FRAMINGHAM, Mass. (AP) — The newest member of the Massachusetts State Police is 8 inches tall and used to work for Santa Claus. "Statie the Elf" has been appearing on the department's ... READ MORE »

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — Jurors took just an hour Thursday to convict a California sex offender of killing four women — crimes that were mostly committed while he was being tracked by GPS ... READ MORE »

NEW YORK (AP) — A report says New York City paid a rate of $629 a night to house homeless people at a hotel on two days in September. The report was issued Wednesday by Comptroller Scott... READ MORE »

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Yahoo has become the worst-case example of an unnerving but increasingly common phenomenon — massive hacks that steal secrets and other potentially revealing... READ MORE »

WASHINGTON (AP) — Although pestered to a fare-thee-well to abandon Donald Trump, Republican electors appear to be in no mood for an insurrection in the presidential campaign's last voting... READ MORE »

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Alan Thicke's 1980s TV dad credentials were neatly in order on "Growing Pains." His Dr. Jason Seaver was an open-hearted parent and an enlightened husband, working from... READ MORE »

BEIRUT (AP) — A cease-fire deal between rebels and the Syrian government in the city of Allepo foundered on Wednesday, threatening plans to evacuate the remaining rebels and tens of... READ MORE »

WESTLAND, Mich. (AP) — A suburban Detroit family is conceding that it can't match the neighbors' holiday display. The Detroit News reports (http://detne.ws/2gTSUKT ) that Jami Kelly used... READ MORE »

WASHINGTON (AP) — A key Republican lawmaker wants to overhaul Social Security, the decades-old program that provides benefits to some 60 million retirees and disabled, with a plan to... READ MORE »

CHICAGO (AP) — Chubby babies and toddlers at risk for later obesity are on the decline in a government food program serving millions of kids, a glimmer of good news in the nation's fight to... READ MORE »