hAlabama governor pardons Clyde the turkey

hAlabama governorpardons Clyde the turkey
MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- Gov. Bob Riley of Alabama spares the life of a turkey named Clyde during a ceremony on the lawn of the Governor's Mansion in the state capital. The annual Thanksgiving tradition is in its 58th year. Clyde was dressed in his best patriotic costume.
In tapes, accused saysslaying was an accident
SARASOTA, Fla. -- The man accused of abducting, raping and strangling 11-year-old Carlie Brucia said in taped conversations from jail that he was high on drugs during the crime and that the girl's death was an accident.
Prosecutors played the tapes for jurors Tuesday as they wrapped up their case against Joseph Smith. His defense attorney was to present arguments Wednesday before the case went to the jury. Carlie's disappearance received worldwide attention when a car-wash security camera captured the abduction in February 2004. Her body was found four days later near a church.
Smith, a 39-year-old former auto mechanic and father of three daughters, is charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and capital sexual battery. He has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.
Copy of document brings$688,000 in auction
NEW YORK -- A souvenir copy of the Emancipation Proclamation autographed by Abraham Lincoln sold for $688,000 on Tuesday at an auction of American artifacts collected by the late publishing magnate Malcolm Forbes.
The text is believed to be one of about 15 surviving copies of an oversize printing of the proclamation made by a pair of Philadelphians in 1864 to raise money for war relief. The Emancipation Proclamation, freeing the slaves in the Confederate states, was issued in 1863.
Christie's auction house declined to identify the buyer but said it was a New York-based dealer.
The document was one of a number of remarkable items on the auction block Tuesday from Forbes' collection of American historical documents.
Crack in ceiling closesN.Y. Senate chamber
ALBANY, N.Y. -- New York's Senate chamber won't be used for a session set for later this month because X-rays detected a long crack in the ceiling more than 50 feet above where the lawmakers sit.
"What looks like a giant crack here, is a giant crack," said Capitol architect James Jamieson as he displayed X-ray images for reporters who joined him Tuesday in a balcony overlooking the chamber.
"It puts us out of business here for a little while," said Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno.
Asked if there was concern for the safety of those working in the chamber since 2003 when a piece of wood putty fell from the ceiling, alerting officials to the possible problem, Bruno said there was not.
Jamieson agreed and said it wasn't until last month that they learned the nature of the problem when they put up scaffolding and took the X-rays of a more than 50-foot-long truss.
Montana holds bison hunt
GARDINER, Mont. -- Montana's first bison hunt in 15 years opened at sunrise Tuesday, with a 17-year-old boy bagging the first buffalo within 90 minutes.
The hunt, aimed at thinning the bison population near Yellowstone National Park, came after years of protests from animal rights activists. State and federal officials say the hunt will help manage a population that has grown to an estimated 4,900 animals, more than some fear the area can support. Some ranchers also worry that some diseased bison could spread illness to cattle.
George Clement, a teenager who took the day off from school, killed the first bison near Gardiner. Officials later confirmed a second bison was killed on private property near the park's western boundary.
Montana's last bison hunt was in 1990.
Associated Press