PHOENIX – A 17-year-old boy who disappeared last year was killed during an argument with a friend and then buried at a cemetery, concealed in a woman’s freshly dug grave, authorities said. Richard Waive Palmer (search), 26, was being held in a Maricopa County jail Monday on a charge of …

Antidepressant drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may be associated with increased risk of bleeding in the stomach and intestines, according to new research. SSRIs include Paxil, Zoloft, Prozac, Celexa, Luvox, and Lexapro. The findings are preliminary and don’t prove a direct link, say the researchers. The study also …

SAN FRANCISCO – In the original 1977 film “Star Wars,” a brash young boy named Luke Skywalker parts with his prized speeder to pay for a ride on a spaceship named the Millennium Falcon. Almost three decades later, fans parted with $500 to attend a premiere of “Star Wars: Episode …

WASHINGTON – Seven Republican senators will determine the outcome of a showdown this week between the president and Congress — and a minority within it — over who is going to shape the federal courts. Barring any unforeseen developments, these are the lawmakers in the make-or-break position when it comes …

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – More than 100,000 customers of Wachovia Corp. (search) and Bank of America Corp. have been notified that their financial records may have been stolen by bank employees and sold to collection agencies. So far, Bank of America (search) has alerted about 60,000 customers whose names were included …

WASHINGTON – The maverick Republican who denied President Bush’s U.N. nominee a smooth sail through the GOP-led Senate asked colleagues Tuesday to vote against a “controversial and ineffective ambassador.” The Senate is expected to vote on John R. Bolton‘s (search) nomination before leaving for a Memorial Day break, and Republicans …

ATLANTA – Some relatives of children who were killed in a series of slayings that terrorized the Atlanta area more than 20 years ago believe the wrong man was blamed for most of the killings, and they are hopeful a new investigation will uncover the real culprit. The DeKalb County …

BANGOR, Maine – An Air France (search) jetliner en route from Paris to Boston was diverted to Maine on Thursday to check on a passenger who happened to have the same name and birthdate as someone on a no-fly list, officials said. The flight continued to Boston less than two …

DETROIT – A conservative Christian group launched a boycott against Ford Motor Co. (F) Tuesday, saying the second-largest U.S. automaker has given thousands of dollars to gay rights groups, offers benefits to same-sex couples and actively recruits gay employees. “From redefining family to include homosexual marriage, to giving hundreds of …

COEUR d’ALENE, Idaho – A man sought for questioning in the bloody slayings of three people contacted authorities Wednesday as the search continued for two children missing from the home where the killings took place. Detectives were interviewing Robert Roy Lutner (search) Wednesday evening, Kootenai County Sheriff’s Capt. Ben Wolfinger …