LOS ANGELES (AP) - A Los Angeles federal judge has tentatively thrown out the convictions of a Missouri mother for her role in a MySpace hoax directed at a 13-year-old neighbor girl who ended up committing suicide.

In his ruling Thursday, U.S. District Judge George Wu has acquitted Lori Drew of misdemeanor counts of accessing computers without authorization. Wu says his ruling will become final when he issues it in writing.

Drew was convicted in a trial, but the judge says that if she is to be found guilty of illegally accessing computers, anyone who has

(NECN/ABC) - A computer snafu at O'Hare Airport made life miserable for travelers starting their holiday weekend on Thursday.

The larger question now is how far from Chicago will the dominoes fall.

There were long lines and lots of frustration for hundreds of United Airlines passengers at O'Hare Airport Thursday morning after a computer glitch took down the airline's ticketing system.

The busy 4th of July holiday weekend ground to a halt, as dozens of flights were either delayed or outright canceled in the nation's second busiest airport.

(NECN/ABC) - The U.S. economy lost more jobs than expected in June, and that sent the unemployment rate to its highest point in a quarter-century. 14.7 million people were out of work last month.

The month of June proved that the road to economic recovery continues to be long and bumpy. 467,000 Americans lost their jobs. The unemployment rate hit 9 and a half per cent, the highest in 26 years. Since the recession began in December of 2007, 6 and a half million jobs have been cut.

(NECN/WLS: Chicago, Ill.) - A computer glitch caused major problems for United Airlines flights at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago.

The busy holiday weekend travel time compounded the problem for many fliers.

Because very few United planes were able to take off, many incoming planes were having a hard time finding a place to land, delaying both departures and arrivals.

The computers returned to order later Thursday morning, slowly easing long lines passengers along.

(NECN/ABC) - With the state budget still unresolved, California Governor Schwarzenegger today declared a fiscal emergency, and ordered new measures to save money. Governor Schwarzenegger was none too pleased the Legislature failed to send him a budget revision before the fiscal year ended at midnight.

NEW YORK (AP) - Fire department officials say a New York City ferry boat has hit a pier while docking, injuring 14 people. The injuries are minor.

The fire department says it appears the boat lost power before hitting the Staten Island dock Wednesday night. There's no damage to the boat but some damage to the pier.

The Staten Island Ferry has nine vessels that carry commuters between Staten Island and lower Manhattan. The 5-mile, 25-minute ride is free.

In 2003, a Staten Island Ferry boat with about 1,500 people

(NECN: Washington) - President Barack Obama says that Iraqi security forces taking control of cities from the United States is an important step toward Iraq's sovereignty and the end of the war.

He says Iraqis are rightly treating the day as a cause for celebration.

But Obama added - in his words - "Make no mistake. There will be difficult days ahead."

Obama says there's more work to be done, but U.S. has made important progress toward a stable, sovereign Iraq.

He says Iraq's future is in the hands of its people, and that

(NECN/ABC)- Four of the nine people killed in last Monday's tragic Metro accident were laid to rest Tuesday morning. A service for Washington residents Maj. Gen. David Wherley Jr. and his 62-year-old wife, Ann Wherley, was held Tuesday at Arlington National Cemetery.

62-year-old Maj. Gen. Wherley was a retired commanding general of the D.C. National Guard. Ann Wherley worked as a mortgage broker. A memorial for the couple Monday night drew hundreds, family and friends as well as those with whom the couple had worked and volunteered.

(NECN/ABC)- Rebecca Harris and her family spend a lot of time at the Hutchinson Water Sports Club, a private lake south of Burrton. Sunday morning, Rebecca saw a large fish swimming near their dock." I think it was old and wasn't feeling that well," she says. She grabbed the fish, and then realizing how big it was, called for a neighbor's help to get it out of the water. Neighbors told her she might have a state record catch and to contact Kansas Wildlife and Parks to verify it. Fisheries biologist John Stein says Rebecca caught a buffalo fish weighing just under 60 pounds.

(NECN/WCBS: Jamaica Queens, N.Y. ) - Three New York City workers got trapped in a sewer hole on Monday, and died before firefighters could get them out.

Authorities said toxic fumes and three feet of water in the hole may have contributed to their deaths, but it's too early to tell if they drowned or died from the fumes.

Initially, two men went into the 18-foot deep sewage hole.

When they did not come out, a third worker went in. He did not return either.

Firefighters were called to the Jamaica, Queens neighborhood at about 2:30 p.m.