A pivotal vote Thursday in the Minnesota House positioned that state to become the 12th in the country to allow gay marriages and the first in the Midwest to pass such a law out of its Legislature.

The Jodi Arias murder trial has drawn international attention for its graphic tales of sex and lies. The following is a timeline of some of the key events in the case:

Talk about high expectations for a newborn: King and Messiah are among the fastest-rising baby names for American boys.

Even with a distinguished career and a top position at the American Cancer Society, Dr. Otis Brawley conceded he was envious of the new crop of physicians emerging from the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University that will benefit from advances in knowledge and treatment.

The new generation must focus on disease prevention, proven treatments supported by science and the reduction of costs that could threaten the country financially.

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Kyle Larson is grateful for the exposure he's received as part of NASCAR's "Next9" initiative. He is confident it won't take long for the group of up-and-coming racers to compete for checkered flags and championships at the sport's highest level.

A Barnwell man found with cocaine, guns and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash at his home has been sentenced to life in prison.

A South Carolina hospital has been found guilty of collecting millions of dollars in false Medicare claims.

Justices of Massachusetts' highest court heard arguments Thursday on whether special magistrates who are trying to unburden trial courts of a flood of drug cases tainted by a state laboratory scandal may release convicts on bail before they're granted new trials.

Criminals working in cells around the world stole $45 million by hacking into a database of prepaid debit cards and making withdrawals from ATMs, federal prosecutors said Thursday. The 27 countries where they say cash machines were plundered:

An Arab-backed resolution calling for a political transition in Syria and strongly condemning the regime's escalating use of heavy weapons and "gross violations" of human rights was circulated Thursday to the U.N. General Assembly, but key Syria ally Russia urged other countries to vote "no."

When Kathleen Dorsett heard her ex-husband scream in agony in the backyard of her home in 2010, she finished changing their daughter's diaper knowing that her father was carrying out their plan to kill the man by hitting him in the head with a heavy cable.

A section of Interstate 81 near Harrisburg was expected to remain closed in both directions for the next several days after a tanker truck fully loaded with diesel fuel overturned Thursday morning and exploded into flames, sending black smoke billowing into the sky.

The neighborhood watch volunteer charged with fatally shooting 17-year-old Trayvon Martin wants the jury at his trial to be sequestered and for panelists to be able to inspect the crime scene.

Nine years of litigation between a Hong Kong businessman and casino mogul Sheldon Adelson is drawing to a close.

The president of a helicopter company whose small copter crash-landed on a downtown Honolulu street praised the pilot Thursday, while the National Transportation Safety Board leads an investigation.

Jurors are set to return for more deliberations in the murder trial of a Philadelphia abortion provider.

The Statue of Liberty is reopening July 4 after Superstorm Sandy flooded the island where it stands.

A former New York state senator who admitted embezzling nearly $88,000 from a state-funded nonprofit she controlled has been sentenced to one year and one day in prison.

A concourse at Miami International Airport has been evacuated as authorities investigate a suspicious package.

Chris Smith remembered his Kris Kross hip-hop partner Chris Kelly Thursday as a true friend who he's sure is in heaven now.