It's been almost eight years since Martin Veloz survived a gang member's brutal attack while on his way to school. Today Veloz, 21, is still suffering from the aftermath of that attack. In fact, he's fighting for his life at UCLA Medical Center.

Napa County is looking for 19 local citizens willing to give generously of their time over the next year delving into the inner workings of local governmental agencies.

Over 50 people got the unique opportunity to meet nationally-syndicated cartoonist Phil Frank at Napa County Library Sunday afternoon. Frank is most famous for long-running comic strip "Farley" that introduced legions of loyal readers to Frank's mad-cap crew of characters.

AP Religion Writer

PASS CHRISTIAN, Miss. -- Wearing a canary yellow strapless evening gown, Jessica Jenkins walked across the remains of her home, raising her petticoat to keep it out of the red clay.

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Police found 30 more victims of the sectarian slaughter ravaging Iraq -- most of them beheaded -- dumped on a village road north of Baghdad on Sunday. At least 16 other Iraqis were killed in a U.S.-backed raid in a Shiite neighborhood of the capital.

SEATTLE -- A man suspected of killing six young people at a house party before he turned the gun on himself was described Sunday as respectful and polite by an apartment manager.

WASHINGTON -- Founded by immigrants and praised as a haven for the oppressed, the United States now is struggling to decide the fate of as many as 12 million people living in the country illegally.

LOS ANGELES -- The lead voice urging voters to reconsider California's tough "three strikes" sentencing law belongs to an unlikely advocate for change: one of the state's top lawmen.

ELK GROVE -- A man wielding a shotgun through a busy downtown street on Saturday night allegedly killed one person and wounded six others before he was shot by a Sacramento County sheriff's deputy, officials said.

SACRAMENTO -- Three bills to raise the minimum wage -- one backed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and two by Democrats -- face tests this week in the California Legislature.

WASHINGTON -- President Bush said Tuesday that American forces will remain in Iraq for years and it will be up to a future president to decide when to bring them all home. But defying critics and plunging polls, he declared, "I'm optimistic we'll succeed. If not, I'd pull our troops out."

KABUL, Afghanistan -- A court on Sunday dismissed the case against an Afghan man facing possible execution for converting from Islam to Christianity, officials said, paving the way for his release.

HUSAYBAH, Iraq -- Extra body armor -- the lack of which caused a political storm in the United States -- has flooded in to Iraq, but many Marines here promptly stuck it in lockers or under bunks. Too heavy and cumbersome, many say.

KIEV, Ukraine -- A pro-Russia party won the largest chunk of votes in Ukraine's parliamentary elections Sunday, nationwide exit polls indicated, dealing a stinging rebuke to President Viktor Yushchenko's West-leaning administration.