Jade Walker

Before weakening to a tropical storm, the first hurricane of the season hit the Eastern seaboard with torrential rains, strong winds and floods. Hurricane Irene made landfall on Saturday in North Carolina, moved northward along the coast then slammed into Little Egg Inlet, N.J., as a Category 1 storm. Despite predictions, Irene then lost steam as it lumbered toward New England.

The FBI has captured William Walter Asher III, a convicted killer who escaped from prison and spent three decades on the lam. The case broke wide open when Asher’s mother put the word out that she wanted to speak with him one last time before she died.

Authorities along the Atlantic seaboard are closely monitoring Hurricane Irene’s projected path, and preparing for the powerful storm’s arrival later in the week. The first major hurricane of the season became a Category 2 storm on Aug. 22, and could strengthen even more in the coming days.

After six months of civil war, Libyan rebels swept into Tripoli on Sunday and laid claim to most of the city. Government troops and snipers loyal to Moammar Gadhafi continued to put up a last-ditch resistance near his compound, though it is unknown if the Libyan leader was still inside.

Google announced on Monday that it would acquire Motorola Mobility Holdings for $40 a share, or $12.5 billion. The offer is the search engine giant’s largest acquisition in its history.

A wave of deadly attacks swept across Iraq Monday, killing dozens of people. The violence was so severe that the interior minister ordered the country’s security forces to clear the streets of all parked cars.

Two unions representing 45,000 Verizon workers went on strike Sunday over stalled contract negotiations. The Communication Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers represents service techs, customer service reps and operators at the New York-based phone company. The unions plan to hold more than 100 rallies from Massachusetts to Washington D.C. on Monday. Read Mor