Kentucky: 4.5-magnitude quake shakes river valley

An earthquake shook part of the Mississippi River Valley early Friday, cracking sidewalks in western Kentucky and rattling pictures off walls, authorities said. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

The 4.5-magnitude quake hit shortly before 7:30 a.m. near Blandville, about 25 miles southwest of Paducah, and was felt in towns from Illinois to Arkansas.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake was centered about 6 miles below the surface.

Chicago: Bodies of two newborns found in garbage can

A trash collector discovered the bodies of two newborn boys Friday inside a trash bin she was preparing to empty.

The babies were found in an unincorporated area southwest of Chicago, according to Cook County Sheriff Chief of Police Marjorie O’Dea.

Autopsies were scheduled today to determine when and how the babies, possibly twins, died.

Investigators believe the babies were abandoned sometime overnight.

Texas: Inmate gets 20 years for plotting to kill judge

A man already serving time for murder was sentenced Friday in Amarillo to 20 years in prison for plotting to kill the federal judge in the Oklahoma City bombing trials.

Christopher Lee Bennett, 28, was convicted in March of plotting to kill Judge Richard Matsch, allegedly in the hope that the judge’s death would help the white supremacist movement.

Prosecutors said Bennett solicited two fellow inmates in January 2001 to kill Matsch.

Nevada: Emergency declared for cricket infestation

Thousands of crickets have devoured plant life and blanketed roads and buildings in a northeast Nevada county, prompting authorities to declare a state of emergency.

Elko County commissioners declared the emergency Thursday, saying the infestation was causing property damage, and that crushed cricket carcasses were making roads slick and unsafe.

“We could see them coming up the street in hordes,” said Ralph McMullen of the Elko Convention and Visitors Authority.