Prolific screen and television writer John Furia Jr., who pennedpopular series including "Bonanza," "The Waltons," and "Hawaii Five-O"among many others, has died. He was 79. The Writers Guild of America West disclosed Furia's death in astatement Friday. The cause and

He's a comic, actor, "Saturday Night Live" veteran and "Late Night" talk show host. Add one more thing to Jimmy Fallon's resume: College graduate. The34-year-old Fallon has finally gotten his bachelor's degree, 14 yearsafter he left an upstate New York

The U.S. coalition blamed Taliban militants Saturday for causing whatAfghan officials say are dozens of civilian deaths during a prolongedbattle that included American airstrikes. The U.S. said an unspecifiednumber of civilians died but did not take responsibility for any deaths.

The head of the Boston-area transit authority said Saturday he'll banall train and bus operators from even carrying cell phones on boardafter a conductor told police he was texting his girlfriend before atrolley collision Friday.

In what's expected to be the last time ever, both of NASA's shuttlelaunch pads are occupied. Atlantis is on one, primed for a flight thiscoming week to the Hubble Space Telescope. Endeavour sits on the othera mile away for a

President Barack Obama has met with the captain of a U.S. cargo ship who was held hostage by Somali pirates last month. Obama met with the captain, Richard Phillips, and Phillips' his wife, Andrea, in the Oval Office on Saturday.

At the age of 17, it's very possible that a Texas student discovered a scientific breakthrough in the treatment of congenital heart disease. Candace Turner has a keen eye for science and that keen eye uncovered something pretty important.

Chicago Police shot and critically wounded a woman who reportedly attempted to scam the Gold Coast Louis Vuitton clothing store Saturday afternoon Downtown.

A woman was charged with three counts of aggravated arson Friday after allegedly starting the Thursday afternoon blaze that displaced about 50 people in west suburban Cicero.

Star Trek" has gone to warp speed at the box office with $31 millionin domestic ticket sales after just over a day in theaters. Distributor Paramount said "Star Trek" took in $24 million Friday, plus $7 million during preview screenings

The cruise Zenaiva Cervantes booked was to stop in sun-drenched beachcities on the Mexican Riviera. The cruise she took? That landed her inSeattle, where she pulled her arms tightly to her chest as she debarkedon a damp, 50-degree morning.

Police dogs searching for a University of Georgia professor accused ofkilling his wife and two other people discovered a body Saturday nearwhere the teacher's abandoned Jeep was found. Police said the body was taken to a state crime lab for

Even the homeless can't escape the high price of a night in New York City. City officials this month began charging rent to some families staying in homeless shelters. The policy applies only to shelter residents who have income from

Gov. Pat Quinn has declared three southern Illinois counties state disaster areas after severe storms swept through the region.

Police are conducting an arson investigation following an apartment fire that seriously injured a woman Friday night in the Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side.

A boy was killed and two others were injured early Saturday in a house fire in north suburban Mundelein.

A man was wounded Friday night in a shooting in the West Side's Austin neighborhood.

A woman was shot, reportedly by police, downtown on the Gold Coast Saturday afternoon.

Health officials say they've confirmed 421 cases of swine flu in Illinois, including 187 in Chicago.