Mormon church spent nearly $190,000 to help pass Prop. 8

The Nation

Proposition 8 spending: The Mormon church has revealed in a campaign filing that the church spent nearly $190,000 to help pass Proposition 8, the November ballot measure that banned gay marriage in California. The disclosure comes amid an investigation by the state's campaign-watchdog agency into whether the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints violated state laws by not fully disclosing its involvement during the campaign.

Sunken treasure? Deep-sea explorers who found $500 million in sunken treasure two years ago said they have discovered another shipwreck: the British man-of-war HMS Victory that sank in the English Channel 264 years ago. Research indicates the ship was carrying 4 tons of gold coins when it sank, said Greg Stemm, co-founder of the Tampa, Fla., based-Odyssey Marine Exploration.

Sky-diving death: Sky-diving instructor George "Chip" Steele, 49, of Sumter, S.C., who was sharing a parachute with a first-time jumper, died — apparently of a heart attack — in the air Saturday, officials said. The first-time jumper made it to the ground safely.

The World

Mexico water crunch: More than 2 million Mexico City-area residents will be without water until Tuesday, after the start of a new conservation program Sunday that shuts down a main pipeline for three days every month until May, when the rainy season begins.

Gaza violence flares: Israeli aircraft bombed Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip late Sunday, retaliating for Palestinian rocket and mortar fire in the heaviest such exchange since the start of an unofficial truce two weeks ago. Palestinian militants had fired at least 10 rockets and mortar rounds into Israel earlier Sunday, wounding three people. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had threatened a "disproportionate" Israeli response.

Hospital shelled: Artillery shells hit a hospital in Sri Lanka's war zone, killing at least nine people, the International Committee of the Red Cross said. It was unclear whether the shells were fired by the Sri Lankan army or the Tamil Tiger rebels.

Khatami expected to run: Former President Mohammad Khatami, Iran's most prominent moderate politician, will compete against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June 12 elections, a former aide said Sunday.

Four hostages freed: Colombian rebels freed three police officers and a soldier held hostage for more than a year, handing them over to the International Red Cross on Sunday in the southern jungles. A Brazilian military helicopter flew them to a provincial airport in Colombia's eastern plains where they were met by relatives and peace activists with hugs and white daisies.

Odds & Ends

Famed number for sale: One of rock 'n' roll's most celebrated phone numbers — 867-5309 — is for sale on eBay by disc jockey Spencer Potter, 28, who has had the number for five years. The digits were made famous in the 1980s song "867-5309/Jenny" by the band Tommy Tutone. Potter said he got 30 to 40 calls a day for Jenny.

Inauguration sermons collected: To document reaction to the inauguration of President Obama, the nation's first black president, the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress is collecting recordings of sermons and orations delivered during what center Director Peggy Bulger called "a real shift" in American history.

Passages

Robert Stone, 87, a former top executive at Hertz who hired O.J. Simpson in the 1970s as a pitchman for the car-rental company, died Wednesday at his home in Boca Grande, Fla.

J. Lamar Worzel, 89, the Columbia University physicist who used the emerging science of acoustics to explore the ocean floor and to help U.S. submarines evade and track enemies, died of a heart attack Dec. 26 at his home in Wilmington, N.C.

Today in history

1848: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, ending the Mexican-American War, was signed.

1876: The National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs was formed in New York.

2004: President George W. Bush unveiled a $2.4 trillion budget featuring a record deficit and big increases for defense and homeland security.

Birthdays

Actress Elaine Stritch, 84. Comedian Tom Smothers, 72. Actress Farrah Fawcett, 62. Model Christie Brinkley, 55. Actress Kim Zimmer, 54. Actress Jennifer Westfeldt, 39. Actress Marissa Jaret Winokur, 36. Singer Shakira, 32.

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