A wind-whipped fire expanded to 450 acres early Wednesday in the hills above Santa Barbara, California, causing residents of 1,000 homes to flee and putting 2,000 other homes in peril, emergency officials said The flames were burning within a mile of several homes, said Pat Wheatley with the Santa Barbara County Emergency Operations Center. Ten businesses also were under an evacuation advisory. There have been no injuries or homes or businesses damaged and only sporadic power outages, Wheatley said. Sixty-five ...

Have you ever heard of someone having their car "totaled"? While the word might conjure images of a massive car accident, replete with broken glass and the Jaws of Life, the reality is sometimes far removed. In fact, there are many accidents that produce structural damage such that the vehicle's frame is bent, even though the exterior of the car might even look drivable. Typically these cars are "totaled," which might give buyers the peace of mind knowing they ...

Ingrid Case was a devoted church-goer as a child, not only attending Sunday school, but also serving as an acolyte at her Episcopalian church in Greeley, Colorado. "Basically, it's the priest's assistant," she explained. "You carry a cross in front of them, get the things they need to perform the service, scurrying around doing what they need." But after college, Case drifted away. She didn't feel like she fit in socially at the Episcopalian church in Princeton, New Jersey, and ...

The lawyer for three of the Pakistani men arrested in anti-terrorism raids in England this month said Wednesday that he will fight their deportation. The three are among 11 Pakistani nationals who were released without charge Tuesday and Wednesday after up to 14 days in detention. Ten of the 11 were released into the custody of the UK Border Agency and police have said they want the men deported. "We are seeking to remove these individuals on grounds of national ...

In early February, Casino Mogul Steve Wynn took a stand on layoffs. The gaming industry is flailing — Nevada regulators recently formed a task force on bankruptcies — but when it came to cutting costs by cutting employees, Wynn wouldn't hear of it. Instead, Wynn announced that everyone at his company's two Las Vegas properties, Wynn and Encore, would take a pay cut. Salaried workers earning $150,000 or more would see a 15% drop in their paychecks; those making ...

Rafael Nadal beat Andy Murray in straight sets to reach the final of the Monte Carlo Masters where he will play Serbia's Novak Djokovic on Sunday. Nadal will be bidding for his fifth straight title in the principality but was made to work for his 6-2 7-6 victory by Scot Murray who once again showed his growing adaptability to clay. But world number one Nadal is almost unbeatable on the surface and has won 26 straight matches at the prestigious ...

The fires had engulfed so many miles of turf, and flying embers had sparked in so many different places, that hours after the first blazes were reported Thursday morning, safety officials still weren't sure how many fires they were facing. In Texas, the 100-person town of Stoneburg was "burned over," by a 25,000-acre fire said Texas Forest Service spokeswoman Misty Wilburn. The town, northwest of Dallas near the Oklahoma state line, had been evacuated, she said. At least 100 ...

Homer Simpson and his cartoon family soon will help you get letters, bills and packages to their destinations. On Thursday, the U.S. Postal Service revealed five first-class stamps featuring characters from the Fox animated series "The Simpsons" -- Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie -- that will hit a post office near you May 7. "This is the biggest and most adhesive honor 'The Simpsons' has ever received," creator Matt Groening said. The TV show, the longest running prime-time sitcom, ...

Turkish authorities have released a Syrian man who was arrested last week in connection with an alleged plan to kill President Obama, a senior U.S. official said. The official said that although U.S. authorities take all threats seriously, they do not believe that the president's life was ever in serious danger. Details concerning the man's release were not immediately available. The alleged plot was first reported by the Saudi Arabian newspaper al-Watan, which revealed that Turkish security services arrested a ...

An injury-hampered Serena Williams slumped to a straight sets defeat to Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in the final of the WTA Tier One tournament at Key Biscayne in Florida. Williams played with heavy strapping on her left thigh, clearly struggling with her movement in Saturday's final as Azarenka took ruthless advantage for a 6-3 6-1 win. The 19-year-old Azarenka has charged up the WTA world rankings this year with two victories in lesser-rated tournaments and only two defeats. The first ...