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Justin Juozapavicius

Maintenance workers inspect the damage to one of the spires on Benedictine Hall at St. Gregory's University in Shawnee, Okla., Sunday, Nov. 6, 2011. Two earthquakes in the area in less than 24 hours caused one of the towers to topple, and damaged the remaining three. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Big quake follows increase in Oklahoma rumblings

Justin Juozapavicius The Associated Press

Last updated Monday, November 7, 2011 - 10:43am

SPARKS, Okla. -- Clouds of dust belched from the corners of almost every room in Joe Reneau's house as the biggest earthquake in Oklahoma history rocked the two-story building.

A roar that sounded like a jumbo jet filled the air, and Reneau's red-brick chimney collapsed and fell into the roof above the living room. By the time the shaking stopped, a pantry worth of food had been strewn across the kitchen and shards of glass and pottery covered the floor.

Earthquake, Natural disaster, National Read more Comments

(The Associated Press) Domitila Lara (left) helps her children Ariana (center) and Eduardo (right) with their homework in San Diego last month. Lara, 44, applied for food stamps in San Diego in late 2008 after her husband lost his job in construction. For more than three months, Lara called and waited in line repeatedly for food stamps. Paperwork was lost. She got conflicting instructions on how to fill out forms. The family used her husband's unemployment checks to cover the mortgage on their house but worried about how to feed their younger children. More than 50 percent of food stamp applications were delayed in San Diego County in fiscal year 2009.

Millions forced to wait for food stamps benefits

Justin Juozapavicius, Michelle Roberts The Associated Press

Last updated Wednesday, June 9, 2010 - 8:10pm

SAN ANTONIO -- When Amanda Vaca's husband lost his job, the couple took stock of their finances and drew a startling conclusion: They could not afford to feed their four young children.

Economy, Unemployment, Food, National Read more Comments

AP IMPACT: New meth formula avoids anti-drug laws

Justin Juozapavicius The Associated Press

Last updated Monday, August 24, 2009 - 8:22pm

TULSA, Okla. -- This is the new formula for methamphetamine: a two-liter soda bottle, a few handfuls of cold pills and some noxious chemicals. Shake the bottle and the volatile reaction produces one of the world's most addictive drugs.
Only a few years ago, making meth required an elaborate lab -- with filthy containers simmering over open flames, cans of flammable liquids and hundreds of pills. The process gave off foul odors, sometimes sparked explosions and was so hard to conceal that dealers often "cooked" their drugs in rural areas.
But now drug users are making their own meth in small batches using a faster, cheaper and much simpler method with ingredients that can be carried in a knapsack and mixed on the run. The "shake-and-bake" approach has become popular because it requires a relatively small number of pills of the decongestant pseudoephedrine -- an amount easily obtained under even the toughest anti-meth laws that have been adopted across the nation to restrict large purchases of some cold medication.

Drugs Read more Comments