News in United States

• 2 dead, 4 critical after Plant City crashes
  

  Two people are reported dead and another person suffering from serious injuries after a crash Wednesday night at James L. Redman Parkway and McDonald Street, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

• Mexico's Slim becomes 'world's richest' person
  

  Mexican telecom tycoon Carlos Slim is the world's richest person, jumping past Americans Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to become the first person from a developing nation to top the list, according to Forbes magazine.

• Actor Haim's tragic story sadly familiar one
  

  The Los Angeles coroner's office says "The Lost Boys" actor Corey Haim is dead at 38.

• Pelosi: Democrats close on health care agreement
  

  Democrats claimed momentum Wednesday in their drive to enact the sweeping health care legislation sought by President Barack Obama, citing near agreement on crucial issues despite persistent Republican efforts to knock them off stride.

• Kansas City, Mo., closing nearly half its schools
  

  The Kansas City school board narrowly approved a plan Wednesday night to close nearly half of the district's schools in a desperate bid to avoid a potential bankruptcy.

• Crash in Madeira Beach kills 1, injures 3
  

  A man died tonight after a crash involving two vehicles at Gulf Boulevard and 147th Avenue, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said. The crash scene is closed to traffic and officials are urging drivers to use detours.

• U.S. Senate's Medicaid funding vote will help Florida balance budget
  

  The U.S. Senate approved emergency funding on Wednesday for state Medicaid programs, but Florida lawmakers may use much of the state's share to boost spending on other budget areas.

• 3 county officials defend themselves
  

  The Hillsborough County Administrator took a polygraph test. The county attorney had a private attorney present to speak. The county's internal auditor stood before the six members of the County Commission who were present and said he would not resign.

• Vacant home burns in Lealman
  

  Firefighters are investigating the cause of a house fire that occurred this afternoon in Pinellas County's Lealman community.

• Lawmakers still hope for gambling agreement with Seminoles
  

  State senators are proposing again to reach a gaming compact with the Seminole Tribe -- but this year, they say, they won't give Gov. Charlie Crist much leeway in the negotiations.

• House ethics panel ends Massa inquiry
  

  The House Democratic campaign chief said Wednesday the ethics committee has ended an investigation of former Rep. Eric Massa, but the freshman's alleged harassment of his staff members — with possible sexual overtones — could spell continuing trouble for the party.

• Court sides with homeowner in dispute over pickup
  

  A.J. Vizzi has lived in The Eagles golfing community in northwestern Hillsborough County since he built a two-story house on a lake in 1997. For a few years, he parked his pickup in the driveway and didn't hear anything negative about it. That all changed in 2001, when he said he received a violation notice from his homeowners association. "Up until 2001, I was here for four years before they ever even told me I was in violation of any of their covenants," said Vizzi.

• House GOP leaders push ban on earmarks
  

  House GOP leaders are pushing rank-and-file Republicans to break their addiction to pet projects by going cold turkey and giving up the long-cherished practice of directing federal dollars to their home districts.

• National standards for math, English instruction released
  

  Students across the nation might eventually use the same math and English textbooks and take the same tests if states adopt new rigorous standards proposed today by governors and education leaders.

• House rejects call for withdrawal from Afghanistan
  

  The House today soundly rejected an effort by anti-war lawmakers to force a withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year.

• Bolts' Lecavalier incredulous Cooke not suspended
  

  TORONTO – Nearly two years ago, Lightning captain Vinny Lecavalier took a blind-side hit from then-Washington forward Matt Cooke that forced him to undergo surgery to repair a labrum in his right shoulder.

• Documents detail assault on woman in Ybor parking garage
  

  The woman was walking through the second floor of the city's Noriega Parking Garage at 2010 N. 13th St. in Ybor City.

• Crist, Rubio trade zingers in GOP Senate race
  

  It was a day of posturing and zingers in the U.S. Senate race Wednesday, as GOP primary opponents Gov. Charlie Crist and Marco Rubio each sought to portray himself as the job-saving, limited government advocate and his opponent as the big spender.

• Bill to ban texting while driving passes key House panel
  

  A bill that aims to outlaw texting behind the wheel passed a key House committee today in Tallahassee.

• Raytheon CEO can skip testimony in pollution suit
  

  Federal Magistrate Anthony Porcelli has rejected an attempt to drag Raytheon Co.'s CEO and president into a legal dispute over pollution from the company's shuttered St. Petersburg plant.