Hanging "Obama" gets Ore. group in trouble

NEWBERG, Ore. — Officials at George Fox University, a Christian college in Oregon, said four students were punished for hanging a likeness of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama from a tree on campus.

University officials said Tuesday the penalties are "immediate long-term suspension and public service," adding that the four confessed to their involvement.

The school cited federal privacy rules in not disclosing more about the students or their punishment.

The commercially produced cardboard cutout was hung last week with fishing line around the neck.

The FBI is investigating whether any civil rights were violated.

Ohio voters begin to cast ballots

CLEVELAND — In Ohio, a state that may again determine the presidency, voters started casting ballots Tuesday as Barack Obama struggles to thwart a John McCain victory in the state four years after it tipped the election to President Bush.

Both candidates visited Ohio often and spent millions flooding TV and radio with ads, mailboxes with literature and voice mail with automated phone calls to get supporters to the polls, particularly during the one-week window in which people can register and vote in one swoop.

Early participation appeared light; officials in the counties that are home to Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo and Dayton each reported several hundred ballots cast by afternoon. Ohio has 20 electoral votes.

Debate moderator breaks her ankle

NEW YORK — Gwen Ifill has a broken ankle, but she'll still serve as the upcoming vice-presidential debate's moderator.

The veteran PBS newswoman tripped in her Washington-area home while walking downstairs Monday, carrying material she was using to prep for the debate between Joseph Biden and Sarah Palin.

Doctors have given her the OK to travel to St. Louis, where the debate is scheduled for Thursday.

"Another crazy twist in a crazy week," Ifill said in an e-mail.

Election Day a health hazard?

CHICAGO — An analysis of Election Day traffic deaths dating back to Jimmy Carter's 1976 win suggests voting may be hazardous to your health, but the analysts said that's no reason not to go to the polls.

The study found that on average, 24 more people died in car crashes during voting hours on presidential-election days than on other October and November Tuesdays. That amounts to an 18 percent increased risk of death. Compared with nonelection days, an additional 800 people suffered disabling injuries, according to the study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Rushing to get to polling places before or after work, driving on unfamiliar routes and being distracted by thinking about the candidates were among possible reasons cited by the study's researchers.

Debate fails to bring in huge TV audience

The first presidential debate garnered an average of 52.4 million television viewers Friday, Nielsen Media Research said.

The relatively low audience estimate puzzled some TV executives who expected a wider audience for the commercial-free forum between John McCain and Barack Obama.

Nielsen's estimates do not include reruns or Internet streams of the debate.

Seattle Times news services