In the news

Lance Armstrong, a seven-time Tour de France winner and testicular cancer survivor, appeared before a Senate panel with Elizabeth Edwards, the wife of former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards who is battling a recurrence of breast cancer, and told Congress, “It’s time for our country to refocus and relaunch a comprehensive war on this disease.” Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a Minnesota Republican, signed into law a $38 million compensation package for the victims of the Aug. 1 failure of the Interstate 35 West bridge in Minneapolis, which killed 13 people and hurt 145. - Friday, May 9, 2008

Prices at the pump up at dawn, some by 20¢

BY LAURA STEVENS

Some gas stations in Arkansas raised regular by 20 cents overnight as record-setting oil futures gave retail prices a hefty boost Thursday. - Friday, May 9, 2008

Obama, Clinton fish D.C. waters

DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE PRESS SERVICES

The remaining presidential primaries stretch from Puerto Rico to Oregon, but the real competition is in Washington, D.C., where most of the uncommitted Democratic superdelegates work. - Friday, May 9, 2008

Bulk of farm bill aimed at poor

BY MATTHEW S.L. CATE

HELENA-WEST HELENA — A Washington fight over farm subsidies is threatening to derail an increase in federal help for millions of poor Americans who rely on food stamps and charity to feed themselves. - Friday, May 9, 2008

Bill on housing aid advances to Senate

BY JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — The House on Thursday passed a homeowner rescue plan to provide cheaper, government-backed mortgages to half a million debtridden borrowers. - Friday, May 9, 2008

ALL IN THE FAMILY : Kin duke it out in races for elected offices

BY JOHN KRUPA

The May 20 primary will be a family affair in at least two Arkansas counties where kin are vying for the same political office. - Friday, May 9, 2008

Burma lets in 1st major aid flights

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

RANGOON, Burma — Burma’s military regime allowed in the first major international aid shipment Thursday, but it snubbed a U.S. offer to help struggling cyclone victims. - Friday, May 9, 2008

Proposal limits insurers’ contacts with elderly

BY KEVIN FREKING THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — Agents selling private health insurance plans to the elderly and the disabled would be barred under a federal rule proposed Thursday from cold-calling, door-to-door solicitations and pitching their products near hospital waiting rooms or pharmacies. - Friday, May 9, 2008

House passes bill to cut cost of producing pennies, nickels

BY LAURIE KELLMAN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — The House voted for cheaper change Thursday, the kind that would make pennies and nickels worth more than they cost to make and save the country $100 million a year. - Friday, May 9, 2008

Names and faces

DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE PRESS SERVICES

Nearly two years after Star Jones left The View on rocky terms, the 46-yearold TV personality has criticized former boss Barbara Walters for writing about her. In Walters’ new memoir, Audition, she discusses how Jones wouldn’t acknowledge her gastric bypass surgery on the air. She also writes about Jones’ lavish wedding. “It is a sad day when an icon like Barbara Walters, in the sunset of her life, is reduced to publicly branding herself as an adulterer, humiliating an innocent family with accounts of her illicit affair and speaking negatively against me all for the sake of selling a book. It speaks to her true character,” Jones told Us Weekly magazine. Jones’ publicist, Brad Zeifman, said Jones wouldn’t comment further. - Friday, May 9, 2008

Interpol alert leads to child-abuse suspect in New Jersey

BY DAVID PORTER THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEWARK, N.J. — A rare international alert seeking a man shown in dozens of raw child porn images led to the arrest of an actor, who painted faces at children’s parties and performed as “the best Santa Claus anyone has ever seen.” Wayne Nelson Corliss told authorities he had sex with three boys in Thailand six years ago, a prosecutor said Thursday at Corliss’ first court appearance. - Friday, May 9, 2008

Storms whack 3 states in South

BY JAY REEVES THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A line of severe storms swept across the Southeast on Thursday, damaging homes and businesses in at least three states. No injuries were reported. An apparent tornado wrecked a shopping area in Mississippi and strong winds flipped a mobile home in Alabama. In southcentral Tennessee, at least four homes and a few barns were damaged. Portions of Alabama remained under tornado watches until early Thursday evening. - Friday, May 9, 2008

U.S. envoy collects key N. Korea nuclear logs

BY ANNE GEARAN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — North Korea handed detailed nuclear weapons records to the United States on Thursday. - Friday, May 9, 2008

Judge lowers bail for N.M. sect leader

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

CLAYTON, N.M. — A judge reduced the bail of an apocalypticsect leader accused of sex crimes against minors, but rejected his request Thursday to be released on his own recognizance. - Friday, May 9, 2008

Leader of al-Qaida-in-Iraq reported captured in raid

BY PATRICK QUINN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BAGHDAD — Iraqi police commandos captured the leader of al-Qaida-in-Iraq in a raid in the northern city of Mosul, Iraqi officials said Thursday. - Friday, May 9, 2008

4 left dead in 2nd day of violence in Lebanon

BY ZEINA KARAM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Running gunbattles raged in parts of Beirut on Thursday after the leader of Hezbollah accused Lebanon’s Western-backed government of declaring war on his Shiite militant group. At least four people were killed and eight wounded in the capital. - Friday, May 9, 2008

Putin lands premiership in lopsided vote

BY C.J. CHIVERS THE NEW YORK TIMES

MOSCOW — Russia’s parliament overwhelmingly confirmed Vladimir Putin as prime minister Thursday, completing his departure from the presidency in a manner that left him the country’s dominant politician. - Friday, May 9, 2008

Israel celebrates 60th birthday as Palestinians protest

BY ROBERT W. GEE COX NEWS SERVICE

JERUSALEM — The blue and white flag emblazoned with the Star of David fluttered from car windows and apartment balconies and around the soccer stadium at Hebrew University. Jet fighters roared overheard in formation, paratroopers landed on the field, a band performed Hebrew folk songs. - Friday, May 9, 2008

Premier tells Israel he ‘never’ took bribe

BY ETHAN BRONNER AND ALISON LEIGH COWAN THE NEW YORK TIMES

JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Thursday that he had taken contributions from a New York businessman starting in the 1990s but that they were legitimate campaign funds, not bribes. - Friday, May 9, 2008

4 killed in rebel attack on Somali police headquarters

BY MOHAMED OLAD HASSAN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Islamist fighters seized the police headquarters at the heart of the government’s stronghold in Mogadishu on Thursday in an attack that witnesses said killed two soldiers and two policemen. - Friday, May 9, 2008

Spain claims ship’s $500 million booty

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MADRID, Spain — Spain formally laid claim Thursday to a shipwreck that yielded a $500 million treasure, saying it has proof the vessel was Spanish. - Friday, May 9, 2008

Tibet, China offer proposals in talks

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

DHARMSALA, India — The Dalai Lama’s envoys and Chinese officials disagreed more than they agreed at weekend talks on how to move beyond the unrest in Tibet, one of the Tibetan spiritual leader’s representatives said Thursday. - Friday, May 9, 2008

Death of fugitive Vesco confirmed

THE NEW YORK TIMES

MEXICO CITY — The death of financier Robert Vesco, confirmed by documents and interviews, has closed the books on one of Washington’s longest and most prominent fugitive hunts. - Friday, May 9, 2008

Lawmakers press King commission to ‘get on track’

BY MICHAEL R. WICKLINE

Lawmakers on Thursday urged members of the Martin Luther King Jr. Commission to end their infighting and get their house in order. - Friday, May 9, 2008

Panel’s Senate report on Crumbly June 12

BY MICHAEL R. WICKLINE

The Arkansas Senate next month will hear a committee’s 4-3 recommendation that Jack Crumbly of Widener retain his Senate seat in a historic election contest case filed by former Rep. Arnell Willis, the chairman of the Senate committee said Thursday. - Friday, May 9, 2008

Reprinting tax bills to cost about $20,000

ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Reprinting and mailing about 40,000 tax statements missing information when sent to Benton County residents in April will cost nearly $20,000, the county’s tax collector said. - Friday, May 9, 2008

Pope County boy dies in LR hospital

ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

RUSSELLVILLE — The body of a 5-year-old Pope County boy has been sent to the Arkansas medical examiner’s office for autopsy. - Friday, May 9, 2008

Ignore the naysayers, Clinton urges West Virginians

DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE PRESS SERVICES

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Her voice raspy, her tone determined, Hillary Rodham Clinton urged her supporters on Thursday to ignore the political pundits who have declared her toast. - Friday, May 9, 2008

Limbaugh tactic skewed results, Obama aides say

BY ALEC MACGILLIS AND PETER SLEVIN THE WASHINGTON POST

Barack Obama’s aides say his campaign would have had an even stronger showing Tuesday were it not for meddling by an unlikely booster of Hillary Rodham Clinton: the conservative radio host and longtime Clinton family nemesis Rush Limbaugh. - Friday, May 9, 2008

Farm-bill deal cuts farmers’ payments, draws veto threat

BY ALEX DANIELS

WASHINGTON — Members of the House and Senate agriculture committees Thursday detailed the agreement they reached on agriculture policy. It would increase spending on food-stamp and nutrition programs over the next five years, while making cuts in farmers’ federal crop payments. - Friday, May 9, 2008