National News

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  Ethics committee admonishes Sen. Burris of Ill. in letter, but recommends no punishment

  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate ethics committee on Friday admonished Sen. Roland Burris, D-Ill., for making "inconsistent, misleading or incomplete" statements about the circumstances surrounding his appointment to the seat once held by Barack Obama. The committee recommended no action beyond... more

• Convicted ringleader of plot to destroy Sears Tower, bomb FBI offices gets 13-year prison term

  MIAMI (AP) — The ringleader of a group of men convicted of plotting to destroy Chicago's Sears Tower and bomb FBI offices has been sentenced to 13½ years in prison. more

• California investigates whether churches were cheated by leasing companies

  LOS ANGELES (AP) — California is investigating several companies suspected of bilking churches nationwide of hundreds of thousands of dollars through fraudulent computer leasing schemes, authorities said Friday. more

• Overweight students at university in Pennsylvania told to take fitness class or risk diplomas

  PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Pennsylvania university's requirement that overweight students take a fitness course to graduate has raised the hackles of students and the eyebrows of health and legal experts. more

• Teen pleads guilty in murder of Border Patrol agent shot 8 times, including 4 shots to head

  SAN DIEGO (AP) — A 17-year-old pleaded guilty Friday to murdering a Border Patrol agent who was shot eight times in head, neck and torso in the mountains east of San Diego. more

• Del. diocese: Pedophile priests should receive retirement benefits despite sexual abuse

  WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — The Catholic Diocese of Wilmington is obligated to pay retirement benefits to six priests who are confirmed pedophiles, church officials argued in a bankruptcy court filing seeking permission to keep making the payments. more

• University of Nebraska regents vote not to further restrict embryonic stem-cell research rules

  LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The University of Nebraska's governing board on Friday voted down a proposal to restrict the school's rules governing embryonic stem-cell research beyond what the federal government allows. more

• 2 former Pa. judges in juvenile kickbacks case win partial immunity from lawsuits

  SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) — Two former Pennsylvania judges accused of taking kickbacks to supply private detention facilities with juveniles have been granted partial immunity from civil liability. more

• LA jurors noted for anti-police leanings a concern for transit officer's murder trial

  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The decision to move Johannes Mehserle's trial to Los Angeles County is a setback for the former transit officer charged with killing an unarmed man on New Year's Day. more

• End of an era: Brunswick Naval Air Station's planes to depart as base readies for closing Photo

  BRUNSWICK, Maine (AP) — The rumble of Navy patrol aircraft flying overhead will soon be a thing of the past as the remaining P-3 Orions depart from Brunswick Naval Air Station. more