WASHINGTON – The more money a college-bound student’s family makes, the more likely those students are to apply for federal financial aid, electronic records show. It’s a situation that some experts say is caused by families scared off by college costs, even as the federal financial aid application deadline passed …

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court rejected an appeal Tuesday from an atheist father over Boy Scout recruiting at his son’s public school. John Scalise had asked the court to bar public schools from opening their doors to Boy Scout recruiters and promoting membership, arguing that the group discriminates against nonreligious …

CANON CITY, Colo. – The family of an 8-year-old boy who went missing from his Colorado campsite four days ago says it’s a miracle he came through the ordeal unscathed. Evan Thompson was found alive Tuesday after spending nearly 80 hours wandering through the wilderness near the site where he …

HOLMES MILL, Ky. – An explosion in an eastern Kentucky coal mine killed five miners Saturday, Gov. Ernie Fletcher said. A sixth miner was able to walk away from the blast and out of the mine on his own. The blast at the Darby Mine No. 1 in Harlan County …

NEW YORK – Despite warnings of terrorist attacks, energy blackouts or even the chance of a hurricane hitting America’s largest city, a new survey indicates most people living here are not prepared for such disasters. While 40 percent of New Yorkers say they are better prepared for an emergency than …

CENTENNIAL, Colo. – A woman who lived with a 6-year-old girl missing since November died of an apparent heart attack, police said Friday, days before a grand jury is to start investigating the disappearance. Shely Lowe, 32, had a history of heart trouble and was on several medications, police chief …

WASHINGTON – Consumers spent more freely in March as their incomes grew at the fastest pace in six months, another sign the economy is flourishing. The Commerce Department reported Monday that consumer spending rose 0.6 percent, an improvement from the 0.2 percent increase registered in February. Consumer spending plays a …

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate voted to reopen the Statue of Liberty’s crown, which has been off limits to the public since Sept. 11, 2001, because of terrorism fears. Sens. Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat, and Robert Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, added an amendment to a larger immigration …

SYDNEY, Australia – Larry Williams, the father of actress Michelle Williams, was granted bail Tuesday by a Sydney court after being arrested on international tax evasion. Australian Federal Police, responding to a request from U.S. authorities, arrested the prominent stock market trader Saturday after he flew into Sydney to begin …

PONTIAC, Mich. – A woman whose father was charged with kidnapping her as a child 30 years ago has been found living in Arizona, her mother and sheriff’s officials said. On Mother’s Day weekend in 1976, Laura Gooder’s estranged husband, Eric Douglas Nielsen, picked up 21-month-old Genevieve Rachel Nielsen for …