A woman faces federal charges after baggage screeners in Florida found a human skull in her luggage. The woman told customs officials she obtained the head in Haiti to "use as part of her voodoo beliefs." And she said it's meant to "ward off evil spirits."

Myrlene Severe is charged with smuggling the head into the US without proper documentation, as well as failing to declare the head and transporting hazardous materials.

A federal appeals court upholds the city's ban on pet racing pigeons, rejecting claims by some enthusiasts the ordinance is unconstitutional.

According to the American Racing Pigeon Union, the ban makes Chicago the only large U.S. city outlawing pet pigeons.