WASHINGTON – Grandma may have been right about keeping a teakettle warming on the stove in winter to moisten the air. Studies of seasonal influenza have long found indications that flu spreads better in dry air. Now, new research being published Tuesday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, …

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Investigators charged a traveling gospel singer’s wife with attempting to set fire to a church where she got upset with the pastor after her husband had performed there, Chattanooga fire officials said. Court records show that Tammy Cooper, 30, who lives in the Knoxville area, was charged …

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich – Well, at least the salsa is low-cal. The West Michigan Whitecaps, a minor league baseball team, will be offering up major league cholesterol, carbohydrates and calories in an enormous hamburger being added to the menu this year at the Fifth Third Ballpark. The 4-pound, $20 burger …

LONDON – Recessions gripping economies around the world will hit men harder than women as job insecurity threatens an inherent sense of masculinity, damaging mental health, a British researchers said this month. A study by Cambridge University showed that despite more women than men losing their jobs in Britain due …

Social workers took a 2-year-old U.K. boy into care after his mother refused to give him junk food. Zak Hessey was 17 pounds, 6 ounces when his mother Lisa took him to hospital, telling doctors he was a “fussy eater” and not gaining weight. Doctors said he should weigh 19 …

PARIS – The French academic who is part of a mass trial in Iran has been freed from prison and turned over to the French embassy, but still faces charges, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Sunday. Sarkozy said “that nothing can justify” the case against Clotilde Reiss, 24, and an …

ORLANDO, Fla. – Attorneys for a Florida mother charged with killing her daughter claimed Friday that she could not have killed the toddler because the little girl’s remains were left in the woods while she was in jail. The attorneys’ claim gave a glimpse of the defense for Casey Anthony, …

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Police are investigating the discovery of a sawed-off shotgun in a bin of clothes at an Iowa City Goodwill facility. Police were called to the packing facility on Tuesday after an employee found the gun wrapped in a shirt while sorting through donated clothes. The clothes …

LAWRENCE, Mass. – A Massachusetts youth baseball league targeted in an equipment theft is getting help from donors across the country, including former Boston Red Sox slugger Mo Vaughn. Thieves made off with $1,500 in baseball gear from the South Lawrence East Little League this week, and the league said …

The Rev. Jesse Jackson’s (search) presence in the turmoil surrounding Terri Schiavo (search) highlights a simmering debate among black politicians: While Jackson’s appearance on behalf of Schiavo’s parents reflected a strain of social conservatism, others say the attention on one tragic case is excessive and unfair because it obscures larger …