us

SAN FRANCISCO – Hands torn and bleeding, the second of two men attempting a grueling climb up a half-mile of sheer granite in California’s Yosemite National Park cleared one of the ascent’s most difficult stretches after days of failed attempts and waiting. Growing crowds of onlookers at the foot of …

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Alaska State Troopers say an Oregon man died while climbing Mount Yukla. Troopers say Dasan Marshall of Portland, Oregon, was climbing with a friend on Sunday when he fell about 1,000 feet. Because of the terrain in the Chugach Mountains about 6 miles from the Eagle River …

RALEIGH, N.C. – Luke Martin Jr., whose father was an ex-slave and Civil War Union soldier, has died — 179 years after his father was born. Martin was 97 when he died Sunday at his home in New Bern, North Carolina, said his daughter, Fannie Martin-Williams. Her father, who suffered …

WASHINGTON – An Army veteran has been charged with threatening to shoot his wife and other people at the U.S. Capitol, where his wife works. Michael Bogoslavski, 33, was arrested Monday after he told his wife over the phone and via text message that he planned to shoot her and …

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Inspector General says a lack of managerial oversight at Los Alamos National Laboratory led to improper disclosures of sensitive information. In a summary of a report released last week, the inspector general says the lab’s classification officer at times misclassified …

BOSTON – A judge has rejected a request from lawyers for Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (joh-HAHR’ tsahr-NEYE’-ehv) to bar demonstrations near courthouse entrances by people who believe the bombings were part of a government plot. Tsarnaev’s lawyers argued that the fairness of his trial could be harmed by …

RICHMOND, Va. – Virginia environmental officials say Duke Energy has agreed to a $2.5 million settlement over a massive coal ash spill in the Dan River last year. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality announced the settlement Friday. The settlement would include $2.25 million in environmental projects that Duke would …

AUSTIN, Texas – Bill Arhos, who founded “Austin City Limits” and helped propel the public television show into a mecca for music’s biggest influences, has died. He was 80. His death was announced Monday by the show, which is now in its 41st season. Spokeswoman Maureen Coakley said Arhos died …

The obituary of a Pennsylvania woman who died Friday offers the usual information found in someone’s final printed postscript. Dorothy A. “Stella” Scrobola was born July 14, 1930. She was “a unique and caring individual who touched the lives of all who knew her.” She graduated from high school. She …

BOSTON – The transit police officer almost killed during a shootout with the Boston Marathon bombers has returned to work — with a promotion. Richard Donohue Jr. returned to work Friday after more than two years of recovery. He was one of four Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority officers promoted to …