Florida

Shuttle rollout delayed

Space shuttle Discovery began its slow creep to the launch pad Wednesday after a brief delay caused by the discovery of a crack in the external fuel tank’s foam insulation. NASA later said the crack was no reason for concern.

NASA spokeswoman Jessica Rye described the flaw as a hairline crack and said that after sending images of it to the tank’s manufacturer in Louisiana, the space agency concluded it did not need any repairs.

Washington, D.C.

Campaign targets DeLay legal fund donors

The Center for American Progress has launched a campaign to try to embarrass corporations that have helped pay legal bills for Majority Leader Tom DeLay. Its new Web site, www.dropthehammer.org, spotlights donations from American Airlines, Bacardi USA, Nissan USA, RJ Reynolds, and Verizon.

“Consumers shouldn’t have to facilitate Tom DeLay’s unethical behavior with their purchases,” said Laura Nichols, a vice president of the Democratic think tank.

DeLay created his fund after the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee filed a federal racketeering suit in 2000.

Westar Energy in Kansas has donated funds to a group affiliated with DeLay.

Iowa

Powerball changes lower chances of winning

The 29 lotteries that participate in the Powerball game have voted to make changes that will increase the size of the average jackpot but decrease the chance of winning.

Starting Aug. 29, the beginning jackpot will increase to $15 million from the current $10 million, the Multi-State Lottery Assn. announced Wednesday. The top prize will grow by no less than $5 million per drawing.

To further boost jackpot size, two numbers will be added to the first pool of the game, meaning players must correctly choose five numbers ranging from one to 55, up from 53.

The Powerball is drawn from a separate pool numbered from one to 42. That will not change.

The larger number in the first round decreases the chances of winning the jackpot to 1 in 146.1 million. The current game has jackpot odds of 1 in 120.5 million.

“Players tell us they expect large jackpots in the game and we will continue to deliver those,” said Ed Stanek, Iowa Lottery chief executive..