The nation in brief

— QUOTE OF THE DAY

"There is no other Democrat who could carry the base of the Democratic Party and get them to do what really has to be done in a compromise situation."

Sen. Orrin Hatch,

R-Utah, saying the absence of Sen. Edward Kennedy hurts the chances of Congress passing a health-care plan Article, this pageStay away, 200 in N.J. tell Gadhafi

ENGLEWOOD, N.J. - More than 200 people gathered Sunday to tell Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi that he's not welcome in their suburban New Jersey community, including several who lost relatives in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.

Gov. Jon Corzine was among those who attended the event in Englewood, where the Libyan government has been renovating a 5-acre estate ahead of Gadhafi's first U.S. visit, scheduled for next month. Gadhafi had been expected to pitch a ceremonial Bedouin-style tent on the grounds, but his representatives announced Friday that he would remain in Manhattan where he's addressing the United Nations General Assembly, after rumors of his visit to New Jersey sparked an uproar last week.

"This is a community that's still in pain," Corzine said. "To not have him here is a victory."

Corzine called the Pan Am bombing, widely believed to be the work of Libyan intelligence, a precursor to 9/11. New Jersey and New York suffered heavily in both attacks. The Pan Am attack claimed 259 lives on the plane and 11 more on the ground, and the 97 residents of New York and New Jersey killed represent more than half of the 189 Americans on the plane.

Gadhafi celebrates his 40th year as ruler of the oil-rich North African kingdom today.

Shuttle Discovery arrives at space station

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Discovery pulled up and docked at the international space station on Sunday night, delivering a full load of gear and science experiments.

A thruster failure made the rendezvous more than 200 miles above the Atlantic all the more challenging for shuttle commander Rick Sturckow.

One of Discovery's small thrusters began leaking shortly after Friday's midnight liftoff and was shut down. None of the little jets were available for the rendezvous and docking, and Sturckow had to use the bigger, more powerful primary thrusters, making for a somewhat bumpier, noisier ride.

Struckow trained for this backup method - never before attempted for a space station docking - well before the flight.

NASA said everything went well.

Discovery and its crew of seven are dropping off thousands of pounds of equipment, including a treadmill named for comedian Stephen Colbert.

3 missing boaters found alive off Texas

PORT ARANSAS, Texas - Three Texas boaters missing for a week were reunited with their families early Sunday after they were found alive, sitting on top of their capsized catamaran 180 miles from land, the Coast Guard said.

The crew of the Affordable Fantasy spotted the men Saturday night off Port Aransas and rescued them from their 23-foot catamaran, said Petty Officer 3rd Class Renee Aiello. A Coast Guard boat met them and took them back to land, where EMS crews were waiting for them. They declined medical attention.

The three were reported missing Aug. 22 after they left Matagorda, about 90 miles southwest of Houston, on a fishing trip and never returned. Port Aransas is about 130 miles from Matagorda.

"They probably stayed with the boat for almost eight days," said Aiello, who did not have any other details about what happened to the men during the week they were missing.

They were identified as Curtis Hall, 28, of Palacios; Tressel Hawkins, 43, of Markham; and James Phillips, 30, of Blessing, who owned the boat.

The Coast Guard had called off its search Friday after scouring 86,000 square miles of water without finding them.

N.M. boy to be charged in father's death

BELEN, N.M. - Police in New Mexico said a 10-year-old-boy will be charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of his father.

Belen Police said Sunday that the boy called authorities, who arrived at the family's home Thursday to find 42-year-old Byron Hilburn shot once in the head.

Police said the boy used his own rifle to shoot his father and that the boy told officers he thought his father was disciplining him too harshly and too often.

Police think the boy's 6-year-old sister witnessed the shooting. Authorities said she's with family members.

Hilburn was pronounced dead at an Albuquerque hospital.

The boy was taken into the custody of the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department at an undisclosed location.

Front Section, Pages 4 on 08/31/2009

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