LOS ANGELES (AP) — Corey Haim, a 1980s teen heartthrob for his roles in “Lucas” and “The Lost Boys” whose career was blighted by drug abuse, has died. He was 38.

DUMFRIES — An Oregon man wanted for the murders of his mother and her boyfriend was captured Monday in Dumfries, bringing a nationwide search for him, his wife and young daughter to a close.

RICHMOND — Last month’s catastrophic earthquake in Haiti left many victims in need, and international
relief organizations continue to work toward that cause. But there are also scam artists who will take advantage of good intentions, and for that reason, the Virginia State Police has warned people to beware of scams relating to recent events in Haiti.

STAFFORD — Local Rotary clubs are getting on board with an idea that is helping to shelter victims of the recent earthquake in Haiti, and serves to protect victims of other natural disasters.

What were the stories that appealed to your inner paparazzi in 2009? Here are 15, narrowed-down from a much larger list, in no particular order:

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) — Tiger Woods said he let his family down with “transgressions” he regrets “with all of my heart,“ and that he will deal with his personal life behind closed doors.

WOODBRIDGE—Defense attorneys for convicted Washington, D.C. area sniper John Allen Muhammad said his mental illness, exacerbated by Gulf War Syndrome, is reason enough for Virginia’s governor to waive the death penalty and allow Muhammad life in prison without parole.

A $12 million fund will be established to pay claims from people who got sick or died in a nationwide salmonella outbreak that was traced to a Peanut Corporation of America plant in Georgia.

ARLINGTON – Sept. 11 dawned gray and overcast with threatening skies.

STAFFORD — A controversial Associated Press photo has sparked debate among media and the public alike since the death of a United States Marine late last month.

WOODBRIDGE — As drivers take to the roads this Labor Day weekend, Virginia State Police are hoping that a trend to lower traffic deaths will continue

UPDATE: WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, who died Tuesday of brain cancer, will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery near his slain brothers, former President John F. Kennedy and former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A judge on Tuesday sentenced Chris Brown to five years’ probation and six months’ community labor for the beating of Rihanna and ordered the R&B singer to stay away from his former girlfriend for the next five years.

BOSTON (AP)  Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, the last surviving brother in a political dynasty and one of the most influential senators in history, died Tuesday night at his home on Cape Cod after a year-long struggle with brain cancer. He was 77.

Virginia Tech has posted online the counseling records of Seung-Hui Cho, the student who killed 32 people on campus and himself in April 2007.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Cool and collected, Kavya Shivashankar wrote out every word on her palm and always ended with a smile. The 13-year-old Kansas girl saved the biggest smile for last, when she rattled off the letters to “Laodicean” to become the nation’s spelling champion.

Get ready for the cost of sending some mail to increase next week.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) — The airline with most flights from the United States to Mexico cut back travel to the center of the swine flu outbreak on Friday as the U.S. government confirmed more than two dozen new cases.

WELLINGTON, Fla. (AP) — The sudden death of 21 polo horses in Florida may have been caused by a toxin that has yet to be identified by tests and could have been in the animals’ feed, vitamins or supplements, veterinarians said Monday.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — An American sea captain held hostage by pirates jumped into the ocean and tried to swim away, but he was retaken by the Somali bandits, military officials said.

Food and Drug Administration officials are recommending that consumers avoid eating foods containing pistachios because the nuts could be contaminated with salmonella.

TAMPA — The Pittsburgh Steelers pulled out a desperate touchdown drive in the final minutes to overhaul the Arizona Cardinals 27-23 and win Super Bowl XLIII on Sunday.

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. — The world’s most famous groundhog has seen his shadow which, legend has it, means we can expect six more weeks of winter.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The multitudes on the streets of Washington, D.C. hushed as Barack Obama solemnly swore to “faithfully execute the office of the President of the United States.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Stepping into history, Barack Hussein Obama grasped the reins of power as America’s first black president on Tuesday, saying the nation must choose “hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord” to overcome the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

Barack Hussein Obama is now the nation’s 44th president — and first black chief executive.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) — Crowds streamed into the nation’s capital Tuesday, jamming subway cars and packing the National Mall from the Capitol to the Washington Monument hours before President-elect Barack Obama was to be sworn in.

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Police in riot gear. Military troops patrolling the nation’s capital. Bridges from Virginia into Washington, D.C., closed to public traffic.

NEW YORK — President-elect Barack Obama has won another contest: He’s been named Time magazine’s “Person of the Year” for 2008.

LAS VEGAS — A broken O.J. Simpson was sentenced Friday to at least 15 years in prison for a hotel armed robbery after a judge rejected his apology and said, “It was much more than stupidity.“