Boom | featured news

Tucsonans flooded social media sites Wednesday night speculating on what caused a loud boom heard — and felt — over a chunk of the city. Tweet messages started about 7:45 p.m., many from residents of Tucson's west side, saying a large explosion rattled windows at some homes. Tucson police received reports of two jets flying over about 7:40 p.m., just seconds before the boom was heard, said spokesman Sgt. Chris Widmer. But it still isn't known it was a sonic boom.

The austere North Dakota prairie is the unlikely center of one of the biggest oil booms in decades. But will drilling here and in other domestic oil patches help the country move closer to the elusive goal of energy independence?

We're becoming a nation of bum knees, worn-out hips and sore shoulders, and it's not just the Medicare set. Baby boomer bones and joints also are taking a pounding, spawning a boom in operations to fix them. Knee replacement surgeries have doubled over the last decade and more than tripled in the 45-to-64 age group, new research shows. Hips are trending that way, too. And here's a surprise: It's not all due to obesity.