FARMINGTON ( AP) — Investigators say an explosion this week on a remote Farmington road was likely caused by a homemade pyrotechnic device. The state Fire Marshal’s Office said some of the debris recovered from the explosion Monday night on Bailey Hill Road will be sent to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and […]

PORTLAND ( AP) — The Cumberland County Civic Center’s trustees are weighing whether to shut down the arena during a $ 33 million renovation project. Closing the arena would potentially speed up the project, but would mean giving up revenue, which would have an effect on area restaurants and hotels. Board chairman Neal Pratt says […]

PORT ARTHUR, Texas (AP) — Authorities say multiple people are injured but no one has died in a mass pileup involving as many as 40 vehicles on a highway in Southeast Texas. Jefferson County Sheriff ’s Department Deputy Rod Carroll says at least 10 ambulances have been dispatched to the scene of today’s collision on […]

NEW YORK (AP) — A rare first edition set of John James Audubon’s sumptuously illustrated “The Birds of America” will be sold at auction in New York. Christie’s said Wednesday the four-volume set has a presale estimate of $7 million to $10 million. The auction is Jan. 20.

NEW YORK (AP) — Within days of new European rules on carbon emissions produced by passenger jets, two major airlines say they will raise fares. Delta Air Lines began adding $6 per round trip to the price of tickets sold in the U. S. for travel to Europe. Lufthansa says it will raise prices but […]

WICHITA, Kan. ( AP) — Faced with defense budget reductions, the Boeing Co. announced Wednesday it will close its defense plant in Wichita by the end of 2013. The closure will cost more than 2,160 workers their jobs and end the firm’s presence in a city where it has been a major employer for generations. […]

BROWNING, Mont. (AP) — Two wildfires raging on Montana’s Blackfeet Indian Reservation early today burned thousands of acres, forced scores to evacuate and destroyed several buildings, officials said. Fueled by strong winds, the two blazes started around sundown Wednesday and together had grown to at least 45,000 acres by 4 a. m. MST today. One […]

OGDEN, Utah (AP) — Gunfire erupted as anti- drug police served a search warrant in an Ogden neighborhood, fatally wounding one officer and injuring five other police and a suspect, authorities said. The shots rang out before 9 p.m. Wednesday as police converged at a residence on Jackson Avenue, police spokesman Lt. Tony Fox said. […]

DETROIT (AP) — Fiat has added 5 percent to its majority ownership of Chrysler. The Italian automaker got the added stake by making a car in the U. S. that gets 40 miles per gallon of gas. With the added shares, Fiat now owns 58.5 percent of Chrysler. The U. S. government, which bailed out […]

CAIRO ( AP) — The chief prosecutor in the Hosni Mubarak trial said today he holds the ousted leader “politically and legally” responsible for the killing of protesters during the 18-day uprising that toppled his regime last year. Mustafa Suleiman also told the court that Mubarak did nothing to stop the killings and that he […]