
Animated animals and pint-sized aliens. Museum relics that come to life at night. Magic rocks that make wishes come true. A bouquet of balloons big enough to lift a house into the sky. Complete Story...
Prosecutors said a New York City dad and another man robbed homes while his girlfriend drove the getaway minivan with the kids in tow. The three pleaded not guilty Wednesday to burglary and weapon charges. The Queens district attorney's office said a witness saw the blue minivan outside his home Monday with a woman in the driver's seat and the two men going out his front door.
A Maryland father who shot his wife and three children to death and then killed himself struggled with depression, had $450,000 in debt and nearly decapitated his kids after they had died, Frederick County Sheriff Charles Jenkins said Tuesday.

Lauren Townsend's parents recently were invited to attend the university graduation of a student who had received a scholarship in their daughter's name.

A man who killed his wife, their three young children and himself in their northwest Maryland home had a hard time adjusting to his new manager's job for a railroad and it was causing him stress, according a blog entry his wife posted last month.
A baby lemur who fell into the moat at his enclosure in a Little Rock, Ark., zoo Wednesday was quickly pulled out and revived with CPR administered by zoo staff. Tragically, zoo officials reported that 5-week-old Houdini later died, possibly of pneumonia.

In this Gulf city-state, two things have long been untouchable: business interests and the ruling family. However, an attempt to sue a member of the family over an alleged financial swindle is a sign of how much the economic crisis has rattled business as usual here.
A federal judge has refused to accept a plea deal for a Massachusetts man charged with trying to hire a hit man to kill his 9-year-old daughter, estranged wife and mother-in-law.
A convicted drug kingpin and three other men were charged Wednesday with a dozen murders, including a row house arson that killed six people, four of them children, in retaliation for an informant's testimony.
Regional wireless carrier MetroPCS Communications Inc. has a new feature designed to lure families getting rid of their landlines. The new service gives families one number that rings all their cell phones at once.
While repeating his regrets and sorrow for the pain he caused his wife and three daughters, the disgraced former governor of New York, Eliot Spitzer, called himself “fortunate” Monday morning.

A couple who disappeared with their children, leading to a search of the South Dakota wilderness, turned themselves in to authorities near their Nebraska home on Monday, a sheriff said.
A vehicle linked to a missing Nebraska family was found in the central Black Hills, where authorities on Wednesday resumed a search.

After last week’s column about a top-value California cabernet sauvignon, it seemed only logical to tell you about a first-rate, $12 California merlot that will impress you with its complexity.

Homeschooling is so important to Uwe Romeike that the classically trained pianist sold his beloved grand pianos to pay for moving his wife and five children from Germany to the Smoky Mountain foothills of Tennessee.
Sasha and Malia Obama "are adapting remarkably" to life in the White House, according to their father — who added, "They do seem to be having fun."

On the outside, Brian Tzeo's days all looked the same. Up at 6 a.m. Wash face. Cup of coffee and a kiss goodbye for the kids. Always prompt for his shift at a North Carolina paper mill.
Head to the Web for countless tips on how to cut back on grocery spending. Be sure to check the Web sites of your favorite grocery store, and the sites of your favorite products.

When Carla Chery sat down to plan her household budget, she simply calculated the average she typically spent to feed her family of four.
The fastest coach in women's basketball to win 400 games doesn't hear fans clapping to "Rocky Top" or celebrate perfect seasons in the Big East.

The exact motive for the slayings of a North Carolina mother and three of her children may have disappeared with the suicide of the main suspect, but authorities say it could be linked to a heroin distribution ring.

When your 88-year-old grandfather sends a request to be your "friend" on Facebook, you have two choices: Either confirm it, then quickly take down all those party pictures you thought were so funny, or plan on never coming home for the holidays.

The grieving family of a minor league pitcher who died six months after being traded for 10 baseball bats said John Odom's overdose came after a night of partying gone wrong.

