Jackson’s kids to remain with their grandmother

Jackson’s kids to remain with their grandmother

LOS ANGELES — Michael Jackson’s children will live with their grandmother under an agreement reached with the King of Pop’s ex-wife that should ensure the youngsters return to the privacy they enjoyed when their father was alive.

The agreement announced Thursday preserves Jackson’s wishes as spelled out in his 2002 will and maintains a stable parenting figure in their lives. It also reopens the door to a relationship with Deborah Rowe, who is the mother of Jackson’s two oldest children.

Rowe will be allowed to visit her children, as part of the agreement. Those visits will be coordinated by a child psychologist.

2 cops accused of running criminal check on Obama

DECATUR, Ga. — Authorities are investigating two Atlanta-area police officers accused of using government computers to run a criminal background check on President Barack Obama.

DeKalb County police spokeswoman Sheila Edwards confirmed Thursday that officers Ryan White and C.M. Route have been placed on paid administrative leave while the July 20 incident is investigated. She said both officers have worked for the department for about two years.

Last-minute rescue of three federal programs

WASHINGTON — Congress on Thursday came to the rescue of three recession-hit programs, including aid for unemployment benefits, that face serious disruptions in services while lawmakers are on vacation in August.

Lawmakers, eyeing their departures from Washington, moved with unusual speed to approve the three-part package that adds $7 billion to the highway trust fund, replenishes the federal unemployment insurance trust fund and gives new lending authority to Federal Housing Administration programs that play a large role in providing low-interest housing loans.

All three are at risk of running short of money in August.

The Senate passed the measure 79-17 on Thursday, a day after it won overwhelming approval in the House. It now goes to President Barack Obama for his signature.

Pawlenty: GOP should welcome outsiders

SAN DIEGO — Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty urged fellow Republicans on Thursday to welcome outsiders into the party ranks rather than scorn them, as the GOP rebuilds from defeats last year that left the White House and Congress in Democratic hands.

The potential 2012 presidential candidate, addressing a meeting of the Republican National Committee, appealed to members to build bridges to independents and conservative-leaning Democrats that would win converts and, in turn, elections.

To move forward at a time when Republican numbers are shrinking in many states, the party should show “respect of those who don’t agree with us,” Pawlenty said.

Islamist leader killed

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria — The leader of the Islamist sect blamed for days of violence in northern Nigeria has been shot and killed while in police custody, officials said Thursday.

The police commander of Borno state announced on state radio that Mohammed Yusuf, the leader of the sect some call the Nigerian Taliban, has “died in police custody.”

He gave no further explanation, but the state governor’s spokesman Usman Ciroma told The Associated Press: “I saw his body at police headquarters. I believe he was shot while he was trying to escape.”

Yusuf’s death could provoke more violence, though his followers in the Boko Haram sect may be in disarray after troops shelled his compound in the northern city of Maiduguri on Wednesday.

Texting, talking leads to crash into pool

LOCKPORT, N.Y. — Police say a western New York tow-truck driver was texting on one cell phone while talking on another when he slammed into a car and crashed into a swimming pool.

Niagara County sheriff’s deputies say 25-year-old Nicholas Sparks of Burt admitted he was texting and talking when his flatbed truck hit the car Wednesday morning in Lockport, which is outside Buffalo.

The truck then crashed through a fence and sideswiped a house before rolling into an in-ground pool.

Police say the 68-year-old woman driving the car suffered head injuries and was in good condition. Her 8-year-old niece suffered minor injuries.

Sparks was charged with reckless driving, talking on a cell phone and following too closely.

Associated Press