NATION IN BRIEF

Texas Executes Mentally Ill Man

HUNTSVILLE, Tex. -- A mentally ill killer was executed Tuesday evening after Gov. Rick Perry (R) rejected an unusual parole board recommendation to commute the inmate's death sentence or delay the lethal injection.

Kelsey Patterson, 50, a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic, was condemned for a double slaying almost 12 years ago. His lethal injection has renewed the legal quandary of whether it is proper to execute someone who is mentally ill when the Supreme Court says it is unconstitutional to execute someone who is mentally retarded.

• DENVER -- An investigative panel said that sex, alcohol and drugs were used to lure football recruits to the University of Colorado and that lax oversight by top university officials was to blame. The panel's report said there was no evidence officials condoned misconduct, but it suggested they were lazy, ineffective or simply ignored what was going on in the top athletic program at the state's flagship university.

-- From News Services