National

A new faith-based boys group is taking shape, just three months after the Boy Scouts of America decided to change its membership policy to allow gay youth to join. The group, Trail Life USA, calls itself a Christian alternative to the Boy Scouts, and says it will focus on adventure, character and leadership.

Feral hogs have been a growing problem in Texas for years now. The 300-pound animals contaminate the water and ruin the parks, so Dallas is bringing in Osvaldo Rojas to keep the city pig-free.

Multilateralism has been the foundation of the president's foreign policy, and not just on issues of war and peace. At the G-20 summit in Russia this week, he used familiar words when urging military action in Syria. So far, few allies are onboard.

As the nation's public schools reopen this fall, many are facing budget deficits and scarce money due to sequestration. Experts say districts with large numbers of poor students are hit the hardest.

Same-sex marriage is legal in Minnesota, but not in Illinois. That has Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak on a mission to attract gays and lesbians to spend their wedding dollars in his city.

The machines allow people to turn their old cellphones and other electronic devices into instant cash. But these ecoATMs could be banned in Baltimore, where at least one lawmaker believes the machines are a magnet for electronics thieves.

Connie Labetti worked on the 99th floor of the south tower — the second tower to be hit that day. Her boss, Ron Fazio, helped her and others make it out alive.

Friday is Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano's last day on the job. She is leaving Washington, and will become president of the University of California system at the end of the month.

A long-closed car dealership in Nebraska will soon auction more than 500 classic cars, many with fewer than 10 miles on the odometer. Though time has taken a toll on many on the block, in some ways the cars are brand new. Some still have plastic on the seats and the price sticker on the window.

With more than 300,000 residents, St. Louis has a lot on its mind. Local poet Henry Goldkamp hopes to find out just what makes the city tick with his new public art project. He's installed 37 typewriters citywide, asking for answers to the question, "What The Hell Is St. Louis Thinking?"