J1 News

"WASHINGTON - The Pentagon will spend $1 billion to deploy additional ballistic missile interceptors along the Pacific Coast to counter the growing reach of North Korea's weapons, a decision accelerated by Pyongyang's recent belligerence and indications that Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, is resisting China's efforts to restrain him."

"The Maryland General Assembly approved a measure Friday to repeal the state's death penalty. The House of Delegates voted 82 to 56 Friday to pass a bill already approved by the Senate, according to the AP. Maryland makes the 18th state to ban capital punishment."

"VATICAN CITY - With a puff of white smoke from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel and to the cheers of thousands of rain-soaked faithful, a gathering of Catholic cardinals picked a new pope from among their midst on Wednesday - choosing the cardinal from Argentina, the first South American to lead the church. The new pope, Jorge Mario Bergoglio (pronounced Ber-GOAL-io), will be called Francis, the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. He is also the first non-European pope in more than 1,200 years and the first member of the Jesuit order to lead the church"

August 16, 2010 The spring and summer didn't go as planned for Mark Angelo. The former Quakertown High standout began the year with the Seattle Mariners organization, but was released on Easter weekend just as the season was about to start. So, Angelo, who batted .272 in 39 games for Seattle's Arizona League affiliate in 2009, came back home and returned to his Blue Mountain League team, the Hellertown Royals. It may not have been where Angelo wanted to spend his summer, but he made the most of it.

"Stocks ended higher Wednesday, with the Dow extending its gains to post a record high for the second-straight day, amid signs of improvement in the labor market. The Dow Jones Industrial Average briefly crossed above 14,300 for the first time, led by Bank of America and Hewlett-Packard. Verizon led the blue-chip laggards."

"Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul staged the longest talking filibuster in recent Senate memory from Wednesday into early Thursday, railing with his colleagues for more than 12 hours against what they called the danger of drone strikes to U.S. citizens on American soil."

"(CNN) -- A 2-year-old Mississippi girl is the first child to be "functionally cured" of HIV, researchers announced Sunday. Researchers said they believe early intervention -- in this case within 30 hours of birth -- with three anti-viral drugs was key to the outcome. A "functional cure" is when the presence of the virus is so small, lifelong treatment is not necessary and standard clinical tests cannot detect the virus in the blood."

"FLEMINGTON - Robert Shore has asked Flemington officials to designate English as the borough's official language. Shore is a borough resident, landlord and businessman. He made the request at Borough Council's Feb. 25 meeting, urging them to adopt an ordinance to that effect. But Shore is not just an outspoken participant in most council meetings; he is on the board of directors of the Flemington Business Improvement District."

"Washington (CNN) -- An expanded Violence Against Women Act won bipartisan approval on Thursday from the U.S. House after Republicans failed to pass their own proposal due to a party split on an issue important to women and minority groups."

"SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - Ex-NBA star Dennis Rodman hung out with North Korea's Kim Jong Un during his improbable journey to Pyongyang, watching the Harlem Globetrotters with the leader and later drinking and dining on sushi with him. "You have a friend for life," Rodman told Kim before a crowd of thousands Thursday at a gymnasium where they sat side by side, chatting as they watched players from North Korea and the United States face off in mixed teams, Alex Detrick, a spokesman for the New York-based VICE media company, told The Associated Press. Rodman arrived in Pyongyang on Monday with three members of the professional Harlem Globetrotters basketball team, VICE correspondent Ryan Duffy and a production crew to shoot an episode on North Korea for a new weekly HBO series."

Not a news story for the quiz, but a study that could be used for news or feature stories in the future.

" Engineers worked gingerly to find out more about a slowly growing sinkhole that swallowed a Florida man in his bedroom, believing the entire house could eventually succumb to the unstable ground."

""Argo," which told the story of the rescue operation that saved six Americans during the Iran hostage crisis, took home three Oscars at the 85th Academy Awards, including the biggest award of the night: best picture."

"A special education teacher at Hunterdon Central Regional High School will compete on ABC-TV's Wheel of Fortune quiz game at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 27."

"Moscow (CNN) -- A meteor streaked through the skies above Russia's Urals region Friday morning before exploding with a flash and boom that shattered glass in buildings and left about 1,000 people hurt, authorities said"

LOS ANGELES - The Black Keys and their frontman, Dan Auerbach, emerged as the big winners at the Grammy Awards, taking home four trophies, including best rock album, but it was the British folk-rock group Mumford & Sons that won the coveted album of the year for "Babel."

Los Angeles (CNN) -- As the manhunt for the renegade ex-cop accused of killing three people in a revenge plot targeting the Los Angeles Police Department enters its second week, the big question facing authorities is: Where is Christopher Jordan Dorner? The search, considered one of the largest in the history of Southern California, has taken authorities from Orange County to the border of Mexico, from Los Angeles to the Big Bear Lake resort area of the San Bernardino Mountains. The city of Los Angeles put up $1 million in reward money Sunday for help catching Dorner, an announcement that followed news that the LAPD was reopening the case that resulted in his termination.

Emergency officials in seven Mississippi counties were dealing Monday with widespread damage after a swarm of storms swept through the area Sunday evening, injuring at least 16 people.