ORINDA, Calif. (AP) — Photographer Wayne F. Miller, who created a ground-breaking series of portraits chronicling the lives of black Americans in Chicago after serving with an elite Navy unit that produced some of the most indelible combat images of World War II, died Wednesday at his home of six decades in Orinda, Calif. He was 94.

PALMDALE, Calif. (AP) — An unmanned jet built for U.S. Navy high-altitude maritime surveillance missions has made its first flight.

Excerpts from recent editorials in newspapers in the United States and abroad:

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Palestinians believe the U.S. effort to restart peace talks is doomed, and they're preparing instead to resume their campaign of seeking membership in key international organizations as soon as next month, officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Ever wonder what it would feel like to suddenly wake up in another universe?

MOORE, Okla. — Residents on Wednesday attempted to return to lives wrecked two days ago by a major tornado, as search and rescue operations began slowly to turn into the first steps to a long recovery.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Julian Assange's reign as the star of the WikiLeaks story could be coming to an end.

Douglas Jon Borges and Arthur Flores Aleman left high school and joined the military at age 17, drawn by the desire for adventure.

Local museums are where curiousity meets a vast wealth of knowledge. Whether visitors want to uncover the agriculture roots of the area, enjoy interactive science and wildlife exhibits, or even crave some football history during the offseason, at least one of these Central Valley museums can provide that information.

America's military personnel, active and retired, will be given free admission to California's Great America amusement park on the Memorial Day weekend.

Most veterans don't talk about their combat experiences. There are obvious reasons for sidestepping the horrible memories of what mankind is capable of doing. For many, it was the first-time clash between the real and ideal. It was like two full-throttled steam locomotives meeting head on. That's why soldiers usually don't come back from a combat situation the same way they went into it.

Marvin Albert "Butch" Abeldt , 92, of Lodi, died May 16. He was born March 5, 1921 in Tampa, Kan.

Navy Seaman Recruit Cameron W. Nelson recently completed U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Ill.

 As a high school kid, I had never seen anything like it.

It could include a reflecting pond or small waterfall. Perhaps a bench where visitors can pause.

(NAPSI)—Did you know there are 525,000 minutes in a year? The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children wants you to take 25 of them to talk to your child about safety—the same amount of time it takes to watch a favorite TV show. It could save a child’s life.

(NAPSI)—Seven months after joining the Army, Sgt. Ryan McIntosh stepped on an improvised explosive device during a routine orchard-clearing mission in Afghanistan. He came home with a deeper commitment to the uniform, despite losing his right leg below the knee.

Two organizations will share $10,000 in community benefit funding to be distributed by the city of Galt.

Austin Gene Vickers of Acampo has received Rep. Jerry McNerney’s nomination and an offical appointment to the United States Naval Academy for the Class of 2017. Vickers is currently attending Jim Elliot Christian High School and will enter the Naval Academy for summer training upon graduation.

For the last 15 years, Rick Grewel of Stockton has been a passionate pilot. 

Millie, a scruffy black terrier in need of a bath, let out a whine that could barely be heard over the roar of the propeller. Pilot Bill Stigile turned away from a panoramic view of the Central Valley to reassure the dog serving as his co-pilot on this critical journey.

Slain Galt Police Officer Kevin Tonn will likely be honored alongside other fallen heroes in a community memorial plaza to be built near City Hall.

Beyond terrorism’s life and limb costs are the cold, hard dollar sums.

(NAPSI)—Some American heroes can finally get the recognition they deserve.

When Ronald Reagan fired the air traffic controllers in the '80s, he had a back-up plan so as not to cause the American people any distress in their travel plans. His aim was to bring an out-of-control union back in line without punishing the American traveler. So when many of the controllers walked off their jobs, there were military air traffic controllers to take up the slack.