August 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A1 Litehouse hopes to spread sales across the nation. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review

August 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A1 1. Charles Taylor 2. Joshua Milton Blahyi, known as General Butt Naked while a fighter in Liberia’s factional war, now prays as intensely as he once killed. Above, Blahyi has …

August 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A1 Probation officer Ray Lays uses a drive-by unit to keep tabs on prisoners. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review

August 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A2 A federal appeals court on Sunday blocked the execution of man for a 1981 rape and murder, saying his lawyer’s incompetence raised a “grave question” about his guilt. Thomas Martin …

August 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A2 A woman sentenced to life in prison for hanging her 3-year-old son died on Sunday, three days after trying to strangle herself in prison with a torn piece of robe. …

August 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A2 Seven Alpine mountaineers died this weekend, raising to 29 the total number of people killed in the treacherous peaks in the last three weeks. Rescuers used helicopters Sunday to recover …

August 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A2 Water levels slowly dropped along the flooded Oder River Sunday and crews scrambled to repair a dangerous new crack in the dike. The breach was discovered late Sunday on the …

August 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A2 In 1916: The United States purchased the Danish Virgin Islands for $25 million. In 1944: Nazi police raided the hiding place of 15-year-old Anne Frank, whose diary became a famous …

August 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A2 (Richard M. Nixon)

August 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A2 The remains of several American soldiers killed nearly 47 years ago in the Korean War are scheduled to be returned from North Korea today, a U.S. official said. The United …

August 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A2 On alert for more suicide bombings, Israel mounted a tough blockade on Palestinian areas Sunday and deployed soldiers, bomb squads and extra police in major cities. A Palestinian was shot …

August 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A2 Controversy over gays in the military and recent sex scandals have demoralized troops, and a commission should be created to look at sex in the armed services, House Speaker Newt …

August 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A2 Firefighters battling triple-digit temperatures, poison oak and rattlesnakes began to gain the upper hand on wildfires across Southern California on Sunday, as new blazes erupted elsewhere in the region. In …

August 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A2 The Russian spacecraft SOYUZ TM-26 is transported to the launch site of the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakstan on Sunday. Photo by Associated Press

August 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A2 Sunday’s Washington Triple Choice: 505. Sunday’s Keno: 2-3-5-11-16-29-31-36-41-50-54-58-59-60-61-64-67-71-75-78. Saturday’s Washington Triple Choice: 610. Saturday’s Washington Lotto: 3-5-14-21-27-34. No winner. Next jackpot: $6 million.

August 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A2 A volcanic eruption sent super-heated gas, rock and ash tearing through Montserrat’s deserted capital Sunday, apparently setting aflame homes and buildings that were abandoned two years ago. Plumes of smoke …

August 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A3 Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., says he would support going around Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C., to convene a hearing for William Weld as ambassador to Mexico. Photo by Associated Press

August 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A3 Andrew Cunanan’s suicide halted one of the nation’s most lurid cases of serial murder. But from New Jersey to Virginia to Texas, the slayings of as many as 30 gay …

August 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A3 The Teamsters went on strike early today against the United Parcel Service after union negotiators walked out of contract talks, disrupting the daily delivery of 12 million packages by the …

August 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A4 More than 1,000 people marched Sunday through the capital to pray for peace following a bloody coup, while thousands of refugees driven to Thailand by factional warfare huddled under rain …

August 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A4 A British Airways plane carrying 70 people landed safely on just two wheels Sunday, after its landing gear malfunctioned. The pilot landed by balancing the British Aerospace turbo-prop on its …

August 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A4 The accused mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing goes on trial this week, facing the same judge who last year sentenced four men to 240 years each in …

August 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A4 Steve and Annette Diver visit their son Stuart at a Canberra hospital Sunday. Photo by Associated Press