NEW YORK
Kemp cancer: Jack Kemp, the former housing secretary, congressman, vice presidential candidate and pro quarterback, has been diagnosed with cancer. A statement did not say what kind.
GHANA
“Honesty, fairness, compassion and sincerity will be the hallmark of my administration.”
— Ghana’s new president, John Atta Mills (above), speaking as he took office vowing to “heal wounds and unite our dear nation” after a peaceful but tense election that secured the country?s status as one of Africa?s few stable democracies.
COLORADO
Racial milestone: Terrance Carroll was chosen Wednesday as speaker of Colorado’s House of Representatives, making the state the first where blacks lead both chambers of its legislature. Senate President Peter Groff was elected to his position a year ago.
ZIMBABWE
Dissidents plead: Seven opposition party members were charged in an alleged bomb plot. See chicagotribune.com/zimbabwe
AFGHANISTAN
Taliban targeted: U.S.-led forces raided a Taliban bombmaking cell, killing 32 insurgents in a battle with scores of armed militants who shot at them from rooftops and alleyways, the military said.
UNITED STATES
Salmonella outbreak: Health officials are investigating a salmonella outbreak that has reportedly sickened nearly 400 people in 42 states. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not named all the states. Michigan had 20 cases, and at least 50 were reported in Ohio.
MISSISSIPPI
68 per 1,000
Mississippi’s teen birth rate, highest in the U.S. and more than 60 percent higher than the national average in 2006, according to the federal government.
To see how Illinois and other states ranked, go to chicagotribune.com/teenbirths
MEXICO
Drug killings: Overnight violence in Tijuana claimed seven victims. Police say gunmen opened fire from several cars late Tuesday, killing a man; two bodies were found wrapped in blankets; and four decapitated bodies were found.
CALIFORNIA
Passenger subdued: A Kentucky man who claimed to have a bomb aboard a Los Angelesbound jetliner and was then tackled and bound by other passengers will not face federal charges, the FBI said Wednesday. No bomb was found aboard the Delta Air Lines Flight 110 from Atlanta.
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Page compiled from Tribune news services
