State

• Obama resigning Senate seat effective Sunday

• Former radical Ayers distances himself from Obama

• Suits claim election-night abuse by Chicago police

National

• Fire destroys 80 homes, injures 4 in SoCal town

• Special prosecutor to handle Texas dragging case

• Groups line up for another bailout

  • Banks say they're using bailout money for loans

• Labor Department finalizes new family-leave rules

• S.C. priest: No communion for Obama supporters

• Dunwoody to be first female 4-star general

International

• CIA: Hunt for bin Laden still a top priority

• North Korea blames South for deteriorating ties

• Police: Japanese man wounded in northwest Pakistan

• Taliban kill mullah critical of suicide attacks

• Gaza violence continues with airstrike, rockets

• World leaders to face off on financial fixes

• Pirates hit Russian-operated ship off Somalia

Politics

• Officials: Sen. Clinton eyed as secretary of state

• The Influence Game: Lobbyists adapt to power shift

• John Edwards, Karl Rove debate in S.F.

ODD & Extraordinary

• Man and pet alligator arrive at bar; cops called

• Mom was right: N.J. tree heads to Rockefeller Center

• Robber threatens to complain after finding no cash

• Man accused of urinating on arresting officer

• Trooper cites pair for DUI in single traffic stop

• Man marks 101st birthday with spin in vintage car

• Beer truck driver accused of driving drunk

• Woman gets jail for using kids in volleyball scam

• Russian Orthodox church stolen -- brick by brick

• N.Y. pet cemetery ranked among Taj Mahal, pyramids

Science, Technology & The Environment

• Images captured of 4 planets outside solar system

• Long-lost lunar photos get another day in the sun

• Archaeologists unearth 8th-century church in Syria

• UN: Clouds of pollution threaten glaciers, health

Entertainment, Entertainers and the Arts

• LeBron James has Manilow on iPod

• Kanye West says he's 'voice of this generation'

• On the Net: Webisodes, from ESPN to 'The Office'

• NBC axes 'Lipstick Jungle,' 'My Own Worst Enemy'

• Wall Street Journal best-sellers

Today

• This day in history

• The nation's weather