Supervising News Editor Maggie Leung -- 404-827-1401

UPCOMING

Massachusetts-Chemist-Arraigned

A former Massachusetts state chemist accused of misconduct in thousands of criminal cases was arraigned in two different courts Wednesday on additional charges relating to her alleged false claims about holding a master's degree in chemistry.

California-Racketeering-Sentence

A federal judge sentenced a Los Angeles gang member to 35 years in prison Wednesday in the botched shakedown attempt that led to an infant's shooting death in 2007.

Texas-Parade-Train-Wreck

A grand jury in the Texas county where a deadly wreck involved a flatbed truck in a parade and a train has decided to not indict the driver of the float. Four veterans were killed in the accident, which happened during a November event to honor the military.

US-Drought

The U.S. Department of Agriculture cited drought and heat in designating on Wednesday 597 counties in 14 states as primary natural disaster areas.

Venezuela-Chavez (will update)

Supporters of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez won a battle over the country's leadership Wednesday, but the fight isn't over.

SPORT-Baseball-Hall-Of-Fame (will update)

There will be no new entries in the National Baseball Hall of Fame for 2013, the hall's president announced Wednesday. This is only the eighth time that's happened in the history of the Hall of Fame.

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US-NRA-Gun-Research

No new gun laws. The National Rifle Association has made its position clear, even amid America's most recent gun debate. It says enforce the gun laws already on the books. It's well-known that the organization has actively lobbied to prevent new legislation limiting guns. But making this happen is more nuanced than just rallying its supporters and lobbyists every time a new law is proposed. Since the 1990s, the powerful pro-gun NRA has targeted the heart of what most legislation is based on: studies about the effects of gun violence.

INTERNATIONAL

Australia-fire-threat

Large swaths of southern New South Wales in Australia were threatened Wednesday by raging flames, the severity of which has surprised even veteran firefighters.

Venezuela-Chavez

Supporters of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez won a battle over the country's leadership Wednesday, but the fight isn't over.

India-Rape-Case

The father of the woman whose rape and fatal beating provoked outrage across India and worldwide says his daughter's death "brought an awakening to society."