State

• Former Ill. mayor pleads guilty to kickback scheme

National

• Boo! Revelers celebrate the spookiest of holidays

• SC boy shot, killed trick-or-treating; 2 injured

• Vigilance deters Halloween eve arsons in Detroit

• Man charged with killing wife he reported missing

• Boat runs aground near Miami Beach; 3 killed

• Michigan teen gets life for poisoning grandmother

• State Department warns of possible identity theft

• Obama aunt from Kenya living in US illegally

• Passenger trains gain favor with public, Congress

International

• US deaths in Iraq plunge to wartime low in October

• US says it killed 19 militants in Afghanistan

  • Auditor cites Afghanistan rebuilding challenges

• Libya completes payments for US terror victims

• Official: Yemen IDs attackers in US embassy attack

• Congolese behind rebel lines try to return home

• Pakistan officials: toll from US strike reaches 29

• China: Feed makers defied rule in adding chemical

Election

• Obama, McCain visit red states in final stretch

• AP poll shows Obama backers gleeful, McCain's glum

• McCain, the battle-scarred warrior, fights on

• Barack Obama: An 'improbable' journey into history

• Palin might not be permitted to cash in on fame

• Study: Media coverage has favored Obama campaign

ODD & Extraordinary

• Cheetah on plane gets loose in cargo hold

• Whoa! No Halloween hijinks in Sleepy Hollow

• Attack ad inadvertently targets wrong candidate

• Long overdue library book returned to Okla. school

• Police stop traffic on NC road to help momma bear

• False alarm means decontamination of Ohio students

• Man sets self aflame at Seattle college and dies

Science, Technology & The Environment

• Judge gives red light to green cabs in NYC

• Scientists to measure quake effect on Acropolis

Entertainment, Entertainers and the Arts

• Author, activist Studs Terkel dies at 96

• Paparazzo's suit against Keanu Reeves goes to jury

• Joaquin Phoenix quitting movies to focus on music

• Fox's long-running 'King of the Hill' canceled

• McCain set for 'Saturday Night Live' cameo

• Dutch museum confirms authenticity of 2 Van Goghs

Today

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