60 Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin says she is resigning from office. She didn't say why she decided to step down, but the surprise announcement stirred speculation that she would focus on a bid for the 2012 Republican nomination for president. www.newsobserver.com/1594255 Terrified residents canceled Fourth of July plans and holed up in their homes Friday as investigators hunted a serial killer believed to have shot four people to death. www.newsobserver.com/1594281 The powerful sedative Diprivan was found in Michael Jackson's home, a law enforcement official said Friday as the city planned for a massive crowd at the singer's memorial service. www.newsobserver.com/1593415 At least 11 witnesses say they saw guards at a Greene County prison beat inmate David G. Richardson with nightsticks while Richardson, handcuffed and shackled at the ankles, curled into a fetal position on the concrete floor. www.newsobserver.com/1593758 Two bystanders braved flames to rescue a Fort Bragg soldier from a serious vehicle wreck on New Bern Avenue about midnight Thursday. The soldier, John Michael Dean, 19, of Palmerville, Mass., was seriously injured and was taken to WakeMed. www.newsobserver.com/1594106 Five-time champion Roger Federer and two-time runner-up Andy Roddick will do battle in Sunday's men's final at Wimbledon. The iconic Federer will appear in a men's record seventh straight Wimbledon championship match. www.newsobserver.com/1594199 The official story is that Highway Patrol Commander Walter J. Wilson Jr. decided to retire after a year on the job to spend more time with his family. But Wilson's brother-in-law now says Wilson was forced out. www.newsobserver.com/1593702 A Cuban pitcher considered by many baseball scouts to be the No. 1 left-handed prospect in the world left his hotel and vanished before a tournament in the Netherlands, a spokesman for the Dutch team said today. www.newsobserver.com/1594103 References to television pitchman Bill Mays' trademark image were everywhere at his funeral Friday near Pittsburgh. www.newsobserver.com/1594096 Jenny Sanford's forgiveness is politically important to South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, some lawmakers say, because it helps cast the governor as a wayward husband working to save his marriage. Jenny Sanford did not say the couple would remain married, however. www.newsobserver.com/1594013 The Taliban have mounted a campaign of intimidation to expand their grip on villages across Afghanistan. Using terrorism tactics, the widely unpopular guerrilla movement has built up its presence in the countryside. www.newsobserver.com/1593754 Carolina Hurricanes forward Chad LaRose has signed a two-year contract that will pay him $1.5 million next season and $1.9 million in the second season, general manager Jim Rutherford said Thursday. www.newsobserver.com/1593627 Junior forward Kyle Singler has floated a possibility that seems to make sense for Duke’s unusually configured 2009-10 basketball team. "We might be playing a little more zone this year than in years past,” he says. www.newsobserver.com/1594021 After nearly 17 years of struggle, employees at the world's largest pork plant went to work under a union contract for the first time Thursday. www.newsobserver.com/1593749 Four National Guard soldiers were killed in Baghdad on the last day of regular combat operations for U.S. forces in Iraqi cities, the military said Thursday. www.newsobserver.com/1593707