PALO ALTO, Calif. - Stanford University is dropping tuition charges for students whose families have less than six-figure incomes.The renowned school said Wednesday that it wouldn't charge tuition for families that earn less than $100,000 per year and would also drop room-and-board fees for families making less than $60,000."By devoting more resources to financial aid, we seek to underscore what has long been the case -- that no high school senior should rule out applying ... [full story]

LONDON - The former head of the British Secret Intelligence Service told a coroner's jury in London that the agency had nothing to do with Princess Diana's death.Sir Richard Dearlove, who worked for the agency also known as MI6 from 1966 to 2004, said the service carried out no assassinations that he knew of, The Sun reported Wednesday. He called the claims by Mohammed al-Fayed, owner of Harrod's Department Store, "a very personal allegation" since ... [full story]

LOS ANGELES - Former first lady Nancy Reagan is back in her California home after spending two days in the hospital following a fall.A family spokeswoman says the 86-year-old Mrs. Reagan underwent extensive tests at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica before being allowed to return to her Bel-Air home, The Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday. While the cause of her fall hasn't been determined yet, spokeswoman Joanne Drake says Mrs. Reagan did not suffer ... [full story]

ACCRA, Ghana - U.S. President George W. Bush Wednesday announced a new orphaned diseases initiative and sought to dispel concern about a U.S. military presence in Africa.Bush, speaking during a news conference with Ghana President John Agyekum Kufuor in Accra, said the United States would make available $350 million over five years to target neglected tropical diseases such as hookworm or river blindness. Also, the United States plans to specify nearly $17 million this year ... [full story]

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida school officials have voted to adopt curriculum language specifying that evolution will be taught as a "theory" in public schools.The Florida Board of Education voted 4-3 Tuesday to approve a measure that labels evolution and other scientific laws as theory. The Miami Herald said the decision was motivated in part to mollify complaints from religious advocates who had wanted rules allowing classroom debate on the validity of evolution.The Herald said the ... [full story]

SACRAMENTO - Republican lawmakers in the California Assembly have blocked an effort to close a loophole allowing people who purchase yachts to avoid state sales tax.Saying the move would do little to solve the state's multibillion-dollar deficit, Republicans charged ending the tax break would drive jobs out of California, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday. Democrats needed some Republican votes to achieve the necessary two-thirds majority to end the tax break. Instead, the vote was 47-18 ... [full story]

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. - The sister of late heavyweight champion Joe Louis died of exposure in the snow after wandering out of a retirement complex in a Detroit suburb.Vunies High, 92, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease, was dressed only in pajamas when she was found dead Monday morning, The Detroit News reported Wednesday. Lt. Nick Loussia of the Southfield Police said that High was last seen at about 8 p.m. Sunday, 14 hours earlier, and that ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Supreme Court issued three rulings Wednesday in which federal law trumped state statutes.In a case out of New Hampshire, the court ruled that federal law bars states from controlling the sale of tobacco to minors. In a second case, the court ruled that federal law prevents the referral of disputes to an administrative law judge if the two parties had previously agreed to arbitration.The court also ruled that states do not have ... [full story]

BAGHDAD - An Iraqi government minister and two of his bodyguards have been wounded in a roadside bomb explosion in Baghdad.Samir al-Attar, deputy Minister of Science and Technology, was driving through the eastern neighborhood of Zayouna when an explosion occurred near his two-vehicle convoy, the Kuwait News Agency KUNA reported Wednesday. A drive-by shooting in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul Wednesday claimed the lives of four policemen and injured a woman and child, while in ... [full story]

A 41-year old woman was taken into custody early Wednesday morning after police located her when she fled the scene of a stabbing at a northeast Bend motel. The suspect allegedly stabbed her husband in the back with scissors during an argument, police reported.   Becky Lenz - DCJ photo  Bend Police officers responded to a reported stabbing at unit #21 in the Edelweiss Motel at 2346 NE Division Street about 4:30 a.m., Lt. Ben Gregory said. ... [full story]