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A top White House aide resigned Friday for his role in Air Force One's $328,835 photo-op flyover above New York City that sparked panic and flashbacks to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Louis Caldera said the controversy had made it impossible for him to effectively lead the White House Military Office. The sight of the huge passenger jet and an F-16 fighter plane flying past the Statue of Liberty sent panicked office workers into the streets April 27. Caldera's office approved the photo shoot.

Midwest storms leave four dead

Wicked thunderstorms with wind reaching 120 mph pushed through parts of the Midwest, leaving four people dead, collapsing a church and knocking out power to thousands, authorities said. Two people were killed near Poplar Bluff, Mo., when wind knocked a tree onto their car. In Dallas County, a man in his 70s had a fatal heart attack after he and his wife were sucked from their home and thrown 75 to 100 feet away, county officials said. The wife was taken to a Springfield hospital; her condition wasn't known. A 54-year-old woman was killed in southeast Kansas when her mobile home was blown off its foundation. Winds destroyed the New Albany United Methodist Church, the town's post office and at least one home.

Journal with threats found after killing

Police responding to the fatal shooting of a Wesleyan University student in Middletown, Conn., found a journal with an entry saying "I think it okay to kill Jews and go on a killing spree" and "Kill Johanna. She must Die," according to an arrest warrant released Friday. Stephen P. Morgan, 29, was arrested Thursday night after seeing his photo in a newspaper and asking a convenience store clerk to call police. Officers found him standing outside the store, 10 miles from where Johanna Justin-Jinich was gunned down by a man wearing a wig Wednesday. Morgan was arraigned Friday in Middletown Superior Court and bond was set at $15 million.

'Virtual fence' gets go-ahead again

The Obama administration is resuming construction of a "virtual fence" on the U.S.-Mexico border, renewing plans to build a multibillion-dollar chain of sensors and other equipment over most of the 2,000-mile frontier over five years, Homeland Security Department officials said. Technology problems frustrated former President George W. Bush's efforts. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials say they have learned from the 28-mile pilot project south of Tucson.

U.S. Sugar OKs plan to aid Everglades

U.S. Sugar Corp.'s board of directors has approved a scaled-back, $533 million deal to help restore the Florida Everglades. U.S. Sugar is the nation's largest cane sugar producer and owns land between Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades. An initial deal last year with the state would have cost $1.75 billion but has twice since been revised to trim the price. The goal is to convert farm land into conservation land, allowing water to be cleaned and stored before flowing to the Everglades.