Nation briefs

What was apparently the spacecraft's last signal was received Jan. 22 by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Deep Space Network. At the time, Pioneer 10 was 7.6 billion miles from Earth; the signal, traveling at the speed of light, took 11 hours and 20 minutes to arrive.

The signal and the two previous signals were very faint. The Deep Space Network heard nothing from Pioneer 10 during a final attempt at contact on Feb. 7. No more attempts are planned.

Pioneer 10 was launched March 2, 1972, on a 21-month mission. It became the first spacecraft to pass through the asteroid belt and the first to obtain close-up images of Jupiter. In 1983, it became the first manmade object to leave the solar system when it passed the orbit of distant Pluto.

Although Pioneer 10's mission officially ended in 1997, scientists continued to track the TRW Inc.-built spacecraft as part of a study of communication technology for NASA's future Interstellar Probe mission. Pioneer 10 hasn't relayed telemetry data since April 27.

"It was a workhorse that far exceeded its warranty, and I guess you could say we got our money's worth," said Larry Lasher, Pioneer 10 project manager at NASA's Ames Research Center.

Pioneer 10 carries a gold plaque engraved with a message of goodwill and a map showing the Earth's location in the solar system. The spacecraft continues to coast toward the star Aldebaran in the constellation Taurus. It will take 2 million years to reach it.

Supreme Court sides with Texas death row inmate

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a black death row inmate deserves a new chance to press his claim that prosecutors stacked his jury with whites and death penalty supporters.

The 8-1 ruling is a rare example of the conservative-leaning court agreeing that a death row inmate may have been treated unfairly at trial.

Thomas Miller-El claims Dallas County prosecutors had a long history of excluding blacks from juries on the theory they were more likely to side with a black defendant.

Miller-El's lawyers said Dallas prosecutors were once specifically trained to get rid of minority juror candidates because "they almost always empathize with the accused."

Justice Clarence Thomas, the court's only black member, dissented. He said Miller-El did not prove black jurors were excluded because of their race.

Man surrenders after shooting four dead

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- A man looking for work opened fire at a temporary employment agency Tuesday during an argument over a CD player, killing four fellow job-seekers and wounding a fifth, police said.

Emanuel Burl Patterson later surrendered after a standoff at his apartment, where police tracked him down using the address he put on his job applications. Authorities turned off the building's electricity while the temperature was near freezing. Police said the man shot at officers early in the standoff.

The shooting with a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun started about 6:30 a.m. in the lobby of Labor Ready Inc., where as many as 15 people were waiting for work. Witnesses said they scrambled for cover.

Richard M. Daley wins fifth term as Chicago mayor

CHICAGO -- Mayor Richard M. Daley swamped three little-known, underfunded challengers to win a fifth term Tuesday after an unusually quiet campaign in a city known for raucous politics.

Daley, 60, defeated two black ministers -- the Rev. Paul Jakes and the Rev. Joseph McAfee -- and black businesswoman Patricia McAllister in a nonpartisan election expected to set a record low for voter turnout.

The election came during a time of mourning for the city and the mayor's own family. Twenty-one people died in a nightclub stampede on Feb. 17, just a day after the death of Daley's 95-year-old mother, Eleanor "Sis" Daley.

Crossover vehicles becomes fastest-growing segment

DETROIT -- More and more, U.S. motorists are opting for vehicles with the feel of a sedan and the roominess of a minivan or sport utility vehicle, seeking space without bulk and a thirst for fuel.

The so-called "crossover" vehicle, which has characteristics of a car, minivan and SUV, seems to be the happy medium for drivers who like the stylishness and on-road command of an SUV but who recognize they don't need the off-road ruggedness.

Crossovers were the fastest growing category of U.S. autos last year and the pace is certain to continue this year as several automakers -- including Cadillac, Chrysler, Mitsubishi, Infiniti, Porsche and Volkswagen -- introduce models.

Crossovers accounted for 7.4 percent of the U.S. light vehicle market last year, up from 1.8 percent in 1999, according to Ward's Automotive Reports. Some analysts predict they'll surpass vans and luxury cars to become the industry's fourth-largest segment this year, behind mid-size cars, pickups and SUVs.

TSA's final plan for arming pilots sticks to the original

WASHINGTON -- Commercial airline pilots won't be able to use holsters to carry guns into the cockpit under the final plan for arming pilots announced Tuesday by the Transportation Security Administration.

The TSA will require weapons to be transported to and from planes in locked cases that are inside nondescript bags. Pilots may holster the weapons only when inside the cockpit.

"We don't want that weapon floating around inside the cabin," TSA spokesman Robert Johnson said. "It is for the express purpose, according to the law, of defending the cockpit during the flight."

Some pilots also object to the psychological testing they'd have to undergo if they volunteered for the program.

The TSA plan mirrors the recommendations made last week by a task force comprised of agency employees who met with pilots, airlines and aircraft manufacturers.<