Arkansas

Health problem ends bid for governor’s seat

Billionaire Lt. Gov. Win Rockefeller said Tuesday he was abandoning his run for governor, an office his father held for two terms, because of a blood disorder that could eventually turn into leukemia.

Rockefeller, 56, said it would be unfair to his political supporters to continue his campaign against former Homeland Security Undersecretary Asa Hutchinson for the Republican nomination in 2006.

“Effective immediately, I am retiring from this campaign,” Rockefeller said at a news conference. “We’re doing a bone marrow transplant and getting this under control.”

Rockefeller is a grandson of former Standard Oil chief John D. Rockefeller Jr. and is worth $1.2 billion. He also is a cousin to Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va.

California

‘Burn, baby, burn’ trademark sought

An Oakland group is seeking to trademark the infamous Black Panther slogan “Burn, baby, burn” to help market a new brand of hot sauce.

Documents filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office last October and recently featured on The Smoking Gun Web site show that the heirs of Huey P. Newton, the Oakland-based co-founder of the revolutionary Black Panthers, are ready to cash in on the phrase, which gained notoriety in the 1960s because it became associated with riots that left large sections of cities such as Watts, Calif., in flames and ash.

The Huey P. Newton Foundation also wants to trademark the phrase “Revolutionary Hot Sauce.” The foundation, which is run by Newton’s widow, Fredrika, and ex-Panther David Hilliard, appears close to securing government approval of its requests, according to the trademark office.

Virginia

Rare coin display stolen from courthouse

A set of rare and historic coins has been stolen from a display case at the Loudoun County, Va. courthouse, authorities said Monday.

The 14 coins include a King George III penny, which dates to the mid- to late-1700s and is worth about $5,000, said Kraig Troxell, a spokesman for the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office.

The coins were reported missing by a court visitor who noticed the case one day last week and then went to take a better look the next morning, but discovered the set gone.

The coins, which also include pennies and dimes from the 19th and 20th centuries, were found during an archaeological dig on the Leesburg courthouse’s lawn in 1998. There has been a courthouse on the grounds since shortly after Loudoun County separated from neighboring Fairfax in 1757.

Troxell said a security camera did not provide a clear view of the display case outside a courtroom, focusing instead on a seating area nearby.