State

• Illinois governor gaining reputation as indecisive

• Dog attends class with autistic boy; battle looms

National

• Mass. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy dies at age 77

  • Kennedy: Always in the public spotlight

• NC terror suspect said dad sold guns

• Prosecutor to talk with clergy about slain pastor

• Workers at home where chaplain fell criticized

• Hope, reality collide in post-Katrina New Orleans

• 'Phishing' drops; are scammers switching tactics?

• No joke, comedian sued over mother-in-law humor

• SC retiree: $260M Powerball prize won't change me

International

• Powerful Iraqi Shiite leader has died in Iran

• Taliban deny role in southern Afghan attack

• Koreas hold talks on reuniting divided families

• French agent kidnapped in Somalia escapes

• After fires out, Athens residents assess damage

• Upstart party has already changed Japan politics

• Most China organ transplants come from death row

Politics & Government

• Obama calls Kennedy greatest senator of our time

• Interrogation probe steams those on right and left

• AP IMPACT: Politics can drive stimulus priorities

• Postal Service offers $15,000 buyouts to cut costs

ODD & Extraordinary

• Papa John's founder pays $250K for beloved Camaro

• Irate woman allegedly threatens postal worker

• Police: Man used cab as getaway after robbing bank

• Police say man fell asleep in the wrong home

• Man arrested in NM for 22nd drunk driving offense

• Man's drive-through doze leads to DUI charges

• New park offers X-rated views of NYC hotel guests

• Man accused of stealing car, piggy bank cash

• Drunk man found at grocery store eating avocados

• Chicken owner shoots own leg while hunting opossum

• NYC's 'skinniest' house has fat price tag: $2.7M

Entertainment, Entertainers, Media & Arts

• Chris Brown sentenced in Rihanna assault case

• Time gap in Jackson death could prove key to case

• Billboard names Beyonce as 'Woman of the Year'

Science, Technology & Environment

• Bad valve forces NASA to call off shuttle launch

• Death rate spikes among migrating whooping cranes

Today

• This day in history

• The nation's weather