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Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Former Republican N.C. Sen. Jesse Helms dies at 86
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Former Sen. Jesse Helms, who built a career along the fault lines of racial politics and battled liberals, Communists and the occasional fellow Republican during 30 conservative years in Congress, died on the Fourth of July. He was 86.
4 Jul 2008 at 1:25pm

Jesse Helms quotes on life and politics
Some quotes of Jesse Helms, who died on the Fourth of July at age 86:
4 Jul 2008 at 10:18am

4 people dead in Milwaukee shooting; no arrests
MILWAUKEE -- At least one gunman fired into a crowd of more than 100 people partying in the street early Friday, killing four of them, police said.
4 Jul 2008 at 12:21pm

Chestnut wins hot dog contest after eat-off
NEW YORK -- Joey Chestnut reclaimed the top spot at the annual hot dog eating contest in Coney Island on Friday after first tying with archrival Takeru Kobayashi in a 10-minute chow-down and then beating him in a five-dog eat-off.
4 Jul 2008 at 2:04pm

Wildfire chases July 4th visitors from Big Sur
BIG SUR, Calif. -- Independence Day is normally a booming time for tourism here, with visitors settling into cliffside vacation homes or trekking out to campgrounds nestled among the redwoods. But this year, the only out-of-towners in Big Sur are firefighters working around the clock to save the storied community from flames.
4 Jul 2008 at 1:41pm

Guerrilla gardeners dig in to beautify Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES -- More than a dozen people, some wearing orange protective gear, pulled rakes and shovels from a dingy shopping cart and started working on a parched patch of land along a busy off-ramp of the Hollywood Freeway.
4 Jul 2008 at 11:38am

Tension builds over Coney Island rebuilding plan
NEW YORK -- The Fourth of July weekend has always been one of the most exciting times of the year for Coney Island: Crowds line the boardwalk to watch the hot-dog eating contest, visitors take terrifying roller coaster rides, and beachgoers frolic in the sand and surf.
4 Jul 2008 at 10:35am

Freed US hostages, families reuniting in Texas
FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas -- Back on U.S. soil, three American hostages rescued from Colombia rebels are now in the process of reintegrating into a society they've been absent from for more than five years.
4 Jul 2008 at 4:07am

Crazy cat that frightened neighborhood mends ways
FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- A combative cat named Lewis who frightened the neighbors and got his owner into legal trouble two years ago has done so well under house arrest that the case has now been scratched.
4 Jul 2008 at 12:11pm

Larry Harmon, longtime Bozo the Clown, dead at 83
LOS ANGELES -- Larry Harmon wasn't the original Bozo the Clown, but he was the real one. Harmon, who portrayed the wing-haired clown for more than half a century, died Thursday of congestive heart failure, said his publicist, Jerry Digney. He was 83.
4 Jul 2008 at 11:36am

BBC: Americas

Betancourt joy at French return
French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt expresses her thanks as she lands in France, days after her release from captivity.
4 Jul 2008 at 11:08am


Ex-Senator Jesse Helms dies at 86
Former US Republican Senator Jesse Helms - a leading conservative politician - dies aged 86, officials say.
4 Jul 2008 at 11:06am


Fires lead to California exodus
Thousands of people are told to leave their homes as wildfires burn in large areas of the US state of California.
4 Jul 2008 at 2:50am


Bush to attend Olympic ceremony
US President George W Bush will attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, the White House says.
4 Jul 2008 at 1:08am


McCain urges more border security
White House hopeful John McCain tells Mexicans better border security must come before immigration reform.
4 Jul 2008 at 5:25am


Google must divulge YouTube log
Google must divulge the viewing habits of every user who has ever watched avideo on YouTube, says a US court.
3 Jul 2008 at 3:19pm


US loses 62,000 jobs during June
US firms cut jobs for a sixth month in June, stoking fears the world's largest economy is heading for a recession.
3 Jul 2008 at 9:11am


Five to face Concorde crash trial
A US airline and five people are to be tried for manslaughter over the 2000 Concorde crash, French judicial officials say.
3 Jul 2008 at 6:31am


Paulson admits regulatory errors
The system for regulating US banks should have performed better, US Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson admits.
3 Jul 2008 at 6:02am


The man who made Bozo the Clown a household name dies
Larry Harmon, the man who popularised the show business character Bozo the Clown, dies of heart failure aged 83.
3 Jul 2008 at 11:30pm


Fossilised trees and dinosaur bones return home to Argentina
Four tonnes of dinosaur bones and other fossils stolen from Argentina are back home after they were seized on the US black market.
3 Jul 2008 at 10:15pm

Time to end love affair with the car
Why it is time to end our love affair with the car
3 Jul 2008 at 5:44am

Tackling Zimbabwe
Matt Frei, presenter of BBC World News America, reflects on the international community's attempts to tackle Zimbabwe.
24 Jun 2008 at 8:56pm


US sprinter admits heroin dealing
US sprinter Tim Montgomery admits dealing heroin, two months after he was jailed for fraud.
3 Jul 2008 at 5:12pm


Tennis: Williams sisters in final
Serena Williams will face sister Venus for the third time in a Wimbledon final after bringing Zheng Jie's incredible run to an end with a 6-2 7-6 win.
3 Jul 2008 at 12:40pm

NY Times: National

Blazes in California Take a Toll on Fireworks
Wildfires have prompted some California towns and cities to impose a temporary ban on the use of fireworks.


by By JESSE McKINLEY
4 Jul 2008 at 2:32am

Two Subplots in Guantánamo?s Long Legal Story
The Bush administration?s effort to prosecute detainees at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, now has two fast-moving subplots, and either one could soon write something of a final chapter.


by By WILLIAM GLABERSON
4 Jul 2008 at 6:15am

Copying Issue Raises Hurdle for Bush Pick
For Michael E. O?Neill, who helped steer Supreme Court nominations through the confirmation process, there are signs his nomination to a federal district court might be difficult as well.


by By ADAM LIPTAK
4 Jul 2008 at 2:37am

Obama Fuels Pullout Debate With Remarks
Change in Iraq has posed a challenge for Barack Obama, who said he might ?refine? his policies but later held a news conference to clarify his statement.


by By MICHAEL COOPER and JEFF ZELENY
4 Jul 2008 at 1:39pm

Outlook Darker as Jobs Are Lost
The unemployment rate held steady as 62,000 jobs disappeared in June, the Labor Department reported.


by By LOUIS UCHITELLE
4 Jul 2008 at 4:39am

2 Supervisors Are Arrested After Sweep at Meat Plant
Hundreds of illegal immigrants were rounded up in May at the kosher meatpacking plant in Iowa, and the two supervisors were arrested on criminal immigration charges.


by By JULIA PRESTON
3 Jul 2008 at 11:25pm

Governor of Florida Is Rebuffed on Gambling
The Florida Supreme Court ruled that Gov. Charlie Crist overstepped his authority in a deal that let the Seminole Tribe install slot machines and offer blackjack and baccarat at its casinos.


by By CHRISTINE JORDAN SEXTON
3 Jul 2008 at 11:31pm

Report Finds Far More Viewing of Celebrities? Passport Files
A report found that employees may have improperly peeked into the passport files of wealthy people and celebrities far more often than previously believed.


by By NEIL A. LEWIS
4 Jul 2008 at 4:10am

Google Told to Turn Over User Data of YouTube
The order raised concerns that the online video viewing habits of tens of millions of people could be exposed.


by By MIGUEL HELFT
3 Jul 2008 at 11:30pm

California Fire Creeps Closer to Homes in Big Sur
Residents of the scenic Big Sur Valley watched anxiously as authorities ordered more coastal residents to evacuate.


by By JESSE McKINLEY
3 Jul 2008 at 11:35pm

McCain Winds Up Latin Trip in Mexico
Senator John McCain used his visit to appeal to residents of both sides of the border: Mexicans and, more urgently, Latinos in the United States.


by By ELISABETH BUMILLER and MARC LACEY
4 Jul 2008 at 3:03am

Target: Barack Obama. Strategy: What Day Is It?
Senator John McCain has struggled to solidify lines of attack against Senator Barack Obama, Republican operatives say and some of his own advisers acknowledge.


by By PATRICK HEALY
4 Jul 2008 at 3:02am

National Briefing | Midwest: Kansas: No Indictment For Abortion Doctor
A doctor whose Wichita clinic is one of the nation?s few providers of late-term abortions was not indicted at the end of a six-month investigation on Wednesday by a citizen-initiated grand jury, an unusual practice allowed in only a handful of states. The jurors said their investigation into the clinic of the doctor, George Tiller, right, did not yield sufficient evidence of a crime, but they noted that a review of medical records ?revealed a number of questionable late-term abortions? that might not have met a common interpretation of the words in state law, which limits abortions of viable fetuses to pregnant women who would otherwise face ?substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function.? The jury was convened after abortion opponents collected signatures to prompt the investigation.


by By CATRIN EINHORN
4 Jul 2008 at 2:08am

National Briefing | Midwest: Ohio: Diocese?s Ex-Accountant Is Guilty of Tax C...
A federal jury convicted the former top accountant at the Cleveland Catholic Diocese of tax charges, but acquitted him of more serious charges related to kickback accusations. The jury in the trial of the man, Joseph H. Smith, 51, had been deliberating for nearly two weeks. The prosecution portrayed Mr. Smith as a manipulator who arranged $785,000 in kickbacks and secret payments because he felt he was underpaid. He was acquitted of more serious charges of mail fraud related to the alleged kickbacks, but convicted of six tax-related charges. A judge had earlier dismissed money laundering charges. Sentencing was set for Oct. 3. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.


by By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
4 Jul 2008 at 2:08am

National Briefing | South: Kentucky: Mistrial In Fen-Phen Case
Two lawyers accused of defrauding their clients in a diet-drug settlement of $65 million were sent back to jail, after a jury in Covington deadlocked and a federal judge declared a mistrial. The jury considered the case against the lawyers, William Gallion and Shirley Cunningham Jr., for eight days, and twice in two days sent out notes indicating it was stumped. A third defendant, Melbourne Mills Jr., was acquitted this week. All faced a single charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The case has been watched in the horse racing industry because Mr. Gallion and Mr. Cunningham are part-owners of the 2007 Horse of the Year, Curlin. Prosecutors said they planned to request and schedule a new trial in the next two months. The lawyers were accused of keeping millions of dollars that should have gone to plaintiffs in a $200 million settlement of a class-action lawsuit over the diet drug fen-phen.


by By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
4 Jul 2008 at 2:09am

Reuters US

Firefighters hold line on California wildfires
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California firefighters held the line overnight on two wildfires burning along the California coast that threatened more than 4,000 homes and other structures, fire officials said on Friday morning.