NEW YORK - Investigators in New York fear two shootings could mark the start of a mob war. Rudolph "Rudy Cueball" Izzi, a member of the Genovese crime family, was found shot to death Thursday in his home in the Bensonhurst neighborhood of Brooklyn, the New York Post reported. Detectives say two men forced their way into the house after Izzi answered the door Wednesday night. On Tuesday, Robert DeCicco, a reputed associate of the ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced Friday that he will recommend the nomination of Admiral Michael Mullen as chairman of the Joint Chiefs. If he is nominated by President George Bush and confirmed by the Senate, Mullen will replace Gen. Peter Pace. Gates said that he decided not to recommend Pace for another two-year term because his confirmation would be difficult, CNN reported. Pace, who has been on the Joint Chiefs of Staff ... [full story]

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. - Delray Beach, Fla., owes 38-year-old housekeeper Marguene St. Juste $2.25 million for failing to protect her from a dog attack. St. Juste was awarded $3.76 million by a jury for injuries she sustained when she was mauled by a neighbor's Rottweilers in November 2002, the Palm Beach Post reported Friday. The jury found the city of Delray Beach 60 percent responsible for St. Juste's injuries and the dogs' owner, Keli Nowling, ... [full story]

LONG ISLAND, N.Y. - A 19-year-old man has been arrested after driving through a highly populated shopping mall in Long Island, N.Y., causing nearly $60,000 in damages. Nassau County Police said the man drove through the front glass doors of the Westfield Sunrise Mall, cruised by a JC Penney, knocked over a kiosk and then exited near a McDonald's, the New York Daily News reported Friday. After exiting the mall, he got out of his ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., Friday announced a date has been set for a no-confidence vote in the Senate on Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Schumer said the vote would be held Monday, The Hill reported Friday. "If all senators who have actually lost confidence in Attorney General Gonzales voted their conscience, this vote would be unanimous," said Schumer. However, The Hill reported, Schumer said he expects President George W. Bush to pressure Republican senators ... [full story]

LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced Friday he will be moving out of his official residence next week because of a split with his wife. While Corina Villaraigosa remains temporarily in Getty House with the couple's two teenage children, the mayor will return to the home the couple left after his election, The Los Angeles Times reported. "Each of us loves our children more than anything in the world, and we are ... [full story]

AUSTIN, Texas - Spamarama, a 29-year-old annual party dedicated to canned ham in Austin, Texas, faces an uncertain future because of money problems. The pork party's sponsor, Disability Assistance of Texas -- a non-profit that helps disabled people find jobs and learn to live independently -- is shutting down for good next week because of financial hardships, leaving the future of Spamarama up in the air, the Austin American-Statesman reported Friday. "Worst case scenario, nobody ... [full story]

Are they more endearing than the very cool birds of "March of the Penguins"? Maybe not. Are they cuter than the cartoon birds of "Happy Feet"? You bet your bottom clam they are.   'SURF'S UP' - Shia LaBeouf is the voice behind the character Cody Maverick in the animated movie 'Surf's Up.' CNS Photo courtesy of Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures. In "Surf's Up," they mostly inhabit an Antarctic crust of ice, but northerly lies the lush, tropic ... [full story]

“Let’s go to bingo!” “Um. Okay.”  It had never dawned on me that young people could play bingo. I thought there was an age minimum, a picture of my grandma reading, “You must be this old to enter the building.” I let my wife Yahaira drive since it was her idea. As we pulled into the church parking lot, I wondered how gambling fit into the Scriptures. And I wondered what bingo had to do ... [full story]

You think you're busy? I'm as busy as a truffle pig on a package tour of Tuscany. As busy as a one-armed man trying to cover his ears at a Maroon 5 concert. In fact, I'm so busy being busy that I don't have time to make up jokes about how busy I am. And that's too bad, because if there's one thing we like to brag about it's how busy we are. You know ... [full story]