LENORE, W.Va. – A school bus collided head-on with a tree-trimming truck early Tuesday, injuring 18 people, most of them students who were taken to area hospitals. The extent of the students’ injuries and their ages were not immediately known. The crash was so severe that the bus driver, William …

SEATTLE – Four family members were found dead Monday in their home of apparent carbon monoxide poisoning, bringing the death toll from the Northwest’s worst windstorm in a decade to 14. The four — one woman and three males — were found in a home in Burien, a south Seattle …

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Israel stepped up its month long offensive against militants in the Gaza Strip Friday, conducting house-to-house searches and attacking Palestinian sites with air strikes and tank shells, officials said. Three Palestinians, including two Hamas members were killed before dawn Friday and two others were killed …

ROCKVILLE, Md. – Drunken drivers beware: Police say they are starting a crackdown this month and the government is promising arrests for those who drink and drive. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Wednesday it hoped new advertising would help lower alcohol-involved fatalities, which have barely budged in a …

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – West Virginia’s lone potato chip maker is scrapping its low-fat recipe after consumer reaction to the healthier creations resulted in a 6 percent drop in sales. Parkersburg-based Mister Bee, which hadn’t changed its recipe since it opened in 1951, launched its new chips in March. The chips …

MOGADISHU, Somalia – An Islamic militia leader called for a holy war Friday against Ethiopian troops protecting Somalia‘s weak U.N.-backed government. Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys, speaking on Radio Shabelle, said Ethiopia’s decision to send troops to protect the transitional government in Baidoa, 150 miles northwest of Mogadishu, must be met …

NEW YORK – The bad news: this year will be another year of modest pay increases. The worse news: inflation might eat up those gains. The only good news may be that workplace standouts might eke out bonuses and other cash incentives from employers. Companies are relying less on salary …

Federal health officials say they expect a record 100 million vaccine doses to be available in the U.S. this flu season, eliminating worries of a shortage. Officials stressed that the numbers are based on manufacturers’ estimates and that final numbers could fluctuate. But public health authorities and companies now expect …

VEEDERSBURG, Ind. – An Indiana man stabbed a co-worker Tuesday who confronted him about placing motor oil on his peanut butter and jelly sandwich, police said. Jeremy Gordon, 22, was stabbed twice in the lower leg by Bradley McManomy, 27, during a confrontation Tuesday in a bathroom of the Fountain …

WASHINGTON – Government of the people, by the people, will be missing a lot of people Election Day. It’s a persistent riddle in a country that thinks of itself as the beacon of democracy. Why do so few share the light? Compare U.S. voting with foreign voting and it’s not …