State News-Friday, Nov. 3rd

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - The man accused of killing two Army National Guard officers -- including one from Pike County -- is due in court today. Staff Seargant Alberto Martinez is to be arraigned at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He's accused of killing First Lieutenant Louis Allen of Milford and Captain Phillip Esposito of Suffern, New York. Their widows plan to attend the arraignment, even though it will likely take less than an hour for a military judge to complete it. Martinez is the only soldier known to be charged with "fragging" during the Iraq war. That's a term from the Vietnam War for killing one's superior officer. The term comes from the fragmentation grenades often used for such killings.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Did Allegheny County maintenance workers find a bed that Abraham Lincoln slept in? History buffs may find out today when county officials discuss the findings of experts who examined the bed. Some say Lincoln used the bed when he spent the night at a Pittsburgh hotel on Valentine's Day in 1861. The bed was discovered earlier this month in a storage area above a carpenters' shop. Said to be priceless, the bed was donated to the county in 1935 and was last documented in a 1959 photograph showing county carpenters removing it from storage. In 1999, county officials said the bed could not be located.

BLUE BELL, Pa. (AP) - Pulitzer Prize-winning author Norman Mailer is scheduled to speak tonight to begin Montgomery County Community College's 11th annual Writers Club Conference. The 83-year-old author of more than 40 fiction and nonfiction books, has a new book called "The Castle in the Forest," coming out in January. It's a fictionalized account of Adolf Hitler as a youth that deals with the nature of evil. Mailer's speech is at 7 p-m. Another author, Adam Haslett, is to speak at 9 a-m tomorrow. Haslett wrote "You Are Not A Stranger Here," a short story collection that was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize and the National Book award. The book won the L.L. Winship/PEN New England Award.

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (AP) - U-S Senator Rick Santorum, flanked by his wife and children, has returned to his parents' hometown in western Pennsylvania to begin his final campaign push. He appeared last night at a fire hall in Johnstown filled with G-O-P faithful. Santorum received a standing ovation when he said his family would use prayer as their "secret weapon" to lead them to victory. Meanwhile, his challenger, Bob Casey, rallied Democrats at a fundraiser in Williamsport. He said Republicans were resorting to scare tactics in the closing days of a hard-fought campaign. Hammering on a familiar theme, Casey continually tied Santorum to President Bush, whose approval ratings have dipped in recent months.

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) - A married congressman who had a five-year affair agreed to pay the woman about half a million dollars to settle her claims that she was abused. Pennsylvania Republican Don Sherwood, a family-values conservative, is in a tough fight to keep his House seat. The Associated Press has learned that under terms of the deal, the ex-mistress could forfeit some of the cash if she talks publicly about the case. But people familiar with the deal tell the A-P she's gotten less than half the money, so far, with the rest coming after the election. According to a police report, the woman called police to Sherwood's Washington apartment, claiming he choked her while giving her a back rub. He's denied hurting her, and no charges were filed, but she sued. Sherwood, who's also a car dealer, says he can't discuss the settlement.