Nation briefs 12/23/15

Man sentenced who gave gun to bomber

BOSTON -- A man who loaned a gun used by the Boston Marathon bombers to kill a police officer was sentenced Tuesday to the 17 months he served. He apologized. "I was young, dumb and thought I could outsmart everyone," Stephen Silva, 22, told a judge in U.S. District Court. He pleaded guilty to gun and heroin distribution charges last year. Silva testified during the trial of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev he let Tsarnaev borrow a Ruger 9mm handgun two months before the bombings. The two had known each other since eighth grade and attended school together in Cambridge. He said Tsarnaev told him he wanted the gun to rob University of Rhode Island students, adding Tsarnaev "kept coming up with excuses" for not returning it. He said he didn't know about the bombers' plan. Prosecutors said the gun was used by Tsarnaev and his brother, Tamerlan, to kill Massachusetts Institute of Technology officer Sean Collier days after the April 2013 bombings.

Health-law sign-ups reportedly strong

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration said the 2016 sign-up season for the president's health-care law is going strong. Officials said Tuesday, more than 8.2 million people have signed up or renewed coverage through HealthCare.gov halfway through enrollment season. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell said more first-time customers are signing up, and the number of young adults enrolling is increasing. Open enrollment ends Jan. 31.

Birth rate of twins reaches U.S. record

NEW YORK -- The twin birth rate hit at an all-time high last year in the United States, but the rate for triplets, quadruplets, and higher was the lowest in two decades. About 1 in every 29 babies were twin. In 1980, 1 in every 53 babies was a twin. The figures come from final 2014 birth statistics released Wednesday. Why the twin increase? More women are waiting until they are older to have babies, and mothers in their 30s are more likely to have twins than younger women. Experts also point to fertility drugs and procedures such as in vitro fertilization, which generally raise the chances of multiple births. The rate of triplet and higher-order births has fallen 40 percent from its 1998 peak. That's because doctors have been implanting fewer embryos during in vitro fertilization than in the past, recognizing more embryos increase the risk of complications, some experts said.

Hello Kitty tree can stay after all

BANGOR, Maine -- A high school has reversed its decision to prevent a math teacher from keeping a pink Hello Kitty Christmas tree in her classroom. Bangor High School officials had said Catherine Gordon had to remove the tree. The superintendent said the tree needed an educational component. But principal Paul Butler said Tuesday the school is satisfied the tree highlights the "universal nature of holiday celebration." He said the tree is appropriate for a school setting. News of the tree's removal had taken off on social media. Republican congressman Bruce Poliquin said the school went too far in ordering its removal.

-- From wire reports