Army Corps says Condition of many levees a mystery

By Jeff Roberson (AP)

Across America, earthen flood levees protect big cities and small towns, wealthy suburbs and rich farmland. But the Army Corps of Engineers, the federal agency that oversees levees, lacks an inventory of thousands of them and has no idea of their condition, the corps\' chief levee expert told The Associated Press.

The uncertainty, amid an unusually wet spring that has already caused significant flooding across many states, is creating worry even within the corps.

\"We have to get our arms around this issue and understand how many levees there are in the country, who\'s...

By Pablo Martinez Monsivais (AP)

Dan Uggla and the Florida Marlins will sure be sorry to have to leave Washington. Who can blame them? They\'ve been there twice this season and haven\'t lost yet.

Uggla hit two homers Sunday to help the Marlins complete another three-game sweep of the Nationals with a 5-4 win. The day before, Uggla hit a grand slam.

Florida has won seven straight overall, its best streak since winning nine in a row in August 2006. They\'ve also won all six games this season at Nationals Park.

\"I\'m not good at analyzing and knowing what\'s going right or anything like that,\" said...

By RANDY SNYDER (AP)

Hillary Rodham Clinton was just warming up the crowd in a cramped and muggy middle school gymnasium when she switched her pronouns.

\"All the kitchen table issues that everybody talks to me about are ones that the next president can actually do something about,\" Clinton said Sunday night, \"if he actually cares about it.\"

The word hung in the air only for a moment.

\"More likely, if she cares about it,\" she added.

Was it a dramatic turn of phrase or a slip of the tongue? A way to spotlight gender on Mother\'s Day or a sign that the public doubts about her...

By Stuart Ramson (AP)

Actor Dennis Farina was charged with a felony Sunday at Los Angeles International Airport after a loaded gun was found in his carry-on luggage.

When the weapon was discovered at a security checkpoint, the 64-year-old actor said he had forgotten the .22-caliber handgun was in his luggage, police said.

Farina was booked for investigation of carrying a concealed weapon, said Sgt. Dennis Beacham. Bail was set at $25,000 before police discovered the weapon was not registered. Charges were then upgraded to a felony and bail was increased to $35,000.

Farina was released after...

By Damian Dovarganes (AP)

A former associate of USC freshman guard O.J. Mayo claims the basketball star received thousands of dollars in cash and other gifts from an event promoter over the past four years that would violate NCAA rules, ESPN reported Sunday.

Louis Johnson told ESPN\'s \"Outside the Lines,\" that Rodney Guillory, a Los Angeles-based event promoter, gave Mayo about $30,000 and other benefits while he attended high school and his sole season at USC. Mayo has decided to forgo his sophomore year and enter the NBA draft.

Guillory received monthly payments from a Northern California sports...

By Evan Agostini (AP)

Cablevision Systems Corp. is close to buying the Long Island newspaper Newsday from Tribune Co. for $650 million, a person with knowledge of the situation said Sunday.

The deal, which could be announced as soon as Monday, would net Cablevision, a cable TV company also based on Long Island, its first newspaper. It would also provide much-needed cash to Tribune Co., which is struggling under $8.2 billion in debt it took on when it went private last December.

The person familiar with the talks asked to remain anonymous since the discussions were confidential. Spokesmen for both...

By Ric Francis (AP)

Hiroki Kuroda took a no-hitter into the seventh inning for the Los Angeles Dodgers before the Houston Astros broke out for seven hits and six runs in the eighth inning to pull out an 8-5 victory Sunday.

Lance Berkman, Carlos Lee and Hunter Pence had RBI singles against reliever Jonathan Broxton (1-1), and Brad Ausmus added a two-run single against the right-hander as the Astros won for the eighth time in nine games. Houston also completed its first three-game sweep at Dodger Stadium since September 25-27, 1992.

Michael Bourn capped the rally with a sacrifice fly, giving...

By Ric Francis (AP)

Hiroki Kuroda took a no-hitter into the seventh inning for the Los Angeles Dodgers before the Houston Astros broke out for seven hits and six runs in the eighth inning to pull out an 8-5 victory Sunday.

Lance Berkman, Carlos Lee and Hunter Pence had RBI singles against reliever Jonathan Broxton (1-1), and Brad Ausmus added a two-run single against the right-hander as the Astros won for the eighth time in nine games. Houston also completed its first three-game sweep at Dodger Stadium since September 25-27, 1992.

Michael Bourn capped the rally with a sacrifice fly, giving...

By Stuart Ramson (AP)

Dennis Farina has been arrested at Los Angeles International Airport after a loaded gun was found in his carry-on luggage.

Police say the 64-year-old actor told them he forgot the .22-caliber handgun was in his luggage Sunday.

Sgt. Dennis Beacham says Farina was caught at a security checkpoint and booked for investigation of carrying a concealed weapon. Bail was set at $25,000.

Messages were left for Farina\'s attorney, Kevin York, and his agent.

Farina has a role in the Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz comedy \"What Happens in Vegas.\" It opened Friday.

He...

By Marcio Jose Sanchez (AP)

Steve Holm entered the game as a defensive replacement at catcher, then delivered the biggest hit of the day.

Holm hit a go-ahead, two-run drive in the seventh inning for his first major league home run, and the San Francisco Giants held on for a 4-3 victory in the rubber game against the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday.

Holm homered in his first at-bat on the first pitch he saw from J.C. Romero (3-1) after replacing Bengie Molina in the top of the seventh, sending the ball into the seats in left-center. Romero had allowed only one homer in his previous 61 appearances and...

By Lenny Ignelzi (AP)

All it took for the San Diego Padres to suddenly look alive was to face a pitcher making his big league debut.

Scott Hairston and Khalil Greene homered to spoil Greg Reynolds\' first start, leading the Padres to a 6-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Sunday and their first series win in nearly a month.

The Padres have been playing so poorly that their two consecutive wins match their season high, which they\'ve managed only three times. After winning for just the sixth time in 24 games, the Padres (14-24) continue to have the worst record in the majors.

San Diego...

By Lenny Ignelzi (AP)

All it took for the San Diego Padres to suddenly look alive was to face a pitcher making his big league debut.

Scott Hairston and Khalil Greene homered to spoil Greg Reynolds\' first start, leading the Padres to a 6-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Sunday and their first series win in nearly a month.

The Padres have been playing so poorly that their two consecutive wins match their season high, which they\'ve managed only three times. After winning for just the sixth time in 24 games, the Padres (14-24) continue to have the worst record in the majors.

San Diego...

By Marcio Jose Sanchez (AP)

Steve Holm entered the game as a defensive replacement at catcher, then delivered the biggest hit of the day.

Holm hit a go-ahead, two-run drive in the seventh inning for his first major league home run, and the San Francisco Giants held on for a 4-3 victory in the rubber game against the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday.

Holm homered in his first at-bat on the first pitch he saw from J.C. Romero (3-1) after replacing Bengie Molina in the top of the seventh, sending the ball into the seats in left-center. Romero had allowed only one homer in his previous 61 appearances and...

By Steve C. Wilson (AP)

Andrei Kirilenko blocked Kobe Bryant twice in overtime and converted a three-point play with 35 seconds remaining as the Utah Jazz beat the Los Angeles Lakers 123-115 on Sunday, tying the Western Conference semifinals at 2-2.

The Jazz went 9-for-9 from the foul line in overtime and outscored the Lakers 15-7 in the extra 5 minutes.

Deron Williams had 29 points and 14 assists, while Carlos Boozer scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half and grabbed 12 rebounds. Mehmet Okur added 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Kirilenko finished with 15 points and five blocks _ stuffing...

By Tim Sharp (AP)

Emil Brown hit a three-run homer and drove in four runs to help the Oakland Athletics beat Texas 12-6, ending the Rangers\' season-best five-game winning streak Sunday.

Frank Thomas drove in two runs to give him 1,695 RBIs, tying him with Cal Ripken for 21st all-time, and Mark Ellis had three hits for the A\'s.

Ian Kinsler had three hits for the Rangers, who had won nine of their previous 11.

With the game tied at 6, Bobby Crosby led off the seventh with a double, then stopped at third on Ellis\' single. Rangers reliever Franklyn German\'s pickoff attempt had Ellis in a...

By Steve C. Wilson (AP)

Andrei Kirilenko blocked Kobe Bryant twice in overtime and converted a three-point play with 35 seconds remaining as the Utah Jazz beat the Los Angeles Lakers 123-115 on Sunday, tying the Western Conference semifinals at 2-2.

The Jazz went 8-for-8 from the foul line in overtime and outscored the Lakers 15-7 in the extra 5 minutes.

Deron Williams had 29 points and 14 assists, while Carlos Boozer scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half and grabbed 12 rebounds. Mehmet Okur added 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Kirilenko finished with 15 points and five blocks _ stuffing...

By Danny Chan La (AP)

Andrei Kirilenko blocked Kobe Bryant twice in overtime and converted a three-point play with 35 seconds remaining as the Utah Jazz beat the Los Angeles Lakers 123-115 on Sunday, tying the Western Conference semifinals at 2-2.

The Jazz went 8-for-8 from the foul line in overtime and outscored the Lakers 15-7 in the extra 5 minutes.

By Tim Sharp (AP)

Emil Brown hit a three-run homer and drove in four runs to help the Oakland Athletics beat Texas 12-6, ending the Rangers\' season-best five-game winning streak Sunday.

Frank Thomas drove in two runs to give him 1,695 RBIs, tying him with Cal Ripken for 21st all-time, and Mark Ellis had three hits for the A\'s.

Ian Kinsler had three hits for the Rangers, who had won nine of their previous 11.

Franklyn German (1-1) gave up two runs and three hits in 2-3 inning to suffer the loss.

Santiago Casilla (2-0) allowed two hits in 1 1-3 innings for the victory.

By Morry Gash (AP)

Ryan Braun hit a pair of solo home runs, Jeff Suppan pitched seven solid innings and the Milwaukee Brewers\' new closer by committee held on for a 5-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.

With Eric Gagne out as the closer, the Brewers turned to Salomon Torres and Brian Shouse in the ninth. Torres allowed a leadoff double and a walk before giving way to Shouse with two outs. Shouse, a left-handed specialist, gave up an RBI single to Yadier Molina before finishing for his first save and fifth of his career.

The Brewers, who won for the second time in nine games, scored...

By Mike Carlson (AP)

Carl Crawford hit a three-run homer and Cliff Floyd added a pair of run-scoring singles, helping the Tampa Bay Rays stop Ervin Santana from becoming the AL\'s first seven-game winner with an 8-5 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday.

Santana departed with a 5-4 lead with one runner on and two outs in the sixth inning, but the game quickly shifted when Justin Speier (0-3) entered and gave up a double to Akinori Iwamura and Crawford\'s third homer of the season.

B.J. Upton doubled for the third consecutive hit off the Angels reliever. He took third base on a wild pitch...

By (AP)

As the bloated bodies rise and fall with the current, women scrub clothes along the river bank, villagers bathe to cool themselves and a lone child sits on a dock staring aimlessly into the water.

But with little aid getting through to desperate cyclone survivors, the dead have largely been forgotten _ left to decay where the brackish waters carried them or waiting to be pulled out to sea by the rising tides.

\"The first few we saw, we were all very shocked,\" said U Pinyatale, a monk from the area who has prayed for the dead. \"After a while, there were just too...

By ARIEL SCHALIT (AP)

Israelis got a first demonstration Sunday of the electric car that developers hope will revolutionize transportation in the country and serve as a pilot for the rest of the world.

The silver car doing circles in a Tel Aviv parking lot looked like a regular sedan _ except it had no exhaust pipe and there was an electric socket where the mouth of the gas tank should have been.

The Silicon Valley startup Project Better Place hopes the fully electric prototype will be on Israel\'s streets in large numbers beginning at the end of 2010.

Backers of the project say the car will...

By Paul Sakuma (AP)

When Maulit Shelat heard about the Bush administration\'s plan to pump up the economy by sending out stimulus checks, he sat down with his wife and drew up a list of priorities: first up, remodeling the bathroom.

But Shelat is married to a foreigner who still hasn\'t completed the often years-long process that allows her to apply for a Social Security number. Her not having that number makes even him ineligible for the tax rebate checks that started going out last week because they filed jointly.

He is among an estimated hundreds of thousands of taxpayers _ from legal...