NEW ORLEANS – Mardi Gras — New Orleans’ pre-Lenten celebration that ranges from family picnics along parade routes to X-rated flesh fests on Bourbon Street — went into its final hours Tuesday with high spirits and glitzy parades. Jim Belushi and his Sacred Hearts band ushered in Mardi Gras, dancing …

A Former New Jersey beauty pageant contestant and her mother were two of three suspects arrested in a counterfeit money-making plot, MyFOXPhilly.com reported. Ashley Fuhrmeister, who was Miss North Wildwood in 2007, was arrested Friday and accused of using fake $50 bills at two stores, according to MyFOXPhilly.com. Police said …

ROME – The 38-year-old woman who ignited a fierce right-to-die debate in Italy and even dragged in the Vatican, died Monday just as lawmakers in Parliament rushed to pass a bill designed to keep her alive. Eluana Englaro had been in a vegetative state since she was in a car …

Sure, everyone says they watched the Oscars to see if “Slumdog Millionaire” and Mickey Rourke could fulfill their rags-to-riches story arcs and walk home with Academy Awards. But the real reason millions tuned in was to see if Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie would cross paths with Jennifer Aniston and …

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A South Carolina man who faked his own death 20 years ago while visiting Florida says he never looked back after he plunged into the surf. Bennie Harden Wint was charged with giving a false name after a traffic stop in North Carolina last weekend. The …

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Police are investigating a small explosion that led to the evacuation of a Starbucks coffee shop. No injuries were reported and police said the only damage was minor charring on the floor. Investigators believe someone set off a homemade incendiary device in a plastic soda bottle as …

WICHITA, Kan. – No one claims to know what happened that summer in 1999 when 11-year-old Adam Herrman disappeared from the mobile home park where he lived with his adoptive parents. But the biggest mystery may be why no one reported him missing until nearly a decade later. The search …

With the economy souring, many Americans are having money problems and debt collectors are on a prowl — even if you are just one payment behind. Credit adviser Gerri Detweiler, author of “Stop Debt Collectors: How to Protect Your Rights and Resolve Your Debts,” shares her dos and don’ts for …

CAIRO, Egypt – Egypt’s president demanded Israel immediately end its military operations in the Gaza Strip and withdraw its forces. Hosni Mubarak’s call came as the Israel’s Security Cabinet approved a unilateral cease-fire that would keep its soldiers in Gaza. Earlier in the day, Hamas leaders maintained that fighting with …

DENVER – There wasn’t time to look up any books on obstetrics before a woman gave birth in the Denver Public Library on Tuesday. Library spokeswoman Celeste Jackson said the woman walked into the library, said she had been riding a city bus and was in labor. “She was pretty …