Pedestrian deaths surged by an estimated 10 percent last year as the economy improved, the price of gas plunged and motorists put more miles behind the wheel than ever before, according to an analysis of preliminary state traffic fatality data. The growing use of cellphones distracting drivers and walkers may… Read More

As testimony in Hulk Hogan’s lawsuit against Gawker Media grew extremely explicit Tuesday, an attorney offered evidence that Hogan has publicly discussed sex and other intimate details about his life over the course of many years. The testimony included detailed references to Hogan’s sex life and sexual parts. In one… Read More

George Martin, the Beatles’ urbane producer who quietly guided the band’s swift, historic transformation from rowdy club act to musical and cultural revolutionaries, has died, his management said Wednesday. He was 90. “We can confirm that Sir George Martin passed away peacefully at home yesterday evening,” Adam Sharp, a founder… Read More

A downed tree on the tracks reportedly caused a commuter train to derail in Northern California, sending its lead car plunging into a swollen creek and leaving nine people injured, authorities said. Rescuers battled the creek’s fast-moving currents Monday night to pull riders to safety from the partially submerged rail… Read More

Famously private in life, “To Kill a Mockingbird” author Harper Lee is keeping her secrets even in death. Monroe County Probate Judge Greg Norris signed an order last week to seal Lee’s will from public view, according to court records available Monday. Lawyers for Lee’s personal representative and attorney, Tonja… Read More

A teenager accused of stabbing a classmate to death at their high school for rejecting his invitation to the junior prom pleaded no contest to murder Monday, and prosecutors said they will seek a 25-year prison sentence. Christopher Plaskon, 18, accepted a plea bargain during a brief appearance in Milford… Read More

Norwegian police have bigger fish to fry so they’ve allowed a fellow officer to take home a goldfish that had been waiting for its rightful owner in a jam jar at the local police station. Bodo Police spokesman Tommy Bech says investigators “were very close to solving” the case of… Read More

The Russian Geographical Society says two of its explorers have achieved the deepest dive ever recorded below ice. The organization said the dive to 102 meters (335 feet) took place Saturday in the White Sea, an arm of the Barents Sea. They said divers spent 80 minutes in waters with… Read More

Los Angeles authorities say the wife of former Eagles band member Randy Meisner was killed when a rifle she was handling accidentally discharged and shot her in the head. A police news release says officers found 63-year-old Lana Rae Meisner dead on Sunday from a single gunshot wound at the… Read More

The Supreme Court is staying out of a copyright dispute involving a California man who produced replicas of the Batmobile for car-collecting fans of the caped crusader. The justices on Monday let stand a lower court ruling that said the Batmobile’s bat-like appearance and high-tech gadgets make it a character… Read More