people in the world have it the Ravalli Republic reported. Dahl has cavernous hemangioma, a tumor that is 35 millimeters in length in his chest cavity. The tumor has wrapped itself around his esophagus, …

Age: 22Hometown: Ashton, MarylandHigh School: Sherwood High SchoolCollege: One year at University of MarylandRank: CorporalStarted in the Marines: August 8, 2004Deployments: Sept. 7, 2006—Oct. 1, 2006 to Beirut, Lebanon • Check out Cpl. Atwell’s photo essay • Best memory of my Marine service: The two weeks I spent in Scotland …

MADRID, Spain – A former drummer for the Swedish pop band ABBA was found dead with cuts to his neck in the garden of his house on the Spanish island of Mallorca. Police said Monday an autopsy showed it was an accident. A neighbor found the body of Ola Brunkert …