PHOENIX -- Asking a jury that had convicted her of murder to now let her live, Jodi Arias said in court Tuesday that she never meant to cause her victim’s family so much pain and that if she was given a life sentence she would contribute to society.“This is the worst mistake of my life. It’s the worst thing I’ve ever done,” Arias said of the brutal killing of her boyfriend, Travis Alexander. “To t...

BATON ROUGE, La. — Shirley Bowman noticed the smell after 8 a.m. on June 14, 2012, her 61st birthday. In Baton Rouge, where the petrochemical industry dominates the landscape, foul odors resembling burnt rubber or propane are perennial. But this odor, caustic and potent, seemed especially foul — “like some sort of chemical,” she recalls.Bowman found her daughter crying over a migraine. Her neighbo...

Officials in the Oklahoma City suburb ravaged by deadly tornadoes Monday complained in February that $2 million in federal grants to pay for “safe rooms” in 800 homes had been delayed by a shortage of funding and FEMA requirements that were a “constantly moving target.”“Our countywide Hazard Mitigation Plan still has not been approved by the State and FEMA,” said a statement  on the City of Moore’...

Heroic action was in no short supply Monday as a massive tornado blazed a trail of destruction through Moore, Okla.Did you witness ordinary people doing extraordinary things? Share your stories, photos and video with us by email, or on Twitter using hashtag #OKheroes -- but only if it is safe to do so. Selected responses may be used in an upcoming story.