OCALA, Fla. -- Authorities in Ocala, Fla., say they won't press charges against a 10-year-old girl caught carrying a steak knife to her school cafeteria.The fifth-grader at Sunshine Elementary School in Ocala was placed under arrest Dec. 13 for bringing a weapon to school. She told teachers she had brought the knife from home to cut through the meat on her plate.Chief Assistant State Prosecutor Ric Ridgeway told the Ocala Star-Banner that a 10-day suspension ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Navy announced its first major strategic shift in more than 20 years, refocusing the fleet's role on humanitarian aid and other forms of soft power.The Navy, along with the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Coast Guard, unveiled the new strategy to embrace a broader shift at the Pentagon to bridge the "generational conflict" in its efforts to thwart extremists, the Christian Science Monitor reported Thursday.The move focuses on building international ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- U.S. President George Bush strongly condemned the assassination Thursday of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, calling it a "cowardly act."Bhutto was killed in a suicide attack as she left a political rally Thursday in Rawalpindi. CNN said it was unclear whether she was shot or hit by shrapnel.From his ranch in Crawford, Texas, Bush issued a statement, saying those responsible must be brought to justice."The United States strongly condemns this cowardly act ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- Statistics released Thursday show that 2007 has been the deadliest year since 1989 for law enforcement officers in the United States.The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund reported that 186 officers have been killed so far this year, a 28 percent increase over 2006.Officers killed by gunfire and traffic-related events rose. Traffic deaths reached a record high of 81.Handguns were used in the deaths of 51 officers. Rifles killed nine officers and shotguns ... [full story]

A 17-year-old Redmond driver was cited for careless driving when he allegedly sped up behind a vehicle in order to pass on the snow-covered highway, lost control and rear-ended the car, triggering a three-vehicle crash that injured the other two drivers on Tuesday night, deputies reported. Deschutes County Sheriff’s Sgt. Chad Davis said deputies were dispatched to the scene on Highway 97 near milepost 125 in Redmond about 8:10 p.m., Christmas day. Justin Ray Miller, ... [full story]

A 24-year old Prineville driver escaped unharmed after he lost control of his car and crashed on Highway 126 in the Powell Butte area on Christmas Day, deputies reported.  A brief snowfall shortly before the 6:30 p.m. crash created slippery driving conditions near milepost 10.5, Crook County Sheriff’s Sgt. Jim Chapman said.  Jorge Gonzalez’s 1990 Lincoln Town Car skidded across the oncoming lane of traffic on the slippery road, crashed through 50-feet of fencing, rolled ... [full story]

SAN FRANCISCO -- Officials at San Francisco General Hospital said two men injured by an escaped zoo tiger that killed one other person could be released as early as Wednesday.Dr. John Brown, an emergency room physician at the hospital, said the tiger inflicted deep bites and claw cuts to the injured men's heads and upper bodies, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Officials said the men, whose injuries were first considered life-threatening, were able to talk ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- A Bush administration official said he remains positive about developments in the Iraqi government as leading generals postulate on troop redeployments in 2008.Brett McGurk, the senior director for Iraq and Afghanistan for the Bush administration, said that Iraqi legislation allowing former Baath officials to participate in the government is a major milestone in solidifying the central government of Iraq."The de-Baathification reform law is moving its way through the parliamentary process, which is very ... [full story]

CHICAGO -- The Chicago-area man who smashed his mini-van into a downtown television studio during the nightly news broadcast "wanted to be on the news."Prosecutors told a Cook County judge Gerald Richardson, 25, "wanted to be on the news" prior to driving his mini-van into WLS-TV, Chicago, television studio Sunday night.The judge ordered Richardson held on $125,000 bail and prosecutors charged him with criminal damage to property, resisting arrest, reckless driving and operating an uninsured ... [full story]

TEHRAN -- The Iranian defense minister said the country is in negotiations to buy the Tur-M1 missile system from Russia.Defense Minister Brig. Gen. Mostafa Mohammad Najjar said Iranian and Russian officials discussed the sale during the fourth meeting of the Iran-Russia defense commission, Fars News Agency reported Wednesday."During the meeting, the Iranian side entered negotiations with the high-ranking Russian delegation in different areas, and the two sides reached agreements on a number of issues, including ... [full story]