national
Polygamist sect member found guilty of sexual assault
ELDORADO, Texas - The jury in the trial of polygamist sect member Raymond Merril Jessop found him guilty of sexual assault of a child Thursday evening after deliberating fewer than three hours.
Social Web sites may turn into dating sites
In the online dating business, where new sites close as quickly as they open and only a handful have mastered the art of matchmaking, a new generation of services is courting the billion-dollar industry by leveraging all that personal information on social networks.
Inspect your luggage quickly after a plane trip
Somewhere between a curb at Boston's Logan Airport and luggage claim at Tampa International, somebody snuck a bottle of pure maple syrup and some change from Millard Keller's black bag recently.
Keller went home, then to bed. He didn't open the bag until morning. So the 57-year-old retiree lost the chance to get reimbursed by the airline, JetBlue Airways.
How to avoid luggage theft
Time limits to report luggage theft (from arrival)
JetBlue: 4 hours
Southwest: 4 hours
Continental: 4 hours (see note)
American: 24 hours
United: 24 hours
US Airways: 24 hours
Delta: 10 days
(Note: From discovery of theft)
Sources: Airline Web sites
FAST FACTS
Tips to avoid baggage theft
Mosque worshipers knew Fort Hood suspect Hasan was troubled
SILVER SPRING, Md. - Those who knew Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan knew he was troubled.
Adnan Haider prayed with Hasan -- an Army psychiatrist now accused of a mass shooting at a Texas Army base -- at a suburban Washington mosque. After they met last year, Hasan immediately said he was looking for a Muslim woman to date.
Restaurant settles lawsuit with McDonald's
A Minnesota restaurant has settled its trademark-infringement lawsuit against McDonald's over the corporate giant's use of the slogan "Who's Your Patty?"
"It's our trademark," said Bonnie Notermann, co-owner of Lion's Tap in Eden Prairie, Minn., and "we will be using it."
Study on sex toys at Duke University
At Duke University, a school that likes to tout its cutting-edge research, a sex toy study being conducted by a behavioral economist and student health workers has roused criticism.
For much of October, researchers recruited female Duke students to take part in a "sexually explicit" study on Tupperware-style parties in which sex toys, not kitchenware, are the draw.
Town loses its post office and zip code
FOLSOMVILLE, Ind. - The closet-sized post office at this tiny community is no more, Gone, too, is ZIP code 47614.
"People were crying ... when they first heard the news," said Karen Conner, 67, who ran the office for the last nine years. "Our ZIP code is gone forever. It makes people sentimental."
Hot toys for the holidays
Tickle Me Elmo is back this year but will be up against what retailers say are some tough contenders -- furry, electronic hamsters -- in this year's battle of the hot holiday gifts.
Trial of polygamist sect leader close to going to jury
ELDORADO, Texas - Raymond Merril Jessop, a 30-something polygamist sect member, and an underage girl were sealed for "time and eternity" Aug. 12, 2004, in a ceremony performed by "President" Warren Jeffs in his home at the Yearning for Zion Ranch near Eldorado, a Texas Ranger testified Thursday.

