1. The search has intensified for three missing US soldiers feared captured by al-Qaeda in Iraq. Military officials are offering a $200,000 reward for information on the GI's whereabouts.

2. Rain has reduced the 22 square mile wildfire near a bombing range in New Jersey, calming the flames to mostly smoldering blush. But firefighters warned the flames could rekindle if the winds pick up.

3. Memorial services are set for Dr. Martin Luther King Junior's eldest child. Yolanda King will be honored next Thursday at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. There will be no public viewing.

4. And a shoo-in has gone home. Judge favorite, Melinda Doolittle was voted off "American Idol" last night, leaving beatboxer Blake Lewis and teen singer Jordin Sparks to duke it out in next week's finale.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. whereabouts: noun
If you refer to the whereabouts of a particular person or thing, you mean the place where that person or thing may be found.
=location

2. smolder: verb
If something smolders, it burns slowly, producing smoke but not flames.

3. blush: n-count
Blush is a red or rosy color.

4. shoo-in: n-count