USA

Gordon B. Hinckley, head of the Mormon church, died Sunday in Salt Lake City after serving as the 15th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since 1995. Under his leadership, the church has achieved "unprecedented outreach to all corners of the world," said Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman.

Record commodity prices are driving the price of farmland to new heights, with an acre selling for a national average of $2,160, according to the US Department of Agriculture. Nationwide the values jumped 14 percent from January 2006 to January 2007 in statistics that won't be updated until this summer, when another record is expected.

Los Angeles officials unveiled a $36.5 million redevelopment plan Monday to revive its Broadway, a grungy seven-block downtown area where most of the dozen historic theaters are shuttered or being used for other purposes. Below, the Rialto theater, now occupied by retailers, is on the strip targeted by the "Bringing Back Broadway" project.

Sarah Boltuck of Bethesda, Md., joined forces with her father in successfully petitioning the state's election board to restore her right and that of about 50,000 other teenagers to vote in Maryland's February presidential primary. The senior at Walt Whitman High School appealed after receiving a letter stating that 17-year-olds weren't allowed to vote in primaries. By calling attention to a little-known legal interpretation of state law, teens who turn 18 between the primary and general election can now vote in the Feb. 12 primary.

Despite finishing with identical figure skating scores, Evan Lysacek was awarded the men's US title over Johnny Weir at the national championships in St. Paul, Minn., Sunday. By virtue of a slight edge in the final free-skate portion of the competition, which served as a tiebreaker, Lysacek won the crown for the second year in a row.

The Port of Seattle plans to cut toxic soot from docked ships 70 percent by 2010, says The Seattle Times, which indicates that ports in Tacoma, Wash., and Vancouver, B.C., have similar goals. Diesel fumes from the Seattle and Tacoma ports emit some of the state's unhealthiest air, studies show.

"No Country for Old Men," a crime drama, emerged as the movie to beat at the Academy Awards after taking top honors over the weekend at the Directors Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild awards presentations in Los Angeles. At the latter event, Ruby Dee (above) was named best supporting actress for her performance in "American Gangster."

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