AP Briefs

Hobbs man sentenced in shooting deaths of 2 men

LOVINGTON (AP) - A Hobbs man has been sentenced to two terms of life in prison plus 19 years for the shooting deaths of two men. State District Judge Don Maddox on Monday ordered 29-year-old Robert Guerin to serve the sentences consecutively. The Hobbs News-Sun reported Guerin is facing at least 79 years behind bars.

Amtrak to start screening passengers' carry-on bags

WASHINGTON (AP) - Amtrak will start randomly screening passengers' carry-on bags this week in a new security push that includes officers with automatic weapons and bomb-sniffing dogs patrolling platforms and trains. The initiative, to be announced by the railroad on Tuesday, is a significant shift for Amtrak.

Fidel Castro bows to illness,

resigns as Cuban president

HAVANA (AP) - Fidel Castro, ailing and 81, announced Tuesday he was resigning as Cuba's president, ending a half-century of autocratic rule which made him a communist icon and a relentless opponent of U.S. policy around the globe.