NORWICH, Conn. (AP) — A Connecticut foster mother faces 100 days in jail after acknowledging she spanked a 4-year-old girl with a wooden spoon. Jami Littlefield pleaded guilty Monday in Superior Court in Norwich to third-degree… Read more

Neighbors #17, Arne Svenson, 2012, Julie Saul Gallery (Image credit: Julie Saul Gallery) NEW YORK (AP) – In one photo, a woman is on all fours, presumably picking something up, her posterior pressed against a glass window. Another photo shows a… Read more

A small Maryland city just outside the Washington, D.C., city limits has voted to lower the voting age for city elections to 16. The Takoma Park City Council voted 6-1 on Monday to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in city elections starting in… Read more

PASCO, Wash. (AP) — A baby is being treated for rabies after it was bitten by a bat that flew out of a patio umbrella on the deck of her grandparents’ Pasco home, the Tri-City Herald reported Tuesday. Dan and Sandra Anderson were babysitting… Read more

(AP Photo/Paramount Pictures, Zade Rosenthal) WASHINGTON (AP) — The crew of the International Space Station is boldly going where no one has gone before — to see the new “Star Trek” film. The three astronauts were offered a sneak peak of… Read more

(AP Photo/Jenny Aicher) MILWAUKEE (AP) — It might not be unusual for schoolchildren to write to the president or vice president. But one Wisconsin boy got an unexpectedly personal response. The 7-year-old, second-grade student at Downtown… Read more

QUINCY, Mass. (AP) — Police say a Quincy woman is facing charges for allegedly punching a restaurant worker who put “too many pickles” on her steak and cheese sandwich. Transit police say 49-year-old Tina Drouin ordered the sub from Nathan’s… Read more

(AP Photo/File) By BRETT ZONGKER, Associated Press Historians and doctors have debated for decades what medical complications caused the death of legendary Confederate fighter Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson, felled by friendly fire from his… Read more

PINELLAS PARK, Fla. (AP) — Authorities say a Florida man ran from the law and into an alligator’s jaws. The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office says 20-year-old Bryan Zuniga was pulled over for failing to maintain a single lane Thursday at… Read more

LYNN, Mass. (AP) — Commissioners at a Lynn cemetery have said no to profanity on headstones. Pine Grove Cemetery commissioners this week unanimously rejected a family’s request to inscribe their loved one’s gravestone with a verse that panel… Read more

By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Talk about high expectations for a newborn: King and Messiah are among the fastest-rising baby names for American boys. They’re just a little behind Major, the boy’s name that… Read more

(Photo Courtesy: Gulf Shrimp Company) SOUTHINGTON, Conn. (AP) — Southington police are on the lookout for a 5 1/2 foot fiberglass lobster. Police say someone has stolen the lobster statue from in front of Gulf Shrimp, a local seafood… Read more

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie wasn’t in a pardoning mood when an itsy, bitsy spider crawled on his desk while he spoke to a group of schoolchildren. The students spotted the arachnid near the governor’s phone on… Read more

SANTA ROSA, Calif. (AP) — A Northern California couple might be able to blame this one on the dog. Authorities say sun refracted off the dog’s shiny water bowl and ignited a fire at Terry and Shay Weisbrich’s Santa Rosa home on Wednesday… Read more

(CNN) — A battle is brewing between rival ice cream truck drivers in an upstate New York neighborhood. Out of a job, Philip Hollister decided to start selling frozen desserts for Mr. Ding-a-Ling to earn cold cash for his family. “I… Read more