WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Barack Obama announced plans for a high-speed rail system Thursday, saying $8 billion in stimulus funds has been set aside for the effort. High-speed rail connecting cities and opening up economic opportunities "has been happening for decades. ... It's being done. It's just not being done here," Obama said when outlining his plan. Countries such as France, Spain, China and Japan have demonstrated the success of high-speed transit systems. In addition ... [full story]

PALATKA, Fla. -- Two Florida prison fugitives may have been involved in the slaying of the grandmother of one of them, officials said. A search intensified Thursday for Doni Ray Brown, 23, and Timothy Wayne Fletcher, 25, who broke out of the Putnam County jail in Palatka, Fla., hours before authorities found Fletcher's grandmother Helen Key Googe, 66, dead in her home Wednesday and her car missing. Police suspect the fugitives fled in Googe's 1999 ... [full story]

CHANDLER, Ariz. -- An 18-year-old man in Chandler, Ariz., was fatally stabbed after being found by his teacher's boyfriend in her home, police allege. The Chandler Police Department alleged in a probable cause statement that Sixto Balbuena, 20, fatally stabbed Samuel Valdivia after finding him in bed with Balbuena's girlfriend, Tamara Hofmann, The Arizona Republic said Wednesday. Valdivia was a student at El Dorado High School where Hofman teaches. Hofman also served as Balbuena's teacher when she ... [full story]

CORONA, Calif. -- Raul and Cathy Sarinana of Corona, Calif., should get the death penalty for killing their 11-year-old nephew, a prosecutor says. Deputy District Attorney John Aki said Tuesday the separate juries determining the punishments for each defendant should hand down a death sentence based on the couple's conviction in the December 2005 death of Ricky Morales, the Riverside (Calif.) Press-Enterprise said. The couple has also been accused of killing Morales' 13-year-old brother, Conrad, whose body ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Barack Obama Wednesday used the deadline U.S. taxpayers face to file their returns to reiterate his commitment to provide tax relief. Since the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was signed, "we have delivered real and tangible progress for the American people," Obama said after meeting with several families in Washington. "I am proud to announce that my administration has lessened the tax burden on working families while also restoring some ... [full story]

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. -- A 55-year-old man will be arraigned in Orange County, Calif., in relation to the discovery of his daughter's body in a recreational vehicle, authorities say. The Orange County District Attorney's office said Clarence Butterfield will be arraigned Thursday on charges of special circumstances murder with torture and assault with a firearm for the death of his 21-year-old daughter, Rebekah, The Orange County (Calif.) Register reported. The three felony charges against Butterfield means he ... [full story]

BLOOMFIELD, Conn. -- Police investigating an off-campus home invasion in Bloomfield, Conn., have charged one of the victims with selling narcotics. Andrew R. Damo, 20, a student at the University of Hartford, faces multiple counts of counts of possession of narcotics with intent to sell and possession of drug paraphernalia, The Hartford Courant reported Wednesday. Two of Damo's housemates, students Juan Medina and Gideon Moskowitz, have been charged with possession of drug paraphernalia. Bloomfield police Capt. Jeffrey L. ... [full story]

TAMPA, Fla. -- A Florida man was in jail Wednesday after police said he caused five accidents that took two lives in an alleged drunken-driving spree. A judge Tuesday revoked bail for Randy Archiquette, 39, after Hillsborough County prosecutors filed a motion blocking his release on the grounds he was a menace to the community, The Tampa (Fla.) Tribune reported Wednesday. Archiquette was arrested Monday night after a vehicle he was in rolled over at the end ... [full story]

OAK CREEK, Wis. -- A criminal complaint alleges a 31-year-old man in Oak Creek, Wis., shot his mother three times after she refused to give him $2. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said Frederick W. Bertrang stands accused of first-degree reckless injury with use of a dangerous weapon and second-degree recklessly endangering safety with a dangerous weapon in relation to an alleged attack on his mother and his brother's girlfriend. Authorities allege Bertrang attacked his mother, Patricia, last ... [full story]

GLENVIEW, Ill. -- A suburban Chicago woman has been charged with endangering the life of a child for leaving a 4-year-old autistic boy on a school bus while she shopped. Yolande Knight, 60, of Glenview, Ill., was arrested by police after they found Marc Liam Martin, 4, unattended in a bus parked outside a Glenview party store, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Wednesday. The boy's backpack arrived at Thomas Jefferson School in Niles along with three other ... [full story]

SEATTLE -- A Seattle Children's Theatre employee has been arrested and charged with possession of child pornography, a federal official says. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Lorie Dankers said William Edgar Hoke, 38, has been arrested by ICE agents and his home and office have been searched, The Seattle Times said Wednesday. Children's Theatre spokeswoman Shelley Saunders said the youth site is cooperating with authorities' investigation into Hoke, who worked at the theater for 13 years ... [full story]

CHICAGO -- A Chicago mother and children are facing eviction in a dispute with the family of a woman whose life their 9-year-old daughter saved. Missy Kowalski, who suffers from a heart defect, crawled through a window to rescue her 84-year-old landlady who spent 15 hours lying on the floor after a fall, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Wednesday. Missy's mother Deb Gordils has always paid the rent on time but relatives of landlady Kathleen Slattery, who died ... [full story]

WARREN, Mich. -- The mayor of a Detroit suburb says he wants the city to review its use of stun guns following the death of a teenager. Warren, Mich., Mayor Jim Fouts told a city council meeting Tuesday he had no strong opinions on the use of the devices but felt a review of the police department's stun gun policy was appropriate. "You can't overlook the tragic death of a human being," Fouts said. The meeting took place ... [full story]