WASHINGTON (AP) — The pink and white cherry blossoms that color the nation’s capital and draw a million visitors each spring began with trees that have survived for a century. It was 100 years ago this month when first lady Helen Taft and the Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador, planted two Yoshino cherry […]

LONDON (AP) — British police say five officers were hospitalized after they were mauled by a dog during a raid. The Metropolitan Police force says the officers were trying to arrest a man in east London when they were attacked by “ a pitbull- type dog.” Four suffered serious injuries and one was slightly injured […]

HAVANA ( AP) — One of Cuba’s most senior officials is leaving the Cabinet of President Raul Castro. The Communist Party newspaper Granma announces that Vice President Jose Ramon Fernandez is leaving his post. The 88-year-old former general helped mold the communist country’s new army and commanded defenses at the Bay of Pigs. Granma reported […]

ADELANTO, Calif. (AP) — Investigators say a Southern California man deliberately cut off his hand with a kitchen knife, but it’s not clear why. A San Bernardino County sheriff ’s sergeant says deputies found the victim after responding to a 911 call from the man’s Mojave Desert home on Wednesday afternoon. The man didn’t place […]

NIWOT, Colo. (AP) — Four students at Niwot High School in Colorado have been suspended after pepper spray forced a school evacuation. Four adults and 45 students were treated by paramedics for respiratory problems and skin irritation after the pepper spray got into a ventilation system. According to KMGH-TV, the suspended students could be charged […]

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A Montana man is charged with animal cruelty after his 20- pound dog was so intoxicated it couldn’t stand up. The Independent Record reports 49- year- old Todd Harold Schrier, of Helena, was charged after East Helena police responded to a report of an intoxicated dog at a bar. Officers found […]