CAMBRIDGE, England -- British physicist Stephen Hawking, who has been "very ill," was hospitalized Monday, a Cambridge University statement said. A spokesman said Hawking, 67, a wheelchair-bound professor best-known as the author of "A Brief History of Time," was undergoing tests at the school's Addenbrooke's Hospital, the British tabloid The Daily Mail reported. The university did not provide details of Hawking's illness other than saying he was "very ill." "(Hawking) is undergoing tests. He has ... [full story]

NEW ORLEANS, April 20 (UPI) -- Police in New Orleans searched for two missing college students after charging a man with kidnapping them, investigators said Monday. Kenneth J. Barnes, 22, was charged with aggravated kidnapping and home invasion after the disappearance Sunday of Fitzgerald Phillips and Calyisse Perkins, both 19, The New Orleans Times-Picayune reported. Phillips and Perkins, both students at Southeastern Louisiana University, were kidnapped from Perkins' apartment by two men, police said. Barnes ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama challenged his Cabinet members Monday to each trim $100 million from departmental budgets while he reviews what programs can be erased. "(Take) $100 million here and $100 million there, and pretty soon, even in Washington, it adds up to real money," Obama said after his first meeting with his Cabinet. "We have an obligation to make sure that this government is as efficient as possible and that every taxpayer dollar ... [full story]

MINNEAPOLIS -- Al Franken's staff said Monday the Democratic U.S. senate candidate has picked his Minnesota state director though he has yet to have his victory certified. Franken has dipped into the congressional staff talent pool and selected longtime Democratic activist Alana Peterson, the Star Tribune reported. Peterson most recently was political director and state field director for U.S. Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., the Minneapolis newspaper noted. Franken spokeswoman Jess McIntosh said Peterson hasn't been ... [full story]

HAZARD, Ky. -- Kentucky officials have not sought charges against a state worker accused of falsifying mine inspection reports, the Louisville Courier-Journal reported Monday. Despite determining that Betty Sue Whitaker allegedly endangered coal miners by only pretending to evaluate workers as a safety analyst in the Hazard district of the state's Office of Mine Safety and Licensing, the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet has not asked a prosecutor to review the case for possible criminal ... [full story]

JUPITER, Fla. -- A surfer attacked by a shark at Jupiter, Fla., may have lost two toes, witnesses to the incident said. Officials at the Jupiter Medical Center said the unidentified male victim was in stable condition following the shark attack near Carlin Park, WPTV of Palm Beach, Fla., reported Monday. The man was attacked by the shark while surfing Sunday. Lifeguards attempted to stem the bleeding on his injured foot by wrapping it with ... [full story]

COLUMBINE, Colo. -- Hundreds of people turned out in Colorado to quietly mark Monday's 10th anniversary of the slaying of 12 students and one teacher at Columbine High School. Regina Evans, who was a sophomore at Columbine during the April 20, 1999, massacre, said she knew several of the victims. "I sat next to Kelly Fleming in math," Evans said. "She was just the sweetest person you could know. I just couldn't understand." Evans said ... [full story]

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit filed in San Jose, Calif., allege a defect in Sleep Number beds can cause them to incubate dangerous mold. Attorney Robert Gagliasso's law firm is heading up the lawsuit against the makers of the beds, Select Comfort Corp., alleging the company knew of the defect and concealed its existence, the Raleigh (N.C.) News & Observer said Monday. Gagliasso alleges in the suit that while not all ... [full story]

PLUMMERVILLE, Ark. -- Three boys all under the age of 10 drowned in Brewer Lake in Conway County, Ark., when their family vehicle drove into the lake, police say. Police said after 26 year-old Amanda Turley drove her vehicle into Brewer Lake Sunday, volunteers tried in vain to rescue her three sons before they drowned in the body of water near Plumerville, Ark., KATV of Little Rock, Ark., said. Killed in the incident were Turley's ... [full story]

DETROIT -- A 70-year-old man is in custody in Detroit for allegedly causing a bomb scare at the Motor City Casino with suspicious packages, police said Monday. Detroit Police Department spokesman James Tate said the unidentified suspect stands accused of leaving seven packages inside the casino's garage Sunday, prompting a bomb scare and lockdown procedures, the Detroit Free Press said. "They were fashioned to appear to be pipe bombs, but they were no threat," Tate ... [full story]