LONG BEACH — Pat Joachim is retiring as associate provost for the University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast, the university announced Thursday.

ST. MARTIN — A teacher at St. Martin High School is in jail this morning, accused of growing marijuana at his home, according to Curtis Spiers, commander of the Narcotics Task Force of Jackson County.

TRENTON, N.J. Retired NBA star Jayson Williams has agreed to a plea deal that would send him to prison for up to three years for accidentally shooting a driver at his New Jersey estate in 2002, a person with knowledge of the case told The Associated Press on Thursday.

NORFOLK, Va. A merchant sea captain who was captured and held by Somali pirates in April reunited Thursday with the U.S. Navy crew and captain who were part of his daring rescue, thanking them for saving him.

FORT COLLINS, Colo. Colorado-based weather researchers say three hurricanes formed in the Atlantic this year, two fewer than they predicted before the season and one less than their August update called for.

Merriam-Webster's annual Words of the Year dating to 2003, when the publisher started making the selection:

SAN FRANCISCO The struggling Internet company AOL plans to shed up to 2,500 jobs - more than a third of its work force - as it prepares to separate from Time Warner and finally sever their ill-fated marriage.

D'IBVERVILLE, Miss. The Mississippi Commission on Marine Resources will study proposed regulations that fishermen claim will further limit the take of red snapper, amberjack and grouper in the Gulf of Mexico.

JACKSON, Miss. Junior Achievement of Mississippi has been dissolved because of financial problems.

NATCHEZ, Miss. A Natchez teenager has been indicted for manslaughter in the death of 62-year-old John E. Henderson.

LOS ANGELES Ladies' man Ricardo Bomba is bringing his charms to "The Simpsons," and it's all the doing of a hospital operations manager with a vivid imagination.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska Starry-eyed children writing letters to the jolly man at the North Pole this holiday season likely won't get a response from Santa Claus or his helpers.

The George W. Bush Presidential Center will tip its hat to the former president's home state, from the pecan wood paneling inside to the wildflowers, bluebonnets and prairie outside.

SOUTHAVEN, Miss. Joey Johnson, charged with sexual battery for off-campus incidents with two 16-year-olds, will have a preliminary hearing Friday morning.

NEW YORK Stocks are set to continue their slide as the dollar is strengthening, and after a week of mixed economic reports. Futures are modestly lower.

HATTIESBURG, Miss. A new facility in Hattiesburg will bottle 350,000 cases of Pepsi and Dr Pepper products a week.

SPARTANBURG, S.C. Call it udder shock. A South Carolina woman who heard a giant splash in her backyard discovered a 650-pound cow had fallen into her swimming pool. WSPA-TV reports that the cow fell into Kathy Wydareny's covered pool on Monday night. The Anderson resident says the cow belonged to her neighbor.

GOLDEN, Colo. Authorities in Colorado say a homeowner who was selling his house returned to the property to find a 24-year-old squatter wearing only underwear.

SALT LAKE CITY The case of one of four teens who were cited after rapping their order at a McDonald's in Utah appears headed for trial.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. Blessed with a Friday off school, 15-year-old Alyssa Bustamante dug two holes in the ground to be used as a grave, authorities said. For the next week, she attended classes, all the while plotting the right time for a murder, they said.