Milestones

Ten years ago: Lt. Col. William Higgins, an American officer serving with a United Nations truce monitoring group, was kidnapped in southern Lebanon. He was later slain by his captors.

Five years ago: President Clinton addressed a joint session of Congress, asking Americans to accept one of the biggest tax increases in history as part of a plan to stimulate the economy and curb massive budget deficits. A ferry carrying up to 1,500 people sank off Haiti; only 285 people were known to have survived.

One year ago: In a surprising development, Pepperdine University said that Whitewater prosecutor Kenneth Starr would step down from the probe to take a full-time job at the school. Four days later, Starr reversed himself.