Sherrie Hassenger

Ethan E. Rocke/MCT

Sherrie Hassenger poses with a picture of her husband, Arden Hassenger, who was killed when his aircraft crashed in Laos while conducting operations in support of the Vietnam War.

Top Story

A long-ago war, a missing plane and an enduring mystery

Maj. Derrell Jeffords bounced his roaring Spooky 21 down and off the runway at Da Nang Air Base in Vietnam. It was just before 7:30 a.m., on Christmas Eve 1965. The big camouflaged belly of his twin-prop AC-47 was easily visible against a blue sky as he banked west.

The cargo plane-turned-gunship was on its way to Laos; its mission was top secret. » read more

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Bridge collapse in Washington state

Rick Lund/MCT

The collapsed bridge where I-5 crosses the Skagit River in Mount Vernon, Washington, on Thursday, May 23, 2013.

Spotlight

Whatever cause, Washington state bridge collapse points to bigger problems

The collapse of an interstate highway bridge in Washington state brings new attention to the limits of the country’s infrastructure, especially older structures that were designed with little room for error and were never intended to carry the number of cars and trucks they see today. » read more

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SPECIAL REPORTS

Special Report: Boston bombings

Complete coverage of the Boston Marathon attacks that killed three people and injured more than 200 others, including the manhunt that followed.

Special Report: Drone war

Top secret intelligence reports reveal that U.S. drones have targeted and killed hundreds of suspected lower-level Afghan, Pakistani and unidentified “other” militants in scores of strikes.

Special Report: Oil era's end?

Technological advances might unlock vast natural gas deposits, increase domestic oil production and turn the U.S. into the next Middle East. But, it may not be enough.

Special report: The Polygraph Files

One of the nation's most secretive intelligence agencies is pressuring polygraphers to push the ethical and legal boundaries of a program designed instead to catch spies and terrorists.

Special report: Honor Tarnished

McClatchy found errors and embellishments in the Marine Corps' Medal of Honor nomination for Dakota Meyer, whose deeds have been retold in a book and numerous news reports.

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