Recently in National Category

Dave Brubeck, a west-coast jazz artist who received acclaim for his pioneering rhythms, died Wednesday morning, according to an AP story in the Star Tribune and the Chicago Tribune. He was 91.

Brubeck, who was one day short of his 92nd birthday, died of heart failure, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Brubeck has been an icon of American jazz since World War II. He formed the Dave Brubeck quartet in 1951. The group released their most notable album, "Time Out," in 1959.

Brubeck was a pioneer of integration, according to both reports. He played at black jazz clubs in the south throughout the 1950's

Brubeck is survived by his wife Lola and his five children, according to both reports.

A Dearborn, Mo. couple has won a Powerball jackpot estimated at $588 million, according to an AP report in the Star Tribune and the Kansas City Star.

Missouri lottery officials officially announced Mark and Cindy Hill as one of two winners of the record jackpot at a press conference Friday, according to both sources. The Hills, who chose to take their winnings in a lump sum, will collect about $136 million after taxes, according to the AP report.

The Hills will split the jackpot with an unknown winner in Arizona who hasn't come forward yet, according to both reports.

Mark Hill bought the winning ticket at a Trex Mart gas station and convenience store at the edge of Dearborn, according to both reports. The store will receive a $50,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.

Many in Dearborn, a town of 500 about 40 miles north of Kansas City, knew on Thursday that the Hills had won, according to both reports.

The $588 million dollar jackpot, the largest Powerball jackpot ever, had set of a frenzy of ticket sales throughout the country. In the hours before Wednesday's drawing, tickets were being sold at a rate of 130,000 a minute, according to both reports.

Hostess will shut down after the company and labor unions failed to reach an agreement, the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune reported.

Hostess will lay off 18,500 employees, according to both reports.

Hostess will stop production at its 33 U.S. plants. The company is blaming its decision to shut down on strikes by the Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The unions accused Hostess of making unreasonable demands, including wage and benefits cuts of 30 percent for workers, according to the Los Angeles.

Hostess will sell its most valuable assests, including Twinkies and Wonder bread, to the highest bidders, according to the Los Angeles Times.

A federal judge sentenced Jared Lee Loughner to life in prison Thursday for his shooting rampage last year that killed six people and critically injured U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, the New York Times and Star Tribune reported.

The sentence came as no surprise, according to the New York Times.

On Jan. 8, 2011, Loughner went to a rally for Giffords carrying a loaded Glock 9-millimeter pistor and 60 rounds of ammunition, according to the New York Times. He fired 31 shots in less than 30 seconds, killing six and wounding 12.

Loughner shot Giffords but did not kill her. Giffords is partially blind and has brain damage from wounds sustained during the shooting, according to the Star Tribune.

Loughner entered a guilty plea on Aug. 7, according to the New York Times.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Friday that the 2012 New York City Marathon is canceled, according to the Wall Street Journal and New York Times.

Organizers canceled the event as New York City continues to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, according to the New York Times. Many runners, residents and politicians felt that it was in poor taste to run through five storm-damaged boroughs.

The marathon has taken place every year since 1970, according to the New York Times.

Mayor Bloomberg said as recently as early Friday that the race would go on as scheduled Saturday morning, according to the Wall Street Journal. However, many worried that the race would get in the way of the recovery effort.

The hurricane killed 41 people in New York City alone, according to the Wall Street Journal.

President Obama and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie toured the boardwalks of storm-ravaged New Jersey Wednesday, the New York Times and Star-Ledger reported.

Twelve people have died from the hurricane in New Jersey, according to the Star-Ledger. Fifty-eight people have died nationally.

About 2.2 million New Jersey homes and businesses are without power, according to the Star-Ledger. The storm caused damage in a half-dozen states and has caused an estimated tens of billions of dollars of damage, according to the New York Times.

Obama and Christie took an aerial tour of the New Jersey shore, beginning from Atlantic City, according to the New York Times.

Christie, a Republican, had criticized Obama a few days ago at a rally in Richmond, Va, but Christie commended Obama's personal leadership Wednesday, according to the New York Times. Both Christie and Obama praised the each others handling of the situation.

President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney challenged each other on foreign policy in the final presidential debate Monday night, the Star Tribune and Los Angeles Times reported.

Obama accused Romney of being all over the map on a range of issues, the Los Angeles Times reported. "Every time you've offered an opinion," the president said. "You've been wrong."

Romney also dished out criticism, both articles reported. He said the U.S. should have done more to prevent Iranian nuclear development, repeatedly saying, "We're four years closer to a nuclear Iran."

The two candidates painted different pictures of the world. Obama indicated that the world is safer and tighter-knit, while Romney said the world is dangerous and more threatening, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The candidates agreed on many issues, however, despite the heated rhetoric, the Los Angeles Times reported. Both agreed on positions regarding Israel, Iraq, Afghanistan and the use of predator drones.

A man in his 50's and a woman in her 40's contracted fungal meningitis, bringing the state's total to seven cases, according to the Star Tribune.

More than 230 people nationwide have contracted the fungus, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) linked to three lots of a contaminated steroid medication. The medication came from the called the New England Compounding Center.

At least 15 people have died from the outbreak nationwide, according to CBS News.

Health officials are not sure what contaminated the steroids but said dirty conditions, faulty sterilizing equipment, tainted ingredients or sloppiness on the part of employees are all possibilities, CBS News reported .

All seven patients received contaminated steroids from two Twin Cities clinics- Medical Advanced Pain Specialists (MAPS) and the Minnesota Surgery Center, according to the Star Tribune.

The CDC estimated that 13,000 people were exposed to the medication nationally, according to Scientific American.

Minnesota health officials estimated that 950 people were treated with the steroid, the Star Tribune reported last week. Since symptoms take four to six weeks to appear, state officials expect more cases to develop.

A 70-year-old Minnesota woman contracted fungal meningitis last week, the fourth reported case in Minnesota of an outbreak that has caused 15 deaths nationally, the Star Tribune reported Saturday.

The three previous Minnesota cases involved women in women in their 40's, according to the Star Tribune. Two of the women have been treated and released from the hospital and the third is expected to be released from the hospital soon.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) linked the outbreak to three lots of a contaminated steroid medication , according to Scientific American. The three lots came from a steroid maker in New England, which was not licensed to sell medication in bulk, according to the Star Tribune.

The CDC estimated that 13,000 people were exposed to the medication nationally, according to Scientific American.

State officials estimated that 950 people were treated with the steroid. Since symptoms take four to six weeks to appear, state officials expect more cases to develop.

Fungal meningitis, however, is not contagious- which means there is no risk for the general public- according to Scientific American.

Eight-hundred and thirty-one Minnesota patients received contaminated steroid injections linked to a national meningitis outbreak, the Star Tribune and Kare11 reported Tuesday.

Nationally, 105 cases of meningitis and eight deaths have been linked to the steroid, according to the Star Tribune. The Minnesota Department of Health confirmed three cases of meningitis linked to the faulty steroid- all women in their mid-40's- but no deaths.

Two Minnesota clinics distributed the injections: Medical Advanced Pain Specialists (MAPS) and the Minnesota Surgery Center. The clinics used the contaminated batches from July until late September.

The steroid products came from a Massachusetts pharmacy, the New England Compounding Center, according to the Star Tribune. The pharmacy recalled all of its products last week.

State health officials contacted patients who received the injections over the weekend. Officials advised those who received the tainted batches to seek medical evaluation, according to the Star Tribune.