Richardson endorses Obama
Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico delivered a forceful endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama for president on Friday, urging Democrats to unite behind his candidacy to move the nation beyond its racial and partisan divide.
Sex offender runs for mayor
A registered sex offender collared in an Internet sting four years ago is running for mayor of the Dallas suburb of Wilmer. James Brian Sliter, 42, was arrested after arranging sex with someone he thought was a 15-year-old girl.
China’s Olympic broadcast ban?
China, apparently unnerved by the recent outburst of unrest among Tibetans, might bar live TV broadcasts from Tiananmen Square during the Beijing Olympics.
Pelosi meets with Dalai Lama
Walking arm-in-arm with the Dalai Lama in his Dharamsala headquarters in northern India, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi lent her support Friday to the Tibetan cause, calling China’s crackdown in Tibet “a challenge to the conscience of the world.”
Storm wallops Midwest
Flood-weary Midwesternersfought Friday to save their homes and businesses from rivers spilling over their banks after rainstorms blamed for at least 16 deaths moved through the region.
* In eastern Missouri, Major Byron Medloch of the Salvation Army said Friday that 1,000 people displaced by the Meramec River were housed in shelters.
* To the north, a fresh snowstorm blew through Minnesota and into the Chicago area, prompting authorities to cancel flights.
* In northern Maine, a blizzard warning remained in effect after fierce winds already had scattered a foot or more of snow.
Color my world
CALCUTTA Children in India, their faces smeared with colored powder, prepare Friday to celebrate Holi, the spring festival of colors that starts Saturday. The festival traditions also are associated with harvest, fertility and lores of Lord Krishna, Hinduism’s most popular god.
THE DIGIT
100 mph
Top speed at which a bevy of officers chased a stolen doughnut deliveryvan in Toledo, Iowa, on Friday, before arresting the driver at gunpoint. Frank Alvarado, 46, of Moline, Ill., was charged with theft.
