Man's childhood comic collection fetches $3.5M (AP)

AP - Billy Wright plunked down dime after dime for comic books while growing up in the late 1930s and early 1940s, caring for the collection he started around the age of 9 until his death more than half a century later. On Wednesday, most of that collection sold for a whopping $3.5 million.

Guantanamo captive in plea deal with U.S. prosecutors (Reuters)

Reuters - An alleged al Qaeda operative from Maryland held at Guantanamo Bay has entered into a plea agreement with U.S. military prosecutors that calls for him to testify against other detainees, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday.

2nd degree murder verdict in lacrosse death trial (AP)

AP - Jurors found a former University of Virginia lacrosse player guilty of second-degree murder Wednesday in the drunken, jealousy-fueled slaying of his ex-girlfriend, rejecting a verdict of first-degree murder and a possible life sentence.

8-year-old critical after Wash. school shooting (AP)

AP - An 8-year-old girl was in critical condition Wednesday after she was shot in the abdomen at her elementary school near Seattle, and one of her classmates was detained, authorities said Wednesday.

Police: Girl forced to run 3 hours dies; 2 charged (AP)

AP - At a doublewide trailer along a dirt road in rural Alabama, authorities say 9-year-old Savannah Hardin was forced to run for three hours as punishment for having lied to her grandmother about eating candy bars. The severely dehydrated girl had a seizure and her death days later was ruled a homicide.

Authorities tracing phone of mountain man's family (AP)

AP - Troy James Knapp is a wanted man, a mountain recluse authorities say is responsible for more than two dozen cabin burglaries in the remote southern Utah wilderness. He's considered armed and dangerous, a ticking time bomb.

City says weather helping war on potholes

With a little help from Mother Nature and a new strategy for filling potholes, the city says it has reduced the backlog of requests to fix bumps in the road.

Lesbian federal worker wins health benefits case (AP)

AP - A federal judge in San Francisco ruled Wednesday that the U.S. government cannot deny health benefits to the wife of a lesbian court employee by relying on the 1996 law that bars government recognition of same-sex unions.

Obama signs payroll tax cut extension into law (AP)

AP - President Barack Obama signed the payroll tax cut extension into law Wednesday, notching an election-year victory and rare bipartisan agreement in the continuing partisan battle over jobs, taxes and debt.

Struggling Floridians line up for a chance to keep homes (Reuters)

Reuters - Nearly 1,200 people lined up at a downtown Miami conference center on Wednesday, holding onto mortgage documents and income statements in the hope of saving the homes they are struggling to pay for.

Newark mayor: NYPD Muslim files 'deeply offensive' (AP)

AP - The mayor and police director of New Jersey's largest city said Wednesday the New York Police Department misled their city and never told them it was conducting a widespread spying operation on Newark's Muslim neighborhoods. Had they known, they said, they never would have allowed it.

Poll: Obama benefitting from improving economy (AP)

AP - President Barack Obama is reaping political benefits from the country's brighter economic mood. A new poll shows that Republicans and Democrats alike are increasingly saying the nation is heading in the right direction and most independents now approve the way he's addressing the nation's post-recession period.

Teenage girl dies after inhaling helium at party (AP)

AP - Last weekend, 14-year-old Ashley Long told her parents she was going to a slumber party. But instead of spending the night watching videos and eating popcorn two blocks away, she piled into a car with a bunch of her friends and rode to a condo in Medford, Ore., where police say the big sister of one of her friends was throwing a party with booze and marijuana.

Police say love triangle led to CA murder-suicide (AP)

AP - A 73-year-old gunman entangled in a love triangle shot and killed the treasurer of a remote-controlled airplane club who police said was having an affair with the estranged wife of the attacker.

Virginia lawmakers pass revised ultrasound requirement (Reuters)

Reuters - Virginia lawmakers on Wednesday passed a revised ultrasound requirement for women seeking abortions that dropped a mandatory internal scan, after Republican Governor Bob McDonnell shifted his stance on the hotly contested measure.

Kansas City priest accused of molesting 4 brothers

KANSAS CITY (Reuters) - Catholic leaders in Kansas City covered up years of sexual abuse of several young children by a priest who led a Christian organization for youth, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday by four brothers who say they were victimized as children. The lawsuit, one of more than two dozen pending in Kansas City alleging abuse by area priests, was filed in Jackson County ...

Judge says Wash. can't make pharmacies sell Plan B (AP)

AP - Washington state cannot force pharmacies to sell Plan B or other emergency contraceptives, a federal judge ruled Wednesday, saying the state's true goal was to suppress religious objections by druggists — not to promote timely access to the medicines for people who need them.

California Republicans back Democrat governor on pensions (Reuters)

Reuters - Republican lawmakers in California on Wednesday fully embraced Governor Jerry Brown's plan for overhauling public pensions and pressed his fellow Democrats, who control the state legislature, to back it as well.

Police: Ga. victims related in Korean spa shooting (AP)

AP - A gunman walked into the Su Jung Health Sauna, argued with someone and then opened fire, killing two of his sisters and their husbands, then himself, authorities said Wednesday

Congressional offices receive mailed threats (AP)

AP - Some congressional offices outside Washington and media organizations have received threatening letters containing a suspicious powdery substance that was tested and proved to be harmless, the FBI and the Senate's top law enforcement officer said Wednesday.

Report: Crime at US public schools on the decline (AP)

AP - Violent crime at the nation's schools is declining, and students and schools are reporting less bullying and gang activity.

Burned before, Fed officials cautious on rebound (Reuters)

Reuters - U.S. central bank officials have good reason to be skeptical about the strength of the economy: excessive optimism has caught them flat-footed before.

Is It Time to Start Worrying About Inflation Again? (Time.com)

Time.com - The greatest threat to any long-term investor is inflation. It not only erodes the value of stocks and bonds, but also depresses economic growth and misleads policymakers

A Champion in Purgatory: Muhammad Ali Returns to Vegas (Time.com)

Time.com - As part of an extended celebration of his 70th birthday, the ailing legend appears at a massive fundraiser to benefit brain research

Home resales at 1-1/2 year-high, supply falls (Reuters)

Reuters - Home resales rose to a 1-1/2-year high in January, pushing the supply of properties on the market to the lowest level in almost seven years in a hopeful sign for the housing sector.

Dollar rises to 7-month high against Japanese yen (AP)

AP - The dollar rose to a seven-month high against the Japanese yen, a week after the Bank of Japan announced a surprise increase of its economic stimulus program.

U.S. judge orders Moroccan held for Capitol plot (Reuters)

Reuters - A U.S. judge on Wednesday ordered a Moroccan man to be held on charges that he planned a suicide bombing attack against Congress, believing he was working with al Qaeda militants when in fact his contacts were undercover agents.

City overpower holders Porto in Europa League

The presence of former manager Andre Villas-Boas at Eastlands failed to inspire holders Porto as Manchester City eased into the last 16 of the Europa League with a 4-0 second leg win on Wednesday.

Man City beats defending EL champion Porto 4-0

Manchester City eased past defending Europa League champion FC Porto on Wednesday, beating the Portuguese side 4-0 to wrap up a 6-1 aggregate win. Sergio Aguero opened the scoring after just 19 seconds to stretch City's 2-1 first-leg advantage but the English Premier League leader then had to wait until the 76th minute for its second goal.

'Occupy' to hold national conference in Philly (AP)

AP - A group of protesters affiliated with the Occupy Wall Street movement plans to elect 876 "delegates" from around the country and hold a national "general assembly" in Philadelphia over the Fourth of July as part of ongoing protests over corporate excess and economic inequality.

Summary Box: Bank of England split on stimulus (AP)

AP - STIMULATING DISCUSSION: Minutes of their last meeting showed Bank of England rate-setters were divided about injecting another 50 billion pounds ($79 billion) into the economy. Two members argued for a bigger stimulus.

Private jet shipments slip, but improvement seen (Reuters)

Reuters - Worldwide shipments of business jets and other private aircraft fell again last year, but billings rose modestly in a sign of improvement in a tough economy.

Euro zone teetering on brink of recession (Reuters)

Reuters - The euro zone economy is in danger of tipping into recession, with the services sector shrinking this month along with manufacturing, tempering a wave of optimism after a new bailout deal for Greece struck this week.

U.S. mortgage applications sagged last week: MBA (Reuters)

Reuters - Applications for U.S. home mortgages tumbled last week as demand for loan refinancing sagged, an industry group said on Wednesday.

European budget cuts and debt burdens, at a glance (AP)

AP - European budget cuts and debt burdens, at a glance

In Europe, spending cuts fail to ease debt burdens (AP)

AP - Europe has endured the pain of layoffs, wage cuts and tax increases designed to bring government debt under control.

Bank of England panel split on size of stimulus (AP)

AP - Bank of England rate-setters were divided this month on the vote to inject another 50 billion pounds ($79 billion) into the British economy, with two members arguing that a bigger stimulus was needed, minutes to their last meeting showed Wednesday.

Tevez apologises to Man City over conduct

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - Manchester City finally got the apology they had been waiting for on Tuesday when striker Carlos Tevez said he was sorry for his behaviour over recent months, setting up a possible return to action at the Premier League club. The Argentine striker also withdrew his appeal against a gross misconduct charge handed to him after he spent three months in his homeland ...

U.S. consumer agency to examine bank overdraft fees (Reuters)

Reuters - The new U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is weighing a crackdown on checking account overdraft fees charged by banks, saying the charges can "inflict serious economic harm" on consumers.

Neb. city's illegal immigration law to be nuisance

A Nebraska city's attempt to fight illegal immigration with a newly court-approved ordinance appears likely to be more of an inconvenience for legal residents than a deterrent to illegal immigrants.