Cold snap to hit Florida citrus; freeze warning issued

MIAMI (Reuters) – U.S. government forecasters have issued a freeze warning for parts of Florida‘s key citrus-growing region as a cold front threatens to carry icy temperatures into the Sunshine State this weekend.The National Weather Service office in Tampa Bay-Ruskin said in an advisory on Friday that the freeze warning for Levy, Citrus, Sumter, Hernando and Pasco counties was in effect from 2 a.m....

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Goodbye, U.S. Postal Service?

This Christmas could be the Post Office's last, says John Avlon. STORY HIGHLIGHTSThe U.S. Postal Service is bleeding money and heading toward insolvency John Avlon: Congress can save the postal service in deal on the fiscal cliff He says the urgency is clear, let's hope for a Christmas miracle Avlon: But be prepared that Washington dysfunction can doom the postal service Editor's note: John Avlon...

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3 charged with murder in Indianapolis house explosion

INDIANAPOLIS -- Prosecutors have charged a homeowner, her boyfriend and his brother with murder after causing a massive...

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Syrian rebels fight for strategic town in Hama province

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Rebels began to push into a strategic town in Syria's central Hama province on Thursday and laid siege to at least one town dominated by President Bashar al-Assad's minority sect, activists said. The operation risks inflaming already raw sectarian tensions as the 21-month-old revolt against four decades of Assad family rule - during which the president's Alawite sect...

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Wall Street flat amid stalemate in fiscal talks

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks were little changed on Thursday as investors fretted that a deal on the U.S. budget wouldn't come as soon as they had hoped after President Barack Obama threatened to veto a controversial Republican plan. NYSE Euronext was the star of the day, surging more than 30 percent as the S&P 500's top percentage gainer, after IntercontinentalExchange Inc said...

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Michael Phelps voted AP male athlete of year

Now that he's away from the pool, Michael Phelps can reflect — really reflect — on what he accomplished.Pretty amazing stuff."It's kind of nuts to think about everything I've gone through," Phelps said. "I've finally had time to myself, to sit back and say, '... that really happened?' It's kind of shocking at times."Not that his career needed a capper, but Phelps added one more honor to his staggering...

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Walking Catfish, Demon Bat Among 126 New Mekong Species

Beelzebub‘s bat, a walking catfish and a frog that sounds like a bird are among 126 species introduced to science in just a year in the incredibly diverse Greater Mekong region of Southeast Asia, according to a report released this week by the conservation group World Wildlife Fund (WWF).The walking catfish —  one of the 10 discoveries from 2011 highlighted in the report — doesn’t exactly walk....

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Is Newtown tipping point for change?

By Piers Morgan, CNNDecember 20, 2012 -- Updated 1627 GMT (0027 HKT)STORY HIGHLIGHTSPiers Morgan: Past gun-related tragedies haven't led to any actionHe says that must change, and he hosted a debate on the issueMorgan: Laws must be changed to limit weapons, ammunition and enforce background checksRights of Americans who use guns for hunting and sport must be respected, he says(CNN) -- On Wednesday...

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Police release photos of man suspected in Rogers Park rape

Police search for man wanted for assault. (WGN - Chicago) ...

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Syrian rebels fight for strategic town in Hama province

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Rebels thrust into a strategic town in Syria's central Hama province on Thursday, activists said, pursuing a string of territorial gains to help cut army supply lines and cement a foothold in the capital Damascus to the south. They have made a series of advances across the country, seizing several military installations and more heavy weaponry, hardening the threat...

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