Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith can stop the chase now.

Linked as the NFL's leading receiver and rusher, two of the greatest players football has seen entered the Hall of Fame on Saturday night. Both admitted their destinies are fulfilled.

"This is finally it," Rice said. "There are no more routes to run, no more touchdowns to score, no more records to set. That young boy from Mississippi has finally stopped running.

"Let me stand here and catch my breath."

Along Gulf coast, capping of spill brings relief but fear of abandonment, too

The gusher has finally been beaten back, and from 400 miles up government satellites assure that the oil in the Gulf of Mexico is disappearing. But Dave Marino only wishes he could put that kind of distance between himself and the Deepwater Horizon spill.

As northern breezes drove tides lower in the last few days, temperatures well into the 90s seemed to reliquify the sludge lodged in marshes near Marino's home of Myrtle Grove, La., releasing a steady, black drip from the high grasses. Walking on the beach at Isle Grand Terre, Marino looked back to see oil oozing from his footprints in the sand.

After a 32-year wait, Dick LeBeau finally was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday night.

"Man, this really is a great day to be alive," said LeBeau, elected by the senior committee and the first of seven men who entered the shrine.

He was immediately followed by John Randle, who as a defensive tackle with the Vikings and Seahawks accumulated 137 1/2 sacks in 14 seasons, most for anyone at that position.

Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson say Pocono crash is in the past

"You wrecked me!"

"Did not!"

"Did so!"

"It was an accident."

"Was not."

"Was so."

Welcome to the prickly world of Kurt Busch and Jimmie Johnson, who just can't seem to stay out of each other's way on the racetrack.

A former city manager's huge $787,000 salary is only half of the unusually generous total compensation given to the official in the small California blue-collar city of Bell, according to local media reports.

Robert Rizzo's benefits, which included 20 weeks paid vacation, brought his total annual compensation to more than $1.5 million, KTTV Fox 11 News reported Friday night.

Elena Kagan was sworn in Saturday as the 112th justice and fourth woman ever to serve on the Supreme Court.

Chief Justice John Roberts administered the oath to Kagan in a brief private ceremony at the court. Kagan, joined by family and friends, pledged to faithfully and impartially uphold the law.

Panthers rookie CB McClain honors slain UConn teammate at training camp

The silver No. 6 pendant dangles at the end of a chain around Robert McClain's neck. The tattoo honoring his slain college teammate covers the left side of his rib cage.

The seventh-round pick is busy these days trying to stick with the Carolina Panthers. But the former Connecticut star still thinks about Jasper Howard every day, about how in a year the fellow cornerback was supposed to be in an NFL training camp, too.

"He was a playmaker, a playmaker. He was on his way, man," McClain said Friday of the close friend he called Jazz. "He definitely would have had an outstanding year his senior year."

HP CEO ousted over fudged expenses walking away with about $28m in cash, stock

Lauded for making Hewlett-Packard Co. the world's biggest technology company, CEO Mark Hurd was in talks for a new contract worth about $100 million, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.

Instead, he's getting almost one-third that much just to go away.

HP said Friday that it ousted Hurd after its investigation of a sexual harassment complaint found he had falsified expense reports and other documents to conceal a relationship with a contractor. Hurd also allegedly helped the woman get paid for work she didn't do.

By Jim Kouri

This week's indictments of 14 terrorism suspects have opened the eyes of many government officials to the danger brewing in Somalia: that this beleaguered African nation may turn out to be the new Afghanistan.

The four separate indictments were announced on Thursday in the District of Minnesota, the Southern District of Alabama and the Southern District of California charging 14 individuals with terrorism violations for providing money, personnel and services to the Somalia-based terrorist organization al-Shabaab, a group allied with al-Qaeda.

Finally, Albert Haynesworth passes conditioning test, allowed to practice with Redskins

Albert Haynesworth finally passed the Washington Redskins conditioning test Saturday morning, ending a daily soap opera that had overshadowed the first week-and-a-half of training camp.

Haynesworth arrived early at Redskins Park and completed both 300-yard back-and-fourth shuttle runs in the required times — and with no controversial bathroom break.

Haynesworth's success came on the 10th day of camp, and it meant he would be allowed to put on pads with his teammates for the first time.

Carolina ‘Shinefest Celebrates the legacy of moonshine in the Carolinas

On the Road | By Melany Dawn Crouse

MADISON, NC - You might of thought that moonshine, distilled corn whiskey, was a product of North Carolina’s not too distant past and it might be something that was going the way of the buffalo, but if you were in Madison last weekend for their annual ‘Shinefest, you might have a different perspective.

Every year in Madison, people from all over North Carolina and surrounding states come to enjoy tours of a working distillery, foot-tapping music, delicious food, arts & crafts from the finest artisans, locally-made beer, wine and spirits, celebrity appearances & more.

This year was no different.

My husband Jeff and I heard about ‘Shinefest and decided that it would be worth the drive just north of Winston-Salem to see what it was all about.

We are glad we did.

Results Indicate a Successful Academic Year

LINCOLN COUNTY - Lincoln County Schools released the 2009-2010 North Carolina ABC results today which included three schools in the district being recognized with the highest distinction as an Honor School of Excellence, 12 schools recognized as a School of Distinction and six schools named as a School of Progress.

This is the 14th year that North Carolina has used ABCs of Public Education to report on the performance of each public school and to identify where the state is successful with teaching and learning. The North Carolina ABC plan was developed by the North Carolina Board of Education to allow public schools to focus more on basic skills, higher accountability and more local control over educational decisions.

STAFF REPORTS

GASTON COUNTY -Gaston County Police are conducting a death investigation at 512 Paradise Circle Belmont, NC.

Police were notified by a neighbor of an individual unresponsive at approximately 2:47pm.

Upon arrival first responders determined the individual was deceased. During a search of the residence a second body was located in another area of the residence.

A preliminary investigation has identified the bodies belonging to a white female and white male.

Burrell's sacrifice fly in 11th gives Giants 3-2 win over Braves; move within game of Padres

All Pat Burrell wanted to do was get the ball in the air. He succeeded.

A fitting finish for the Giants, who didn't have a hit in their tying or winning rallies Friday night.

Burrell had a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded in the 11th inning Friday night, lifting San Francisco to a 3-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves.

U.S. first lady Michelle Obama and daughter Sasha are visiting the picturesque southern city of Ronda, once a favorite haunt of actor-director Orson Welles and author Ernest Hemingway.

Security was tight as Mrs. Obama toured Santa Maria, a classic Andalusian-style church dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

President Barack Obama says Medicare will exist for many more years, thanks to new legislation that helped put the health care program for America's seniors on stronger financial footing.

Seniors already are benefiting from that new health care law, said Obama, noting that many have received $250 rebates to help buy medicine, for example.

Obama said the law and efforts by his administration to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse both in Medicare and across government generally are making the program stronger and cutting health care costs for seniors.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama reached out on Saturday to retired Americans, an important group of voters, touting a report that showed healthcare reform had brightened prospects for the Medicare hospital trust fund.

Medicare is the government-administered program that funds healthcare for people aged 65 or older.

A government report released on Thursday showed the program's trust fund was not projected to exhaust its funds until 2029, 12 years later than forecast last year, as a result of cost cuts stemming from Obama's healthcare reform law.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who twice vetoed legislation that would have legalized same-sex marriage, has surprised gay rights supporters by urging a federal judge to allow gay couples to resume marrying in the state without further delay.

Lawyers for Schwarzenegger, Attorney General Jerry Brown, two gay couples and the city of San Francisco all filed legal motions Friday asking Chief U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker to implement his ruling striking California's voter-approved same-sex marriage ban as unconstitutional.

"The Administration believes the public interest is best served by permitting the court's judgment to go into effect, thereby restoring the right of same-sex couples to marry in California," the Republican governor's lawyers said on his behalf. "Doing so is consistent with California's long history of treating all people and their relationships with equal dignity and respect."

Ten members of medical team, including six Americans, were shot and killed by militants as they were returning from providing eye treatment and other health care in remote villages of northern Afghanistan, a spokesman for the team said Saturday.

Dirk Frans, director of the International Assistance Mission, said one German, one Briton and two Afghans also were a part of the team that made the two-week trip to Nuristan province. They drove to the province, left their vehicles and hiked for hours over mountainous terrain to reach the Parun valley in the province's northwest.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told The Associated Press in Pakistan that they killed the foreigners because they were "spying for the Americans" and "preaching Christianity."

Profile America -- Saturday, August 7th. One of the nation's oldest and most recognized military decorations -- currently being awarded to many members of the U.S. Armed Forces -- was established on this date in 1782. That's when General George Washington, at Newburgh, New York, ordered a "Badge of Military Merit" created, featuring a purple cloth heart with a silver braided edge. Only three were known to have been awarded during the Revolutionary War. The present day Purple Heart was revived in 1932, on the 200th anniversary of Washington's birth, and recognizes those wounded in combat. From the Civil War through Vietnam, just over 1.4 million members of the U.S. Armed Forces were wounded -- nearly half of them in World War II.

Marvin Austin and Greg Little were on the practice field Friday just like the rest of their North Carolina teammates for the start of preseason workouts. It's unclear whether they'll be able to join the Tar Heels less than a month from now for the season opener — or beyond.

The pair at the center of an NCAA investigation into whether they received improper benefits from agents didn't talk with reporters after the afternoon practice. The rest of the players and coach Butch Davis have chosen to focus on anything other than the uncertainty following Austin, a senior defensive tackle projected as a high NFL draft pick, and Little, a senior and the team's top receiving threat.

A person familiar with the 2011 NASCAR schedule says Kansas Speedway will get a second race next year.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on Friday on condition of anonymity because the schedule hasn't been released. A formal announcement regarding a second Sprint Cup date at Kansas Speedway may come as soon as next week.

Phil Mickelson is closing in on No. 1.

The first step is to make up one shot against Retief Goosen, the 36-hole leader Friday at the Bridgestone Invitational. Looking more inevitable is Mickelson supplanting Tiger Woods atop the world ranking.

Even as Goosen was firing a 4-under 66 to take a one-shot lead at Firestone, Woods continued to look as ordinary as ever. He hit only three fairways on his way to a 72 and was 13 shots out of the lead, and five players removed from being in last place.

Vince McMahon, chairman and CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, says his wife's political opponents are taking unfair shots at his business to try to discredit her U.S. Senate candidacy.

In an interview with The Associated Press, McMahon says the wrestling empire's detractors have taken snippets of footage out of context, such as a necrophilia scene and one in which a woman barks like a dog at his command.