Around the Nation

ANCHORAGE -- The Army has decided to cut off retirement pay for veterans of a largely Alaska Native militia formed to guard the then-territory from Japan during World War II. Officials said a nearly decade-old law under which they received the pay was misinterpreted and applied only to military benefits. Twenty-six surviving members of the Alaska Territorial Guard, most in their 80s and long retired, will lose as much as $557 in monthly pay starting next month.

Van Kills 2 Schoolchildren in N.Y.

NEW YORK -- A delivery van hit a group of children walking from a library back to their day-care center in the city's busy Chinatown district, killing two of them and seriously injuring a third, authorities said. Bellevue Hospital treated 14 of the children for minor injuries.

Portland Mayor Urged to Quit

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Four Portland newspapers and the city police union are calling on Mayor Sam Adams (D) to resign after he admitted he lied by denying he had a sexual relationship with a teenage boy. He admitted this week that he lied to cover up his relationship with a teenage legislative intern because a potential mayoral candidate had spread rumors that Adams had sex with a minor. Adams, 45, became mayor Jan. 1, making Portland the largest U.S. city with an openly gay mayor.

Police Quell Snowball Fight

GREENVILLE, N.C. -- Authorities at East Carolina University say a huge snowball fight got out of control, forcing campus police to use pepper spray on some students to contain the rowdy crowd. The college is in a part of the state that seldom gets snow, but a rare storm dropped several inches on campus.

-- From News Services