Most California births now of Hispanic parents

For the first time since the 19th century, Hispanics now account for the majority of births in California, a long-expected milestone in the state’s demographics.

Hispanics make up about 30 percent of the state’s overall population, but according to a new analysis by University of California, Los Angeles scholars of birth certificates, Hispanic babies accounted for 50.6 percent of births in the state since July 2001.

Above, Maria Castellanos, Inglewood, Calif., greets her newborn, Esmeralda Ruby Castellanos. The baby was born Wednesday.

New York

Kasparov, computer tie in fifth chess game

Garry Kasparov, the world’s top-rated chess player, and computer opponent Deep Junior tied the fifth game of their Man vs. Machine series Wednesday, playing just 19 moves.

The six-game series remains tied at 2 1/2 games a piece. The final game of the match — which could end in a draw — is set for Friday.

In the 10th move of the game, the Israeli-programmed Deep Junior sacrificed, or exposed, its bishop to Kasparov’s king to draw the piece into a vulnerable position.

New York City

Drunken driver kills baby in stroller, others

A drunken driver hit a lamppost and then plowed into pedestrians Wednesday, killing a 1-year-old boy in a stroller, a woman and a teenager, officials said.

The driver continued about eight blocks before striking a flatbed truck and flipping, said Detective Tom Kuchma, a police spokesman.

The victims had been crossing the street or standing on a median when they were hit, Kuchma said. A 6-month-old boy also was critically injured.

The 25-year-old driver of the Jeep, who was hospitalized in critical condition, was charged with driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident, police said.

Washington

Pardoned turkey housing substandard, group says

The annual presidential pardon for turkeys may spare them from becoming Thanksgiving Day dinner, but it falls short of keeping them warm and well-fed, an animal rights group says.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sent a letter Wednesday to President Bush, saying the turkeys he pardoned the past two years as a Thanksgiving tradition are living in “substandard conditions.” The group said the birds were shivering in a shed without enough food and water at Frying Pan Park, a tourism farm in Herndon, Va.

“One would think that two animals that had been pardoned by the leader of the free world could be given better accommodations,” wrote Bruce Friedrich, head of PETA’s outreach program.

Washington

Longtime radio reporter Larry LeSueur dies

Larry LeSueur, a former CBS correspondent and one of the World War II “Murrow Boys,” died Wednesday of Parkinson’s disease. He was 93.

LeSueur died at his home in Washington, his family said.

LeSueur reported the first news of the liberation of Paris, for which he was cited by the War Department for “outstanding and conspicuous service” and awarded the French Legion of Honor. He also covered the liberation of the Dachau and Manthauson concentration camps.

A memorial service is planned in Washington.