Kevorkian's release sought by attorney

Southfield, Mich.

Dr. Jack Kevorkian's attorney is asking Michigan's governor and parole board for a third time to pardon the assisted-suicide advocate or commute his sentence.

Kevorkian, 77, is eligible for parole in 2007, but attorney Mayer Morganroth says he might not live that long. Kevorkian has a number of ailments, including high blood pressure, arthritis, cataracts, osteoporosis and Hepatitis C, he said.

Gov. Jennifer Granholm has said she won't consider pardoning Kevorkian.

Kevorkian is serving a 10- to 25-year sentence for second-degree murder for giving a fatal injection of drugs to Thomas Youk in 1998, a death that was videotaped and shown on CBS' "60 Minutes."

Ford cutting 4,000 white-collar jobs

Ford Motor plans to eliminate about 4,000 white-collar jobs in North America early next year as part of what the automaker has called a painful but essential restructuring plan.

Spokesman Tom Hoyt said the cuts, which will be made in part through attrition, were outlined in an e-mail to employees from Mark Fields, president for the Americas.

The cuts are expected to be made during the first quarter of 2006, Hoyt said Saturday.

They will be in addition to 2,750 North American salaried jobs Ford earlier said it wanted to cut by the end of 2005.

Pollock oil painting, Warhol print stolen

An oil painting by Jackson Pollock and a silkscreen by Andy Warhol were stolen from the Everhart Museum by thieves who shattered a glass door in the back of the building, officials said.

The Pollock, "Springs Winter," was likely worth about $11.6 million and the Warhol, "Le Grande Passion," had a value of about $15,000, experts said.

The thieves had disappeared by the time police arrived, four minutes after the alarm sounded early Friday. Surveillance cameras were not working, officials said.

The stolen Pollock was on loan to the Everhart from a private collector. The museum declined to identify the lender. The Warhol was owned by the museum. Officials said they had no leads.

Uprooted oaks used in ship's restoration

Ancient live oak trees uprooted in Mississippi by Hurricane Katrina are being used to restore what is believed to be the world's last wooden whaling ship.

Timber from 170 of the trees will be used to rebuild part of the frame, backbone and stern and stem posts of the Charles W. Morgan. The ship, a national historical landmark, is set to undergo a $3.5 million overhaul at Mystic Seaport starting in spring 2007.

Nearly 10 percent of the live oaks along parts of the Mississippi coast were damaged by Katrina, according to one estimate.

Compiled from The Associated Press