1.The race for the Democratic presidential nomination is less crowded now. New Mexico governor Bill Richardson dropped out of the race this afternoon. He's been a congressman, cabinet secretary and diplomatic troubleshooter. But his campaign never caught fire with voters.

2.Colombian rebels released two female hostages who'd been held captive for more than five years. One woman is an aide to a former Colombian presidential candidate. The other, a former congresswoman. The rebels are still holding scores of hostages, including Americans.

3.Debra Lafave violated her probation by talking with a 17-year-old co-workerabout sex. But a judge said she will not face additional penalties. She admitted to having sex with a 14-year-old boy while she was a middle school teacher. But the judge said Lafave'sviolations were not wilful or substantial.

4.A twenty-year-old college student in Japan is this year's lucky man. He won the race to prove it. It's an annual centuries-old competition. Thousandsran through a shrine that honors the Japanese God of prosperity in business and legend has it, whoever wins the race will have good fortune all year.