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A German tourist was killed when his kayak capsized on the Colorado River in Arizona's Grand Canyon National Park, authorities said on Thursday, the second German visitor to die in the park this week. _0"> Park officials said Hans Uhl, 43, was on the first day of a commercial rafting trip on Wednesday when he was unable to right himself after his kayak overturned on a section of the river called Badger Rapids. When a rescue boat reached Uhl, he was initially responsive, officials said. But he soon lost consciousness, and efforts to resuscitate him by members of his group and park service medical personnel were unsuccessful.     The National Park Service and the Coconino County Medical Examiner are investigating the death. It was not immediately clear where in Germany Uhl came from. On Wednesday, park officials said a 64-year-old German tourist collapsed and died on Monday from unknown causes at the popular Desert View Campground in the Southern Rim part of the canyon

Florida drivers caught on camera running red lights before 2010 could qualify for refunds on their tickets under a ruling by the Florida Supreme Court on Thursday. The court invalidated early efforts by two Florida cities to create red-light ticket ordinances. It does not affect tickets issued since a state law establishing standards for the traffic cameras took effect on July 1, 2010. Controversy is growing over the use of automated cameras to fine drivers who enter an intersection on a red light. Critics say red-light cameras are more of a revenue-generating gimmick for local governments than effective tools for public safety. The Florida Legislature this spring considered banning red-light programs, but a bill failed to pass. Local governments have been hotly debating their use. The 5-2 ruling by the Florida Supreme Court focused on two red-light programs established from 2008 to 2010, before state rules were in place, in Orlando and Aventura, located north of Miami. “The Or

A 45-year prison sentence leveled against a serial bank robber, who once appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show as a "bank robbing pimp," was too harsh and must be reconsidered, a U.S. federal appeals court ruled on Thursday. _0"> Arthur Payton 47, had twice been sentenced to 10-year prison terms for previous bank robbery sprees in San Diego and Detroit when he was convicted in the U.S. District Court for Eastern Michigan of robbing four banks in a third spree. Payton typically found women who were drug addicted or engaged in prostitution to rob the banks on his behalf and then split the proceeds with his accomplices, the appeals court said. Prosecutors asked a judge to sentence Payton to at least 25 years in prison, while his lawyers requested a sentence within the federal guidelines, which called for 17-1/2 to 22 years in prison based on his past and present convictions. Judge Lawrence Zatkoff, citing Payton's brazen recidivism and threat to the public, senten

Alabama Republicans, who offered a $1,000 reward for substantiated reports of voter fraud in this month's primary elections, said on Thursday they plan to forward credible evidence of wrongdoing to state prosecutors. Republicans argue that voter fraud is a central problem in U.S. elections. Democrats say Republican complaints about voter fraud are a smokescreen for Republican efforts to put in place measures like strict voter identification laws intended to make it unduly difficult for voters who tend to vote Democratic like minorities, young people and the elderly to cast ballots. "It's not just a rumor or a wives' tale, it is actually happening," said Alabama Republican Party Chairman Bill Armistead. "Anyone talking advantage and creating fraud at a polling place needs to be prosecuted." The allegations collected by Alabama Republicans include a candidate improperly offering to assist voters in filling out their ballots, a woman who was wrongly to

Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, who spent five years as a Taliban prisoner of war before being released on May 31, left a U.S. military hospital in Germany on Thursday headed to San Antonio, where he will receive further treatment, the Pentagon said. Rear Admiral John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman, said Bergdahl left Ramstein Air Base in Germany aboard a military plane on Thursday afternoon and was due to arrive early on Friday in San Antonio, where he will receive additional care at the Brooke Army Medical Center. "Our first priority is making sure that Sergeant Bergdahl continues to get the care and support he needs," Kirby said in a statement. Bergdahl was handed over to U.S. forces in Afghanistan on May 31 in exchange for the release of five Taliban leaders held at Guantanamo prison in Cuba. Bergdahl's initial release sparked a wave of euphoria that was quickly replaced by a political uproar over the release of the senior Taliban members. Lawmakers criticized the Oba

A Sears employee in northern New York has died of injuries suffered when storage racks at the store collapsed and pinned him underneath, authorities said. _0"> Josh Quintilliani, 35, was organizing the racks on Saturday in the Sears store warehouse at the St. Lawrence Center Mall in Massena when the shelves gave way, according to a statement released by the New York State Police. The racks held plywood, glass and metal materials, the police said. Quintilliani, of Waddington, New York, was air-lifted to Fletcher Allen Medical Center in Burlington, Vermont, where he died late on Wednesday, police said. "We extend our heartfelt sympathies to the Quintilliani family," Sears Holdings said in a statement on Thursday. "We take the safety of our employees very seriously and we are currently investigating this matter." Massena lies on the south shore of Lake St. Lawrence, just south of the Canadian border and about 86 miles (138 km)southwest of Montreal. (E

An advocacy group for public employees sued the Bureau of Land Management on Thursday, seeking documents detailing the agency’s actions during an armed standoff with militia in a dispute over a Nevada rancher’s grazing rights. BLM agents faced off with armed supporters of the rancher, Cliven Bundy, during the altercation, which took place in April near Bunkerville, about 80 miles (130 km) northeast of Las Vegas. After more than four hours, the agents backed down, citing safety concerns, and returned hundreds of Bundy's cattle which they had rounded up because of his failure to pay for grazing. In the federal lawsuit filed in Washington, attorneys for the group - Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEEP) - want a federal judge to make the BLM release details about the events surrounding the standoff. The lawsuit also seeks information about BLM directives for handling similar situations involving armed individuals and details about actions taken to keep BLM agen