NATION IN BRIEF: Attorney: Subpoena Obama aides

An attorney for Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has asked a legislative committee considering whether to impeach Blagojevich to subpoena President-elect Barack Obama’s incoming chief of staff and a senior adviser. Ed Genson said testimony from Rahm Emanuel, Valerie Jarrett —- and Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. —- would help Blagojevich’s claim that he did no wrong in trying to fill Obama’s vacant Senate seat. Blagojevich was arrested Dec. 9 for allegedly trying to sell the Senate seat to the highest bidder.

Travelers can buy carbon offsets

San Francisco International Airport is planning to give guilt-ridden travelers a chance to offset the air pollution emitted from their plane rides. The airport says it will set up kiosks so travelers can purchase certified carbon offsets. Travelers will enter their destination into the kiosk, which will calculate the amount of carbon dioxide for which they are responsible and the cost of offsetting it. After swiping their credit cards, they would get a receipt listing the exact carbon-reducing projects their money went to. Delta Air Lines also offers its customers an opportunity to purchase carbon offsets on its Web site.

‘Sopranos’ actor allegedly kills self

New York City police said the actor who portrayed the gay lover of a closeted mobster on “The Sopranos” has died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police spokesman Lt. John Grimpel said John Costelloe was found dead in an apparent suicide at his Brooklyn home on Dec. 18. The 47-year-old former New York City firefighter gained fame in 2006 when he was cast as short-order cook Jim “Johnny Cakes” Witowski opposite Joseph Gannascoli, who played gay mobster Vito Spatafore on the hit HBO show.

Fishers registration delayed until 2010

Recreational saltwater anglers who were supposed to register with the federal government by January are off the hook for a year. After reviewing nearly 500 comments, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the registration requirement will be delayed until Jan. 1, 2010. An estimated 15 million people fish for fun in the oceans and tidal areas around the country and the government is setting up the registry to better understand how this sport affects fish stocks and to gauge its value to local economies. The federal registrations will include an angler’s name, date of birth, address, telephone number and the regions where they intend to fish. NOAA will use the information to conduct surveys on fishing effort and amounts of fish caught. Once a person has registered, he or she may fish anywhere in U.S. federal waters. Registration initially will be free but a fee estimated at from $15 to $25 annually will be charged in 2011.

Dog runs out of store with goods

A thief remains at large after pulling off a daring heist —- in the pet food aisle. Surveillance video at a supermarket in a Salt Lake City suburb caught a dog shoplifting. The video showed the dog walking in the front door of Smith’s Food & Drug in Murray, Utah, and heading straight to Aisle 16, the pet food aisle, where it grabbed a bone worth $2.79. The thief wasn’t even perturbed by a face-to-face confrontation with store manager Roger Adamson. “I looked at him. I said ‘Drop it!’ ” Adamson said. “He looked at me, and I looked at him, and he ran for the door and away he went, right out the front door.”