NATION IN BRIEF

Kennedy position rethought

Despite early reservations, New York state’s most powerful legislative leader now says he will support Caroline Kennedy for the U.S. Senate if the governor names her to the seat expected to be vacated by Sen. Hillary Clinton.

State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver told the New York Post he is rethinking his views on Kennedy because he feels Gov. David Paterson will soon pick her to replace Clinton, President-elect Barack Obama’s choice as secretary of state.

If she is Paterson’s choice, the Democratic lawmaker said he will “work strenuously for her election,” the Post reported Thursday.

Kennedy’s supporters also include New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, another important ally for Paterson.

House fire kills 5, injures 4 others

A fire broke out at a Washington, D.C., home, killing a 5-year-old girl, her parents and two others, fire officials said. A critically injured child was among four others hurt at the house. An electrical failure between the basement and the first floor of the two-story home in the northeast part of the city is believed to have sparked the blaze, officials said.

Woman, 89, sues neighbors

An 89-year-old Cincinnati-area woman arrested for confiscating a neighbor’s child’s football is now suing the boy’s parents. Edna Jester filed a lawsuit claiming she has suffered emotional distress because footballs and other playthings belonging to her next-door neighbors keep landing in her yard. In October, Jester refused to return a football, was taken to a police station and charged with petty theft. The prosecutor later dropped the case.

Police issue tips on controlling crowds

Police say rope lines, numbered tickets and walkie-talkies for store employees could help control frenzied crowds like those that crushed a Valley Stream, N.Y., Wal-Mart worker on Black Friday. Police issued the recommendations to avoid a repeat of the deadly shopping stampede the day after Thanksgiving, and said stores, not police, bear responsibility for securing such sales.