Dr.: Conn. man said he raped woman post-strangling

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — A man convicted of killing a woman and her two daughters in a 2007 home invasion told a psychiatrist he strangled and then raped the woman in a rage triggered after his co-defendant told him he had killed the girls.

But the psychiatrist, who was called by the defense, acknowledged Steven Hayes' account was at odds with what he told police immediately after the crime.

Hayes' attorneys are trying to persuade a jury to spare him the death penalty by arguing Hayes was a follower and Joshua Komisarjevky, who awaits trial, was the mastermind who escalated the violence. The psychiatrist, Dr. Eric Goldsmith, concluded Hayes was in an extreme emotional state at …

Denmark: Bendnter back in training, coach out sick

On a day its coach skipped practice with a fever, Denmark's injury situation improved.

Striker Nicklas Bendtner and defender Simon Kjaer were back in training Tuesday, but the team received another setback when coach Morten Olsen called in sick.

Olsen, 60, contracted a virus that has circulated through the squad for two weeks and temporarily left assistant coach Peter Bonde in charge of World Cup preparations, team spokesman Lars Berendt said.

None of the players was reported ill. All 23 took part in the team's training session at Denmark's base camp in Knysna.

Bendtner …

Compost use is advocated as Israeli landfills close

A group called the Forum for Integrated Solid Waste Management is trying the shift government policy away from incineration and wholesale landfilling towards source separation and composting of the waste stream, which is about 50 percent organics. In June, 1993, the Israeli government announced a plan to close about 400 landfills and establish three or four large regional state of the art landfills. So far about 135 landfills have closed, but many new unapproved sites have opened up or expanded on existing sites. Now that community opposition has prevented the opening of two of the main sites, at Dudaim in the south and Talya …

Prosecutor in Vick Case Re-Elected

A prosecutor who was criticized for his handling of the Michael Vick dogfighting investigation defeated a write-in challenger to keep his job, an election official said Wednesday.

Surry County Commonwealth's Attorney Gerald G. Poindexter got 1,657 votes to challenger Ed Vaughn's 1,173 in Tuesday's election, county registrar Lucille Epps said.

Poindexter has held the job since 1995.

Vaughn, who has been a prosecutor for 24 years but is now in private practice, said Wednesday the Vick case did not motivate his challenge of Poindexter.

"It probably had more to do with narcotics enforcement _ or a lack of narcotics enforcement _ …

NASA hopes to land space shuttle on Sunday

NASA managers have cleared space shuttle Endeavour to return to Earth on Sunday; now all they need is for the weather to cooperate.

Endeavour's seven astronauts hoped to end their space station delivery and repair mission at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where their families were waiting. But Sunday morning, Mission Control informed the crew that dangerously high wind and possible thunderstorms were expected, not to mention moderate turbulence.

Good weather was predicted for the backup landing site in Southern California, Edwards Air Force Base. "It looks real nice out there," Mission Control radioed.

…

Alley takes a Long look

Actress Kirstie Alley is off to a flying start on NBC-TV's"Cheers" after showing up for her first rehearsal as a Shelley Longlook-alike.

"I wanted to break the ice and get off to a fresh start," saidAlley, who broke up the cast with laughter as she paraded in a blondwig and a conservative dress …

Reba McEntire's `Duets' Debuts at No. 1

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Reba McEntire's "Reba Duets" has debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's 200 Top Albums, her best first-week showing on the chart.

"I am beyond thrilled to have my biggest sales week ever with my 31st album," the 52-year-old country singer said in a statement Wednesday. "To get to share it with all my friends on this duets project is icing on the cake."

The album's guests include Kenny Chesney, Kelly Clarkson, Ronnie Dunn (of Brooks & Dunn), Vince Gill, Don Henley, Faith Hill, Carole King, Rascal Flatts, LeAnn Rimes, Justin Timberlake and Trisha Yearwood.

Released Sept. …