US-Schwarzkopf-Obit

Retired Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, who commanded coalition forces during the Gulf War, died Thursday, a U.S. official said. He was 78.

US-Winter-Weather (this story has absorbed TRAVEL-Airline-Delays)

While much of the United States was enjoying a reprieve from this week's storm system, some areas were still getting heavy snowfalls and others were feeling extra cold. Nine people have died in storm-related incidents since Tuesday, including a Indiana couple who crash on their scooter.

US-NRA-President-Interview

Facing widespread outrage over the National Rifle Association's response to the Newtown, Connecticut, school massacre, the group's president Thursday tried to clarify, saying that schools should decide for themselves how to protect their children.

US-newtown-donations-halt

Newtown, Connecticut, has received so many gifts since the December 14 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary that a local official is kindly asking people to stop sending them. The mail office and workers just can't handle the volume.

Connecticut-Newtown-Charity-Scam

Federal authorities arrested a 37-year-old Bronx woman on Thursday after she allegedly concocted a ruse in the wake of the Connecticut mass shooting and posed as a relative of one of the slain children.

US-New-York-Gun-Permit-Map

A blogger has posted the home addresses of staffers from a newspaper after the paper published an online, interactive map showing names and addresses of all handgun permit-holders in New York's Westchester and Rockland counties. Christopher Fountain, who is also a gun owner, spoke to CNN's "Starting Point with Soledad O'Brien" on Thursday to explain his reasoning behind the posting. "I felt they were using this to harass gun owners," Fountain said of the newspaper's staff. "So I harassed them back."

Utah-Teachers-Weapons

About 200 Utah educators spent part of their holiday vacation in class themselves -- learning how to handle a gun. Those who attended the free, specially tailored concealed carry permit session near Salt Lake City included school secretaries, substitutes and full-time teachers. Whether they were committed to bringing a gun into school or simply giving themselves the option, they were united in their desire to learn more.

US-SCOTUS-Obamacare

Craft store giant Hobby Lobby is bracing for a $1.3 million a day fine beginning January 1 for noncompliance with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, dubbed Obamacare. The company opposes providing some contraceptives to employees through its company health care plan on religious grounds, saying some contraceptive products, like the morning after pill, equate to abortion.

Mississippi-River-Traffic

As politicians and barge companies express fear of a shutdown or significant disruption, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is tackling one of two significant problems presented in the drought-stricken Mississippi River.

Massachusetts-Pediatric-Dentist-Charged

A pediatric dentist charged with possession and distribution of child pornography can still treat children at his Framingham, Massachusetts, dental office under a judge's ruling, according to a news release from the Middlesex district attorney's office. Melvin A. Ehrlich, 52, was arraigned Thursday in Framingham District Court on three counts of possession of child pornography and two counts of distribution of child pornography, according to the release.

TECH-Marvell-Lawsuit-Response

Marvell Technology Group on Thursday denied it infringed on technology patents, a day after a federal jury in Pennsylvania ordered the company to pay $1.17 billion in damages to Carnegie Mellon University. A lawsuit filed in 2009 by the Pittsburgh university claimed that Marvell and its U.S. operating subsidiary, Marvell Semiconductor Inc., infringed on its patented technology fundamental for "increasing the accuracy with which hard disk drive circuits read data from high-speed magnetic disks," according to a press release from K&L Gates, the law firm representing Carnegie Mellon.

POLITICS

POL-Fiscal-Cliff

President Barack Obama and congressional leaders will discuss the looming fiscal cliff impasse Friday at the White House, aiming for a last-minute deal to stave off automatic tax increases and spending cuts.