CHICAGO, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- President-elect Barack Obama restated his support of the Senate Democrats' plan not to seat his successor, even though Roland Burris is a "fine public servant."
PAWTUCKET, R.I., Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Building inspectors in Pawtucket R.I., Wednesday were investigating what caused a ceiling to collapse in a church basement, injuring several people.
ANAHEIM, Calif., Dec. 31 (UPI) -- The parents of a black man mistakenly shot by Anaheim, Calif., police say they want Disneyland to erect a statue of their late son at the theme park.
MIAMI, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- A Florida heart surgeon with alleged memory problems still has his medical license 15 months after he promised to surrender it, a state Web site shows.
ATHENS, Greece, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Police in Athens, Greece, say whoever killed two prostitutes in separate parts of the city likely killed them for pleasure.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- An anti-gun group is suing to stop enactment of Bush administration rules that would let people carry concealed weapons in many U.S. parks.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Alberto Gonzales says he is writing a book to counter critics' contentions he was negligent as U.S. attorney general under the Bush administration.
CRAWFORD, Texas, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- U.S. President George Bush spent the last day of 2008 in telephone diplomacy, discussing Gaza and tensions between India and Pakistan, a spokesman said.
SAN DIEGO, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Police in the San Diego area say an illegal immigrant they arrested on sexual assault charges had been deported to Mexico 10 times in his long criminal career.
MOSCOW, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- A new assessment of pirate activity off the coast of Somalia has found that more than 300 mariners are being held hostage, a Russian publication says.
SACRAMENTO, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- California officials say they filed suit against the U.S. Department of the Interior over a rule change that jeopardizes the state's wildlife and its budget.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Mines will be required to have safe rooms for miners trapped by cave-ins and fires under new rules from the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration.
ALBANY, N.Y., Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Members of the New York Army and Air National Guard were standing by New Year's Eve, ready to respond if an emergency arises, state military officials said.
SEATTLE, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- A Washington state woman who allegedly married a 78-year-old man with dementia for his money says she does not want the marriage annulled.
SAN ANTONIO, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- A U.S. Army veteran from Texas who faked claims of wounds and decorations and a career in the Army Rangers has been sentenced to three years probation.
TEHRAN, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- British authorities say everyone at the country's embassy in Tehran is safe after hundreds of Iranian radicals stormed and briefly entered the compound.
NEW YORK, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- It's going to be a cold, snowy New Year's Eve for those who ring in the New Year in New York's Times Square, forecasters said Wednesday.
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Nearly 220 sporting groups throughout the United States no longer have access to funds an online firm collected for them, a firm official has confirmed.
MILTON, Fla., Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Police investigators Wednesday were searching an area near Milton, Fla., after a resident's dog returned home carrying the body of a newborn, officials said.
BRIGHTON , England, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Two emergency medical technicians in Brighton, England, allegedly discussed whether they should treat a man who later died, a police source said.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Western expatriates in Dubai scrambled to make other plans Wednesday after the state's rulers called off an opulent New Year's celebration, observers said.
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- California's attorney general's office says it hasn't yet decided if it will appeal a ruling against a prison term imposed under the state's three-strikes law.
PHOENIX, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Brandon Rayner, a 10-year-old boy who collected 900,000 business cards trying for a world record, has died of a lung infection in Phoenix, his sister says.
A one-of-a-kind 8 x 4 foot portrait of Marilyn Monroe made from 2,100 bite sized stuffed cupcakes stands in the lobby next to her wax figure on the eve of Marilyn Monroe's 86th birthday at Madame Tussauds in New York City on May 31, 2012. UPI/John Angelillo
