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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Danica Patrick will make her NASCAR debut this weekend at Daytona International Speedway.

The IndyCar star will drive the No. 7 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports in Saturday's second-tier Nationwide Series race.

The decision announced Monday to race at Daytona was made after team officials dissected her stock-car racing debut in the ARCA race at Daytona on Saturday. The team had left the option to race up to Patrick, who wanted to assess her first race before deciding whether to enter one of the most prestigious Nationwide races of the season.

Patrick overcame a midrace spin to finish sixth.

"Racing in the Nationwide Series race was my goal during this entire two-month preparation process, but we wanted to make sure it was the right thing to do," Patrick said in a statement. "The ARCA race was a blast, and I'm not ready for my first Daytona Speedweeks to end just yet. I want more racing."

Patrick had been hesitant to make her debut at Daytona

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - People lined up by the hundreds to buy Monday's Times-Picayune, which hollered "AMEN!" from its front page. The Saints' Super Bowl victory was a prayer answered in this struggling city, and New Orleans itself seemed different for it.

Swarms of fans in black and gold greeted the players as they stepped off a chartered plane at the suburban airport, cheering them with "Who Dat!" chants. The Saints, cellar dwellers for decades, delivered not just their first Lombardi trophy but optimism for their city, a new sense that the unimaginable - better schools, less crime and even honest politicians - really is possible.

"The Saints kept hope alive in this city that better days were coming," said Shannon Sims, a 45-year-old criminal-court administrator in the crowd. They "were the force that kept us moving forward."

Hurricane Katrina battered the Saints and even knocked them out of town for a while, as it did to many New Orleanians. Now the team is be

BOISE, Idaho (AP) - Idaho is among several states watching to see if a California animal cruelty law drives flocks of big egg farms there to fly the coop.

California voters in 2008 approved Proposition 2, banning cramped cages for laying hens by 2015.

Neither Idaho nor Nevada, where officials are aggressively courting the Golden State egg industry, have restrictions on "battery cages" that leave chickens little room to spread their wings.

Idaho Sen. Tim Corder has no desire to change that in his state. Industry should decide, Corder insists.

Still, the Senate Agriculture Committee chairman does want to revamp rules governing where and how giant poultry farms are operated to skirt pitfalls that accompanied explosive growth of Idaho's dairy industry. His state went from 180,000 cows in 1990 to 530,000 in 2009 to become the third-biggest milk producer after California and Wisconsin, but the arrival of mega-dairies caught regulators flat-footed and prompted environmentali

LAS VEGAS (AP) - NV Energy Inc. says higher rates at its Nevada utility helped it post fourth-quarter earnings of $4.2 million, or 2 cents per share.

Company earnings reported Monday for the last three months of 2009 compared with a loss of $2.1 million, or a penny a share, a year ago.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had expected a profit of 7 cents per share, on average.

Revenue for the owner of Nevada Power Co. and Sierra Pacific Power Co. edged up to $772.9 million from $766.1 million in the prior-year period.

Full-year earnings fell to $182.9 million, or 78 cents per share.

That compares with $208.9 million, or 89 cents per share a year ago.

Shares of NV Energy slipped 19 cents on Monday, to $11.17.

NEW YORK (AP) - The New Orleans Saints' victory over Indianapolis in the Super Bowl was watched by more than 106 million people, surpassing the 1983 finale of "M-A-S-H" to become the most-watched program in U.S. television history, the Nielsen Co. said Monday.

Compelling story lines involving the city of New Orleans and its ongoing recovery from Hurricane Katrina and the attempt at a second Super Bowl ring for Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning propelled the viewership. Football ratings have been strong all season.

"It was one of those magical moments that you don't often see in sports," said Sean McManus, president of CBS News and Sports.

Nielsen estimated Monday that 106.5 million people watched Sunday's Super Bowl. The "M-A-S-H" record was 105.97 million.

The viewership estimate obliterated the previous record viewership for a Super Bowl - last year's game between Arizona and Pittsburgh. That game was seen by 98.7 million people, Nielsen said.

The "M-

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Michael Jackson's doctor pleaded not guilty Monday to involuntary manslaughter in the death of the pop star at a brief hearing that had all the trappings of another sensational celebrity courtroom drama.

Dr. Conrad Murray, accused of giving Jackson a fatal dose of an anesthetic to help him sleep, appeared in court in a gray suit and burgundy tie as Jackson's father Joe, mother Katherine, and siblings LaToya, Jermaine, Tito, Jackie and Randy watched from courtroom seats behind prosecutors.

Neither Murray nor the Jacksons showed much emotion as the six-foot-five Murray entered his plea through his attorney Ed Chernoff, but as he emerged from court, Joe Jackson declared, "My son was murdered."

"We need justice," he added before leaving with family members in a fleet of Cadillac Escalades.

On Monday night, Joe Jackson told CNN's Larry King that he doesn't believe Murray is the only person responsible for his son's death. "To me, he's just the fall guy.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Could this turn into something more than political theater?

President Barack Obama's televised dialogue with Republican lawmakers on health care, promised for later this month, has the makings of an entertaining exchange. But the differences between the basic Democratic and GOP ideas are stark - and the two sides have increasingly hardened their positions in this election year.

Yet, in a story with more twists than a soap opera, Obama's invitation to congressional leaders of both parties to attend a Feb. 25 meeting can't be dismissed as a mere diversion. Although many Americans have doubts about the Democrats' sweeping plans to cover the uninsured, Republicans can't afford to be perceived as oblivious to the health care insecurities of middle-class families.

"My expectations? Probably below 50 percent, but not zero," said Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., a moderate who serves as president of the Democratic freshman class. "At some point, the public is

The veneer of cooperation between Gov. Jim Gibbons and legislative leadership suffered some damage Monday night as Gibbons blamed lawmakers for creating the budget crisis.

He said his proposed budget "imposed no new taxes and allowed no expansion of state government."

"The Nevada Legislature disregarded my solution. They raised taxes $1 billion and they made government bigger. They made the wrong call.

"I planned responsibly. They gambled on new taxes and we all lost."

Now, he said, the state is facing a $1 billion shortfall.

During his state of the state address on the budget crisis, Gibbons confirmed his plan includes laying off "several hundred state workers."

"We are doing everything possible to absorb people into other positions ... but some layoffs are inevitable."

Gibbons said he is also shutting down Nevada State Prison in Carson City, saying "It has outlived its usefulness. It is no longer saf

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons on Monday blamed state legislators for Nevada's fiscal crisis and said education reforms and smaller government are needed to close an $880 million shortfall.
In a special "State of the State" address, the first-term Republican also announced a Feb. 23 special legislative session to deal with the state's worsening money problems.
"We are working on solutions to turn this recession into an opportunity to reinvent our state's government," Gibbons said in the televised speech. "The dire economic situation we are facing now requires immediate action."
A staunch no-tax proponent, Gibbons said the state must make tough decisions, and raising taxes is not an option.
"Society is changing. State government must change with it," he said. "We must focus on the important services which ensure life, health, education and public safety."
Programs that "make some people feel good" but are unaffordable need to be eliminated, he said, adding,

CARSON CITY (AP) - Nevada's budget is so far out of balance that by one account the state could lay off every worker paid from the general fund and still be $300 million in the red. The economic downturn has hit so hard that prisons may be closed, entire colleges shuttered and thousands left without jobs.

Against the backdrop of an imploding economy and an $881 million shortage, Gov. Jim Gibbons will try in an emergency "State of the State" address Monday to explain the depth of the state's financial crisis and how fixing the gaping hole in the budget.

It won't be pretty.

Nevada, with a heavy reliance on discretionary spending through gambling and sales taxes, has been especially hard hit by the recession as tourists and gamblers hold on to their money. The state's unemployment rate has hit 13 percent, and a once booming housing market that created thousands of high-paying construction jobs has gone bust, with Nevada topping the nation in foreclosures.

In his address,

Get real-time updates and news from Gov. Jim Gibbon's emergency "State of the State" address tonight at 6 p.m. by following our live blog. Leave comments, ask questions and see what others in the Carson City region are saying about the speech.
The speech, which starts starts at 6 p.m. and is expected to last about a half hour, will be broadcast live on KOLO, KRNV, KTVN and KNPB.
The governor will try to address the state's financial crisis and how to fix the gaping hole in the budget that has grown to $881 million.
Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford, D-North Las Vegas, will give the Legislature's response after the governor's speech.

State of the State address

Hello, I'm Governor Jim Gibbons. I am always honored to speak directly to you. But the truth is, I would rather that the circumstances did not compel me to address you tonight.
The great inventor and statesman Thomas Edison once said, "Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work." This insight means a lot to me. My staff has been hard at work reviewing the state budget, the services our state government provides and the dramatic shortfall in state revenues. We are working on solutions to turn this recession into an opportunity to reinvent our State's government. We may never have an opportunity like this again. The dire economic situation we are facing now requires immediate action.
While there is some evidence to suggest that our nation is approaching the end of this economic decline, the fact is, this recession still has a crippling hold on Nevada. Nevada's unemployment rate is 13 percent. That's the second highest unemp

Gov. Jim Gibbons recently appointed Sally Wiley of Gardnerville and reappointed Ron Gutzman of Carson City to serve two-year terms on the Nevada Veterans Services Commission.
Sally Wiley, mother of Staff Sgt. Sean Diamond killed in Iraq in February 2009, was born in Winnemucca and has lived in Gardnerville since 2001. She attended Merritt Junior College in Oakland, California, and retired from the investment industry.
Wiley is a member of Carson Valley SERTOMA, Douglas County Republican Women, the Douglas County Republican Central Committee, Gold Star Mothers of America, Sierra Nevada Blue Star Mothers, and St. Gall Catholic Church.
She also volunteers for the Army National Guard, Carson Valley Food Closet, St. Gall Women's Society, and St. Gall Catholic Church.
She is married to James Wiley and in addition to Sean Diamond is also the mother of Michael Diamond and Jason Diamond and grandmother of nine.
"My wa

* Report at 11:26 a.m. Saturday of the light post in front of Cafe Del Rio struck by a car and "falling over."
* Report at 12:14 p.m. Saturday of a friendly female pit bull without tags running around Station 3 on Sam Clemens Avenue.
* Report at 5:33 p.m. Saturday of a head-on collision on State Route 341 at Lousetown Road. One vehicle was on fire.
* Four reports of vehicles sliding off Saddleback Road, Carwright Road, State Route 341 and Sazarac Road between 5:55 p.m. and 6:15 p.m.
* Arrest at 7:49 p.m. Saturday on USA Parkway, McCarran
* Report at 6 a.m. Sunday of a rollover accident 1.8 miles down Six Mile Canyon Road from Virginia City.
* Arrest at 5:27 p.m. Sunday on Prospector Road.

Lyon County
Deputies responded to the following calls Saturday and Sunday in Lyon County:
* Two were arrested Saturday at 2:33 a.m. in the 1300 block of East Newlands Drive.
* Commercial burglary report Saturday in the 2200 block of Highway 206 in Smith Valley at 8:11 a.m.
* Accident on Hardie Lane in Fernley at 12:52 p.m. Saturday.
* Residential burglary report Saturday on 10th Street in Silver Springs at 9:59 p.m.
* Misdemeanor arrest Sunday on Cedar Street in Fernley at 1:19 a.m.
* Vehicle burglary report on Commerce Center Dive in Fernley at 1:13 a.m. Sunday.
* Man on Willow Way in Fernley reported at 4:25 a.m. Sunday he was "pistol whipped and robbed at gun point."
* Coroner call on Ramsey Weeks Cutoff in Silver Springs at 6:09 a.m. Sunday.
* Report of a gray-haired man standing in the middle of Highway 339 in Mason Valley at 9:01 p.m. Sunday. The man was intoxicated.

LAS VEGAS - Federal land managers will delay rounding up nearly 500 wild horses from a range in eastern Nevada until after the spring foaling season.
Advocates trying to block mustang roundups in Nevada said Monday their threat to sue stopped the U.S. Bureau of Land Management from carrying out February horse gathers in the Eagle Herd Management Area.
A BLM statement issued Saturday says there's not enough time to conduct the roundup before foaling season begins.
The bureau last week finished rounding up more than 1,900 horses from the Calico Mountains Complex north of Reno.
It's still considering what to do about some 50 horses that have moved outside the Eagle and Silver King herd management areas and are said to threaten the safety of motorists on U.S. 93 near Pioche.

SPOKANE, Wash. - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service improperly failed to make a decision about protecting the rare pygmy rabbit in eight Western states, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court by an environmental group.
Western Watersheds Project's lawsuit, which was filed last week, wants the agency to make a decision on whether to grant endangered species protection to the tiny rabbits. Courts had previously demanded the decision, which is long overdue.
"This case will be settled very quickly by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service because they are violating a court order right now and have no defense," predicted Jon Marvel of Western Watersheds, which is based in Hailey, Idaho.
A spokesman for the service did not immediately return a telephone message left at their Reno office.
Pygmy rabbits, which weigh up to one pound and can fit in a man's palm, have been decreasing in numbers for years in the West because of habitat loss, which reduces their

NV Energy reported fourth quarter earnings of $4.2 million on Monday, up from a $2.1 million loss in the same period last year.
Meanwhile, the company said it earned $182.9 million in 2009, or 78 cents per share, down from $208.9 million, or 89 cents per share, earned in 2008.
The year-to-year decrease was caused by costs of generating stations not included in the company's rates until July 2009. The fourth quarter increase was attributed to higher general rates in the Southern Nevada, which were offset by severance costs.
"We are satisfied with the results we achieved this year when considering the economic conditions we faced," said Michael Yackira, president and chief executive officer of NV Energy, in a statement. "Much of the year over year decline is attributable to expenses related to investment in new generating facilities, which are now accounted for in rates, partially offset by cost discipline throughout the company."

TOKYO (AP) - Toyota plans to recall about 300,000 Prius hybrids worldwide over a brake problem and is likely to notify both the U.S. and Japanese governments Tuesday, news reports said, as a top executive will testify before U.S. lawmakers about defects that have tarnished its reputation for quality and safety.
The recall of the gas-electric Prius will cover the latest version of the cars that went on sale from May last year, Kyodo News agency reported late Monday.
Kyodo, which did not identify its sources for the information, said the automaker planned to notify authorities in Japan on Tuesday and probably also in the U.S. on the same day. The recall will cover about 270,000 of the hybrids sold in the two countries - 170,000 in Japan and 100,000 in the U.S., Kyodo said.
Japan's Nikkei business daily carried a similar report about Toyota's recall plans on its Web site, saying the automaker would notify authorities in Japan on Tuesday and was also likely to do so in the U