Oz the dog helped save his owner's life when a fire broke out in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania.

that Randy Merlo was fast asleep in his home when Oz sensed something was wrong. Merlo told WNEP that the 12-year-old cocker spaniel woke him up on purpose.

"He was nudging me or whatever, what I can remember, he was nudging me, and I smelled smoke and we left. Saved my life, he probably did, most likely he did, Merlo told WNEP. "He's a good dog."

Merlo and Oz escaped the blaze, but the housea duplexsuffered extensive fire, smoke, and water damage. The fire reportedly originated in the basement of the vacant side of the building.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire. "We determined the origin in the basement of the home. Were saying incendiary, suspicious but still under investigation," Police Chief Brian Hollenbush told WNEP.

Cocker spaniels are known for their loyalty. , a site that focuses on the well-being of pets, writes that they are "loyal, endearing companions that craveand thrive onhuman attention."blog ranks cocker spaniels seventh in terms of breed loyalty. Number one? The German shepard. We think Oz might take issue with that.

The rookie Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker has long dreadlocks that appear under his helmet and skitter across his name when he sprints into the backfield.

There's the body, too. The 6-foot-2, 245-pound Jones is taller, leaner and wispier than the 2008 NFL Defensive Player of the Year who was cut by the Steelers in a salary cap move in March.

Then there's the demeanor. Where Harrison was all snarl, the 23-year-old Jones is Southern charm.

Yet Jones understands he is the heir apparent. The Steelers tend not to take risks with first-round draft picks. The comparisons are inevitable after they chose the speedy Georgia kid, who led the NCAA in sacks last fall, with the 17th selection. The draft came just six weeks after releasing the productive but aging Harrison.

"I don't compare myself in no way to James Harrison," Jones said. "He's a great player. Respect him. Never met him. But I love his game. I wouldn't mind being an impact player like James Harrison."

Neither would the Steelers.

Pittsburgh led the NFL in fewest yards allowed in 2012 but failed to produce the kind of splash plays namely sacks and turnovers that have helped make the franchise perennial Super Bowl contenders. Injuries to Harrison, outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley and safety Troy Polamalu forced the Steelers to play solid but safe. Pittsburgh finished tied for 15th with 37 sacks and 24th in takeaways with 20.

Jones could bring back some of the menace. He set a Georgia record with 14.5 sacks in 2012, his ability to wreak havoc in opposing backfields from the edge had him projected as a potential Top 5 picks.

Instead, concerns about Jones' neck diagnosed with a narrowing of the spinal column early in his collegiate career and his speed after running a sluggish 40-yard-dash sent him tumbling to the Steelers in the middle of the first round.

Not that it bothered Jones. There are worse place to land than a team that forged its identity and won six Super Bowl titles on the backbone of a 3-4 defense which has served as the NFL's gold standard for most of the last 40 years.

Besides, as Jones pointed out on Friday "at the end of the day those guys are picking early for a reason. I landed right where I want to be."

Even if Jones is not the starter, at least not yet. Jason Worilds, who finished second on the team with five sacks, is atop the depth chart and coach Mike Tomlin isn't quite ready to anoint Jones.

"He's going to be a rookie and he'll go through the same thing rookies go through," Tomlin said. "We're not going to take anything for granted in terms of his growth and development."

Defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau's complex playbook can make it difficult for first-year players to find playing time. There will be plenty of studying before training camp opens in July. Jones hardly appears overcome by the sudden thrust from NFL prospect to NFL player.

Asked to describe LeBeau, Jones just smiled and called the Hall-of-Famer "chill."

Then again, it's early. The Steelers might not be rebuilding but they are regrouping after an 8-8 season. Jones will get a chance to prove he belongs. In a way, he already does. In the hours after hearing his name called by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Jones received congratulatory phone calls and texts from Woodley, Polamalu and Ben Roethlisberger.

"I can't wait to get in the locker room with those guys and just learn from those guys," he said. "It's definitely a blessing to be on the field with those guys."

The Steelers might talk about having Jones take his time and learn the system, but in today's NFL, first-round picks aren't supposed to wait their turn, particularly if it's a position where there's a significant need.

Jones impressed Tomlin and general manager Kevin Colbert with his maturity. He'll need to lean on it to fit into an organization that's still knee-deep in veterans. As Tomlin likes to say, "the standard is the standard" regardless if it's Harrison out there or Jones. That's fine by the kid in the 95 jersey.

"They're about winning," Jones said. "They're about playing hard-nosed defense and they're about playing down after down. I see it and I know what it means."

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Follow Will Graves at www.twitter.com/WillGravesAP

MEXICO CITY (AP) -- President Barack Obama says there's another reason it's important to overhaul the U.S. immigration system: It's the amount of business conducted between the United States and Mexico.

The White House says that last year alone, trade between the countries totaled nearly half a trillion dollars.

Mexico also is the United States' second-largest trading partner.

Obama says it will help the economies of both countries to not be constantly bogged down by border issues. And, he says if immigration is going to get done, now is the time to do it.

Obama spoke Thursday in Mexico City, where he is on his first trip to Latin America since winning re-election.

The video game publisher announced Wednesday that the next installment in its successful "Call of Duty" franchise will be titled "Call of Duty: Ghosts" and feature a new story and characters.

Activision Blizzard Inc. said "Ghosts" will be released Nov. 5 for PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and next-generation consoles.

The game is being developed by Infinity Ward, the Encino, Calif., studio that created the original "Call of Duty" and reignited the military first-person shooter franchise with 2007's "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare" and its two sequels.

"'Ghosts' delivers an all-new story, all-new characters, an all-new 'Call of Duty' world, all powered by a next generation 'Call of Duty' engine, which is a leap forward for the franchise," Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg said in a statement. "Infinity Ward is going all-in to create the next generation of 'Call of Duty' worthy of the world's greatest fans."

For more than five years, the action-packed "Call of Duty" franchise has garnered unprecedented success.

The previous "Call of Duty" game, Treyarch's futuristic "Call of Duty: Black Ops II," crossed the $1 billion mark in worldwide retail sales 15 days after its release last year. Infinity Ward's "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3" hit the $1 billion mark in 16 days after its 2011 debut.

Activision said more details about "Ghosts" will be revealed May 21 at a Seattle presentation where Microsoft is expected to unveil the next Xbox.

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Follow AP Entertainment Writer Derrik J. Lang on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/derrikjlang .

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Online:

http://www.callofduty.com/ghosts

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -- Lawmakers moved ahead Wednesday with a tax incentive bill designed to attract wind-energy companies to Nebraska, little more than a day after the state officially lost a $300 million Facebook data center to Iowa.

The 30-0 vote also came as a Kansas-based company, TradeWind Energy, considers building a possible wind farm in northeast Nebraska.

Despite the measure's popularity, some lawmakers challenged the decision to advance it ahead of a broader, statewide tax study that was agreed upon earlier this year.

The bill's sponsor, Sen. Steve Lathrop of Omaha, said it was designed to attract large-scale wind farms, which would help Nebraska export more energy and generate new revenue. Lathrop said wind farms serve as an extra revenue source for landowners, generating $10,000 to $15,000 per turbine each year for a 40-year lease.

"We're also sending what I believe to be a very important message to businesses, both inside and outside of Nebraska," Lathrop said. "Many are making major, long-term investment decisions now. Nebraska has an excellent reputation, and our actions on this bill will strengthen that message."

TradeWind Energy executive Frank Costanza said the company is interested in Nebraska's wind capacity, which ranks third nationwide. But he said the state has done "almost nothing" to compete with Kansas, Oklahoma or South Dakota, all of which offer tax benefits for wind energy. The company is looking to build 118 turbines in Dixon County, on the South Dakota border.

Nebraska ranks as the third-best wind-producing state in the nation, but 26th in the energy it could produce with the equipment currently installed, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Nebraska lags behind its neighboring states: Iowa, South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado and Kansas.

Costanza said Nebraska has trailed its neighboring states because it doesn't offer as many wind-energy tax incentives. He pointed to Kansas, which shields wind companies from both property and sales and use taxes.

"Wind will be built, over time, in the wind belt the Dakotas down to the Texas Panhandle," said Costanza, the company's executive vice president business development. "But it is competitive. Other states are doing things, and Nebraska has done almost nothing."

The first-round vote in Nebraska came one day after Iowa formally approved $18 million in tax credits for Facebook to build its data center in Altoona, a Des Moines suburb. Kearney, Neb., was vying for the project, but a Facebook executive told Iowa reporters on Tuesday that the state's reputation as a wind-energy leader played a big role in the company's decision.

Nebraska currently charges a sales tax on all equipment and materials used in wind-energy projects. The state ranks fourth nationwide in its ability to produce electricity from wind power.

Environmental groups and the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry have both endorsed the bill.

Sen. Galen Hadley of Kearney, who introduced a similar bill that was merged into the final legislation, said the tax incentives would put Nebraska on a level playing field with other states. Hadley said the bill would generate jobs in rural Nebraska, and he argued that the possible wind-energy project could not wait until next year.

Sen. Annette Dubas of Fullerton said the bill builds on an existing push by rural lawmakers.

The renewable energy bill has drawn criticism from Republican Gov. Dave Heineman. When the Legislature's Revenue Committee voted 5-3 to advance the bill in March, Heineman said he was "very disappointed" and accused supporters of supporting "special interest tax breaks" to out-of-state companies.

Lathrop, a Democrat, is considering a run for governor.

Some lawmakers said they supported the general push for wind energy but challenged the bill's timing.

Sen. Beau McCoy of Omaha, a Republican Revenue Committee member who voted "no" on the bill, said he supports wind energy but questioned why it should pass in advance of the statewide study that will examine Nebraska's overall tax climate. Lawmakers had previously agreed to delay all major tax-cut bills this year so they could conduct the study.

"I question whether or not now is the time," McCoy said.

Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha, who is known for his ability to stall and derail bills he opposes, asked why the proposal was getting preference over a sales-tax measure he introduced.

Chambers said he wasn't opposed to the wind-energy bill, but he criticized the Revenue Committee for holding onto his legislation that would repeal a sales-tax law for cities. Chambers has argued that a sales tax imposed by cities disproportionately affects the poor.

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The bill is LB104

Authorities originally said they had exchanged gunfire with Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (joh-KHAHR' tsahr-NEYE'-ehv) for more than one hour Friday evening before they were able to subdue him.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation, say investigators recovered a 9 mm handgun believed to have been used by Tsarnaev's brother, Tamerlan, from the site of a gun battle Thursday night, which injured a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority officer. Dzhokhar was believed to have been shot before he escaped.

The officials tell The Associated Press that no gun was found in the boat. Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis said earlier that shots were fired from inside the boat.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A gifted scorer, Carmelo Anthony has always had the talent to put the ball in the basket but rarely has he been able to put his team deep into the playoffs.

The pressure is on the Knicks forward with the bruising inside moves and delicate outside touch to prove himself in the postseason and help erase more than a decade of playoff failures for New York.

"It seems like we're starting off with a clean plate right now," Anthony, hungry for a taste of playoff success, told reporters before the opening of second-seeded New York's first-round series against seventh seed Boston Celtics.

Anthony is off to a great start, scoring 36 points in the opener and 34 points in New York's 87-71 Game Two win that gave the Knicks a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

But that is just a start, and despite sporting a new Olympic gold medal and his first NBA scoring title (28.7 points average) on his resume, Anthony is challenged to show he can lift his team and alter a reputation as a high-scoring playoff bust.

Coming into this postseason, Anthony's playoff record with the Knicks was 1-8 after two postseason trips with New York, following a 16-30 postseason mark with the Denver Nuggets.

The Knicks, who have not won a title in 40 years, have not moved past the first round in 13 years. Anthony has advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs only once in nine tries.

"He's had this breakout year, but when the playoffs come, he's going to have to raise his level," Walt Frazier, point guard for New York's last NBA title team in 1973, told the Daily News.

"He'll have new expectations he's going to have to meet. Can he handle the pressure?"

OLYMPIC DIFFERENCE

Second-year guard Iman Shumpert said this is a new Anthony, and that a summer pursuing Olympic gold in London had changed him.

"He's definitely our leader," Shumpert told Reuters in the Knicks locker room before Game Two against Boston. "I think he's done a ton more talking this year ... in the locker room, on the court and especially on defense.

"I think he's just done a great job, an incredible job lifting us and make sure we play the same way all year.

"Definitely a difference between last year and this year," added Shumpert, saying Anthony seemed more confident.

"Any time we find ourselves about to get rattled he sort of just calms everybody down. I think a lot of that comes from him just putting the work in this summer and coming in after that gold medal on a roll already."

Following a rousing Olympics in which Anthony committed to playing tough defense alongside LeBron James against taller opponents on an undersized U.S. team, the Knicks forward came to the new NBA campaign in great shape and with a fierce attitude.

"Whatever we need him to do," Shumpert said. "This year he's been asked to guard a lot of five-men (centers) because sometimes we play small. He hasn't complained. Whatever he has to do he just goes and do it.

"He's watching a ton of film. He's been a flat-out leader. I think it's contagious," he added, pointing to J.R. Smith, who on Tuesday was presented the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award.

"J.R. has been a bigger leader. The focus in the locker room from last year to this year has been night and day."

BEHIND CLASSMATES

For all his personal success, Anthony has languished behind illustrious fellow members of the top of the 2003 NBA Draft.

James, the No. 1 draft pick of 2003, was the man with the pressure turned up ultra high last season.

"King" James, believed to be overdue for an NBA title, got that monkey off his back with a run to the crown with fellow members of the class of 2003 Chris Bosh (No. 4) and Dwyane Wade (No. 5) joining him on the Miami Heat.

Anthony, selected No. 3 in 2003 after winning the U.S. college title as a freshman with Syracuse, is still chasing the NBA dream for New York after being swept by Boston in the first round in 2011 after joining the Knicks in a big trade with Denver, and losing in five to Miami last year.

"No, it don't, it don't," the Brooklyn-born Anthony, a six-time NBA All-Star, told reporters when asked whether the playoffs were putting added pressure on him.

No amount of denial, however, can fill the empty plate.

Only a playoff run to the Eastern Conference finals and a likely date with the Miami Heat will satisfy Madison Square Garden crowds that lavish Anthony with chants of "MVP, MVP, MVP."

(Editing by Peter Rutherford)

Galliano, who was fired by Dior in 2011 after he was caught on camera making anti-Semitic remarks in a Paris cafe, will teach a course titled "Show Me Emotion" at Parsons The New School For Design, the school said on Monday.

Parsons said the class "will be a dynamic and intimate opportunity for our students to learn from an immensely talented designer."

"We believe that over the past two years Galliano has demonstrated a serious intent to make amends for his past actions," the school added.

Earlier this year, the 52-year-old British designer, widely thought of as one of the most talented and creative names in fashion, spent several weeks working at Oscar de la Renta's studio in New York, preparing for de la Renta's New York Fashion Week show in February.

A French court handed out a 6,000-euro ($8,000) suspended fine to Galliano in 2011 after he was found guilty of anti-Semitic behavior. Galliano has said an addiction to drugs and alcohol had left him out of control and he was determined to make amends.

Parsons said students in the master class "will have the opportunity to engage in a frank conversation with Mr. Galliano about the challenges and complications of leading a design house in the 21st century."

Following his Dior dismissal, Galliano designed British model Kate Moss's wedding dress.

(Reporting by Chris Michaud, editing by Jill Serjeant and Doina Chiacu)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Environmental Protection Agency again is raising objections to the proposed Keystone XL pipeline that would carry oil from western Canada to the Texas Gulf Coast.

Despite more than four years of study, the State Department's analysis of the project's environmental impact is "insufficient," the EPA said Monday.

In a letter to the State Department, the EPA urged State to conduct a more thorough analysis of oil spill risks and alternative pipeline routes, as well as greenhouse gas emissions associated with the $7 billion pipeline.

The concerns are similar to objections the EPA raised about the project in 2011. The State Department has authority over the pipeline because it crosses a U.S. border. A draft report in March said the project would not create significant environmental impacts.

The State Department said late Monday that officials have long planned to conduct additional analysis and will incorporate comments from the public and other federal agencies into a final environmental report expected this summer.