US & World News, Monday 12/3

US & World Summary: Hundreds Attend Sean Taylor Vigil, Funeral Set For Today (Miami, FL) -- More than three-thousand people are expected to attend funeral services today for Washington Redskins football star Sean Taylor. During a vigil last night on the University of Miami campus, Taylors girlfriend Jackie Garcia spoke out for the first time about Taylors death. She thanked those gathered for their prayers and said that Taylor had planned on going back to school in January to earn his degree. Taylors father Pedro also spoke at the vigil and recalled his sons dedication and devotion to family. The entire Redskins organization is expected to attend todays funeral. 1/81/8 Note radio station call letters 3/83/8 --- Don Imus Returns To Radio In New York (New York, NY) -- Radio talk show host Don Imus returned to the airwaves this morning. The 67-year-old radio legend was fired by CBS Radio and MSNBC after a racial slur he uttered last April about the Rutgers University womens basketball team. Imus kicked off this mornings show by taking a few minutes to explain his relative silence on the matter. He said he saw no point in going on what he called, quote, "some sort of a Larry King tour to offer a bunch of lame excuses for making essentially a reprehensible remark." Imus new show is based at WABC in New York and is syndicated nationwide by ABC Radio. --- Thousands In The Dark After Midwestern Winter Storm (Des Moines, IA) -- The Midwest is cleaning up after a huge weekend storm that brought down trees and power lines and caused numerous traffic accidents and air travel delays. Thousands of people in Wisconsin and Illinois are still dealing with storm-related power outages from the storms that killed at least three people. The storm closed the Des Moines International Airport for a few hours after a plane slid off the runway. Rain and strong winds are forecast for New York City today as the weekend storm moves out of the area. The weekend weather led to lengthy delays at all New York area airports. 1/81/8 NOTE NATURE OF FOLLOWING 3/83/8 --- Eight Men Claim They Had Sex With Larry Craig (Boise, ID) -- Eight men are now claiming they have had sex with Idaho Senator Larry Craig. The "Idaho Statesman" names four of the men and relates their accounts of gay sex with Craig. Four other men gave the newspaper similar accounts but wouldnt allow their names to be published. Earlier this year, Craig pled guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct for allegedly soliciting sex from an undercover officer in a Minneapolis airport mens room. At a later news conference Craig denied being gay. --- Father Of Knicks Point Guard Marbury Dies During Game (New York, NY) -- It was a tragic night for New York Knicks point guard Stephon Marbury after his father died during last nights game against the Phoenix Suns. According to "Newsday," Don Marbury suffered a heart attack during the game against the Phoenix Suns at New Yorks Madison Square Garden. Its not clear whether he died at the actual game or after being taken away by ambulance to an area hospital at halftime. Marbury was not told about his fathers death until after the teams 115-104 loss to the Suns. --- Akon Due In Court Today Over Fan Tossing Incident (Fishkill, NY) -- Hip-hop star Akon is scheduled to appear in a New York courtroom this morning over a fan-tossing incident. Akon faces a misdemeanor charge of endangering the welfare of a minor and second-degree harassment after allegedly tossing the 15-year-old off the stage at a June concert. Akon faces fines and a maximum of one year in jail on the misdemeanor and 15 days in jail on the violation. --- Study: Fever Temporarily Relieves Autism Symptoms (Chicago, IL) -- Having a fever can offer children a temporary reprieve from the symptoms of autism. Thats according to a new study that found fever restores nerve cell communications in parts of the brain, which in turn restores a childs ability to interact and socialize. Researchers hope the findings will help discover clues to the roots of the condition and possible treatments. (Copyright 2007 by Newsroom Solutions) RNS-12-03-07 0741CST