People in the news

Prince William becomes 1,000th knight

London – Prince William was made a Royal Knight of the Garter on Monday at a ceremony presided over by his grandmother – the British monarch – and attended by his father, brother and girlfriend.

Queen Elizabeth II made William the 1,000th knight to join the order and formally presented him with the regalia, including a blue garter, sash and star brooch.

After the ceremony at Windsor Castle, the knights wore their traditional ostrich feather hats and velvet robes as they walked to St. George’s chapel in the castle grounds for a service.

William’s girlfriend Kate Middleton, dressed in a black suit and hat, watched the procession with his brother Prince Harry.

The Order of the Garter was established in 1348; the monarch can give the honor to anyone she chooses without advice from government ministers. It is meant to honor those who have held public office, who have contributed to national life or who have served the queen personally. William, 25, is second in line to the throne after his father, Prince Charles.

Winehouse taken to hospital after fainting

London – Amy Winehouse fainted Monday at her north London home and was hospitalized, her spokesman said.

Winehouse lost consciousness but an assistant caught her before she hit the ground, spokesman Chris Goodman said.

“She quickly recovered and her father, Mitch, took her to hospital as a precaution,” Goodman said in a statement.

Winehouse had spent the afternoon signing autographs for Canadian fans who were standing outside her house. She collapsed after they left.

Goodman said doctors are unsure what caused the collapse and the 24-year-old singer was undergoing tests.

She may stay in the hospital overnight as a precaution, he said.

Paula Deen’s restaurant reopens after fire

Savannah, Ga. – A restaurant owned by well-known Southern chef Paula Deen reopened for lunch Monday following a late-night fire.

Savannah Fire and Emergency Services Capt. Matt Stanley said firefighters responded to a blaze about 11 p.m. Sunday at The Lady & Sons eatery. No injuries were reported.

He said the blaze apparently started in a laundry bag full of linens and rags.

Stanley said investigators believe the rags had oils in them that broke down and generated their own heat, causing a spontaneous combustion.

He said the fire generated heavy smoke, but firefighters were able to pull the bag from the restaurant and no water had to be used to douse the blaze.

Contacted by telephone Monday morning, Deen’s publicist, Nancy Assuncao, told The Associated Press the restaurant had reopened and planned to serve lunch.

“I think if we get one round of fried chicken goin’ in here you won’t smell the smoke at all,” one of Deen’s son, Jamie Deen, told the Savannah Morning News after the fire.

Blame for paparazzo’s hit-run on other foot

Los Angeles – A paparazzo who pressed charges against Britney Spears after her car ran over his foot was himself to blame for any injury, prosecutors said in refusing to pursue the case.

After reviewing police records and a videotape of the incident last year, Deputy District Attorney Joseph D. Shidler wrote Friday that the “only way the victim’s foot could have been where the video indicates it to be was by the victim placing it in that location.”

The photographer, who was not identified in the report, filed a criminal complaint against Spears in early May, nearly six months after the alleged incident. A copy of the police complaint was not immediately available Monday, but it sought a felony charge of failing to stop after an accident involving an injury.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley’s office reviewed a videotape and photos of the incident, which don’t show the photographer being hit. The report also describes a chaotic scene surrounding Spears, with photographers on all sides of her car and “a lot of noise and confusion.”

The report describes Spears’ as “driving at an extremely slow rate of speed and in a straight path.”

Country singer marries former quarterback

Nashville, Tenn. – Sara Evans has married former University of Alabama quarterback Jay Barker.

Lori Genes, the country star’s publicist at Sony BMG Nashville, told The Associated Press on Monday the couple had married, but didn’t provide details.

People magazine reported on its Web site that the outdoor ceremony took place Saturday on a farm in Franklin, Tenn.

The 37-year-old singer filed for divorce from Craig Schelske in October 2006 after 13 years of marriage. The divorce was completed last September.

Barker led Alabama to a national championship in 1992. He hosts a radio show in Birmingham.

Barker, who also is divorced, has four children; Evans has three.

Evans made her recording debut in 1997. Her 2000 album, “Born to Fly,” went double-platinum. Her hits include “Perfect,” “Suds in the Bucket” and “Real Fine Place to Start.”