January 14th, 2012
11:07 PM ET
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Miss Wisconsin crowned Miss America

Miss Wisconsin, 23-year-old Laura Kaeppeler, was named Miss America 2012. Her platform is mentoring children of incarcerated parents.

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Filed under: U.S. • Wisconsin
January 14th, 2012
08:54 PM ET
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Former general sworn in as Guatemala's president

Retired army Gen. Otto Perez Molina was sworn in as Guatemala's president Saturday, pledging to take a tough stand on crime amid growing insecurity in the Central American nation.

"We have a country in crisis ... a nation very close to an economic and moral breakdown," he said. "Today, there is an air of hope."

Concerns about violence in Guatemala, which has worsened as Mexican drug cartels have stepped up operations in parts of the country, dominated last year's vote.

In a Vox Latina national survey in July, more than two-thirds of Guatemalans said violence was what concerned them most, far outpacing the combined totals for the economy, unemployment, poverty and lack of education.

The 61-year-old retired general pledged to bring a "mano dura" - firm hand - to Guatemala's highest office.

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January 14th, 2012
05:45 PM ET
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Joe Paterno says he felt inadequate to handle child sex abuse allegation

Legendary football coach Joe Paterno, who was ousted from Penn State last year over an alleged child sex abuse scandal that rocked the university, told the Washington Post he felt inadequate to deal with the initial allegation of abuse.

Paterno, the all-time winningest football coach in NCAA Division I history, was fired in November amid the outcry over the handling of the accusations against former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.

"I didn't know exactly how to handle it and I was afraid to do something that might jeopardize what the university procedure was," Paterno told the Washington Post in an interview published Saturday. "So I backed away and turned it over to some other people, people I thought would have a little more expertise than I did. It didn't work out that way."

The former coach, who is being treated for lung cancer, struggled to speak during parts of the interview; his voice was a raspy whisper. The sit-down was Paterno's first since his firing.

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Filed under: College football • Football • Jerry Sandusky • Joe Paterno • Penn State
January 14th, 2012
03:48 AM ET
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Bomber disguised as policeman kills 20 in Iraq

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) - A suicide bomber disguised as a policeman targeted Shiite pilgrims Saturday outside the southern Iraqi city of Basra, killing at least 20 people and wounding 70, according to authorities and state-run TV.

The bomber struck a police checkpoint near a Shiite mosque where many of the pilgrims were headed to mark a revered holy day, the end of a 40-day mourning period known as Arbaeen, Interior Ministry officials said.

There were conflicting casualty reports, with state-run Al Iraqiya reporting there were at least 20 people killed and 70 wounded, while Interior Ministry officials told CNN there were at least 10 dead and 30 wounded. Conflicting reports are common in Iraq in the aftermath of an attack.

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January 14th, 2012
12:31 AM ET
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Father of missing Maine girl takes polygraph, police say

Justin DiPietro, the father of missing Maine toddler Ayla Reynolds, has taken a polygraph, the spokesman for the Maine State Police said.

"He was told the results," Stephen McCausland added.

McCausland would not say when the test was given, nor did he say whether Ayla's father passed, failed, or if the results were inconclusive. He also would not elaborate on what questions DiPietro was asked.

It's been four weeks since Ayla disappeared. Alya, now 21 months old, was reported missing by her father the morning of December 17.

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Filed under: Crime • Maine • U.S.