In Brief - May 20, 2008

Around the Northwest

• Get a first look at the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
• Check out the local farming scene in King County.
• Oregon is expecting its highest voter turnout in 20 years.
• Former Bellarmine Prep (Tacoma) star Jon Lester pitched his first no-hitter for the Boston Red Sox last night.
  

Around the Nation

• A federal appeals court has ruled that paper money discriminates against the blind.
• Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius vetoed a bill that would have required voters to show ID at the polls starting in 2010.
• Miami-Dade County approves benefits for domestic partners.
  

Around the World

• North Korea is close to making a declaration of its nuclear programs, in exchange for economic and diplomatic considerations.
• Members of the English parliament are debating whether to reduce the amount of time a woman has to seek an abortion, from 24 weeks to as little as 12 weeks.
• Mexican police have arrested a donkey for biting and kicking people. (Yes, you're reading that correctly.)
  

This Day in History

• 1862 - President Lincoln signed the Homestead Act into law.
• 1863 - Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis receive a patent for blue jeans with copper rivets.
  
• 1927 - Aviator Charles Lindbergh takes off on the first solo non-stop trans-Atlantic flight.