PLUMMERVILLE, Ark. -- Three boys all under the age of 10 drowned in Brewer Lake in Conway County, Ark., when their family vehicle drove into the lake, police say. Police said after 26 year-old Amanda Turley drove her vehicle into Brewer Lake Sunday, volunteers tried in vain to rescue her three sons before they drowned in the body of water near Plumerville, Ark., KATV of Little Rock, Ark., said. Killed in the incident were Turley's ... [full story]

DETROIT -- A 70-year-old man is in custody in Detroit for allegedly causing a bomb scare at the Motor City Casino with suspicious packages, police said Monday. Detroit Police Department spokesman James Tate said the unidentified suspect stands accused of leaving seven packages inside the casino's garage Sunday, prompting a bomb scare and lockdown procedures, the Detroit Free Press said. "They were fashioned to appear to be pipe bombs, but they were no threat," Tate ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Monday to decide whether the First Amendment allows the federal government to ban the sale of depictions of animal cruelty. The case could have major implications for the First Amendment, as well as the fight against animal cruelty. The high court has not recognized a new exception to the free speech guarantees of the amendment in a quarter-century. A federal appeals court in Philadelphia earlier held that the federal law ... [full story]

SAN FRANCISCO -- A civil liberties group says U.S. citizens of Asian and Middle Eastern origin face intrusive questioning from border agents when they return home from abroad. In a report released Monday, the Asian Law Caucus of San Francisco said it has fielded more than 40 complaints from U.S. citizens and immigrants who "faced intrusive questioning and searches at U.S. land borders and international airports." The group said such residents are routinely racially profiled and questioned ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- U.S. demands that Pakistan divert troops from its border with India to battle Islamic insurgents have alienated Islamabad, a former U.S. ambassador says. Former U.S. ambassador to Islamabad Robert Oakley, in an interview with the Washington think tank The Atlantic Council last week, said such demands are counterproductive, Pakistan's English-language newspaper Dawn reported Monday. "We've alienated them tremendously," said Oakley, who served as ambassador from 1988 to 1992. "Whether we agree or not, the Pakistanis ... [full story]

CAMP LEJUENE, N.C. -- The U.S. Marine Corps is trying to contact 500,000 people who lived and worked at Camp Lejeune, N.C., to warn them about tainted drinking water. The Corps is circulating fliers to be posted at bases around the world in an effort to track down an many Marines, civilians and families who lived at Camp Lejuene between November 1957 and February 1987, Stars and Stripes reported Monday. "We've started using different venues to reach ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- Human Rights Watch urged the investigation Thursday of U.S. Justice Department lawyers who may have been involved in approving torture. The group called for an independent investigation as President Barack Obama released four memos that provided details of the techniques used to question terrorist suspects. "President Obama said there was nothing to gain 'by laying blame for the past,'" said Stacy Sullivan, counterterrorism advisor at Human Rights Watch. "But prosecuting those responsible for ... [full story]

OAKLAND PARK, Fla. -- A small airplane crashed into a home in Oakland Park, Fla., Friday, causing the home to burst into flames, authorities say. Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen confirmed one person was on board the downed twin-engine Cessna 421-B, but details regarding the individual's condition were not available, Miami's WPLG-TV said. The house fire has been extinguished, but authorities are still unsure whether anyone was inside the damaged home during the crash. ... [full story]

BOSTON -- A woman killed in a Boston hotel was identified Thursday as a model and aspiring actress from New York who advertised massage services on Craigslist. Investigators in Boston believe that Julissa Brisman, 26, was shot and killed Tuesday at the Marriott Copley by the same man who robbed a woman and left her tied up at the Westin Copley last week, The Boston Globe reported. Both victims had used Craigslist. A young elegantly ... [full story]

PEORIA, Ill. -- It didn't play in Peoria, Ill., when a karaoke bar called The Elbo Room put up a sign announcing: "We are not a gay bar." Peoria Councilwoman Barbara Van Auken, whose district includes the bar, says the sign violated state law and the city has notified owner Greg Quast, the Chicago Tribune reported Friday. Quast, who could not be reached for comment, has issued a statement apologizing for the sign. Prior to becoming The Elbo ... [full story]

PHOENIX -- An Illinois couple was severely injured when a McDonald's sign toppled off its pedestal and crushed their car, police in Arizona say. Russell and Carolyn Janke had stopped for lunch at a McDonald's in Window Rock, Ariz. on their drive home after spending the winter in Arizona, the Chicago Tribune reported Friday. Acting chief Steve Nelson of Navajo Nation says the Naperville, Ill., couple was sitting in their Chevy Trailblazer in the parking lot when ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- The recession has caused the unraveling of dozens of financial schemes similar to the one masterminded by New York financier Bernie Madoff, officials say. So many alleged scams have collapsed that Bart Chilton of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission has dubbed the phenomenon "rampant Ponzimonium," USA Today reported Friday. The CFTC has filed civil actions in 22 alleged Ponzi schemes halfway into the 2009 fiscal year. Similarly, the Securities and Exchange Commission has filed more than ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- A number of states are requiring deposits on plastic water bottles to increase revenue and decrease litter, a U.S. advocacy group says. The Container Recycling Institute says 11 states currently require deposits on some beverages while seven others have deposit bills pending, USA Today reported Friday. This year New York, Connecticut and Oregon joined California, Maine and Hawaii in adding water bottles to their deposit laws. "If you have two plastic 16.9-ounce bottles and this one ... [full story]