The Florida pastor who had planned to burn copies of the Quran on Saturday has called it off. The Rev. Terry Jones of the Gainesville, Florida-based Dove World Outreach Center made the announcement Thursday.

The religious leader behind plans to build an Islamic center and mosque a few blocks from New York's ground zero said Wednesday night that America's national security depends on how it handles the controversy.

Colorado officials will reopen three subdivisions to residents Thursday as the fire threat lessened in some sections of a canyon, west of Boulder.

Los Angeles' police chief was booed during a community meeting as protests over an officer-involved fatal shooting continued for the third night Wednesday.

Thursday marks Kyron Horman's 8th birthday. And four months after a criminal investigation began into the Oregon boy's disappearance, officials continue to ask the public for leads and tips.

Los Angeles Lakers basketball player Matt Barnes was arrested Wednesday on domestic violence charges, authorities said.

Chicago, Illinois, is "stunningly amazing five months out of the year" and feels like a bona fide city to CNN political analyst Roland Martin.

British TV host Piers Morgan said taking over for retiring Larry King is like replacing Frank Sinatra's Las Vegas show.

Burning the Quran would be an "outrageous and grave gesture," the Vatican said Wednesday, joining a chorus of voices pleading with a small Florida church not to burn Islam's holy book on the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks.

Efforts to minimize the damage from the huge spill from an oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico are still under way, but wildlife conservation groups say the oil could pose a disaster for Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida coastal areas. A number of organizations are recruiting volunteers.