This article in USA Today uses a lot of information from records. The reporter would have to know how to access federal records and how to access salary information. The reporter would have to analyze the federal ethics laws and have all the information as evidence to prove his claim.

The reporter would have to have the ability to search online and use different search engines and know how to access public records. 

The New York Times reported that gunmen took 75 people hostage on Thursday in a elementary school  in the southern Philippines, officials said.

The Gunmen later releases 27 of the hostages including all of the children. The situation occurred after one of the assailants leaders was served an arrest warrant by the police.

The leader, Ondo Perez, was served a warrant for being suspected to be running a criminal organization called the Perez Group.

The New York Daily News reported that 10 more hostages have been released. The conditions and identities of the remaining hostages has not been released. 

KARE 11 reported that a man that is an alleged gang member has been charged in the fatal shooting in the parking lot of a St. Paul apartment building.

Rashad Lamont Burch, 25, was charged with intentional  second-degree murder with killing Dwight Raymond Tate, 24.

KSTP reported that the shooting occurred during a confrontation between two groups on women. It is also said that Burch had a grudge against Tate. Later in the same apartment complex a second man was killed by police after he allegedly shot a police officer in the leg. 

CNN reported that Diana Sawyer left "Good Morning America." Her last episode was Friday morning. 

Sawyer has worked on "Good Morning America" for the past ten years. Her final episode was full of laughter tears and memories. Sawyer will now be anchoring "World News Tonight."

USA Today reported that George Stephanopoulos will be replacing Sawyer on "Good Morning America." He will anchor with Robin Roberts. His first day will be Dec. 21. 

USA Today reported that a huge fire broke out after 1 a.m. Thursday in a high-rise in Chicago. There were hundreds of firefighters trying to put the fire out.

One woman that lived on the 36th floor died in the fire. Twelve others were injured including five firefighters. None of the injuries are life-threatening, according to authorities.

The Chicago Tribune reported that the woman who died was named Beata Bihl and she was an 84-year-old German immigrant. She called 911, but she never made it out of the apartment building. 

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. 

The Minnesota Daily reported that Royce White, a freshman Gopher basketball player, pleaded guilty Wednesday morning of charges of theft and disorderly conduct.

The disorderly conduct charge was lowered from fifth-degree assault. White said that he stole 100 million dollars worth of merchandise and had an argument with a security guard. 

White was fined $600 but the charges will be removed for is record after one year if he stays out of trouble. He is also banned from the Mall of America. 

It is unclear if White will be re-instateed to the basketball team, KARE 11 said.

The Star Tribune reported that Tom Petters was found guilty of fraud and money laundering on all 20 federal counts. The jury's deliberations lasted five days. 

These charges were involving his 3.5 billion dollar ponzi scheme. The assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Dixon said that this is the most significant financial fraud to occur in Minnesota. When the decision was read Petter was somber, KARE 11 reported.

The judge did not set a sentencing date but it is expected to be in a couple of months. 

The New York Times reported that Iran released the five British sailors that they captured. The sailors were detained on Nov. 25 after their racing yacht went into Iranian territorial waters in the Persian Gulf when they were on the way to a race.

A spokesman in London said that the men were being returned and their yacht, Kingdom of Bahrain, is being towed back.

CNN reported that the men's names are Oliver Young, 21, Luke Porter, 21, Olly Smith, 31, Sam Usher, 26, and Dave Bloomer, in his 60s. 

The Iranians released the men after they determined that their yacht accidentally wandered into their waters. 

CNN reported, that the FBI, with the help of cadaver dogs, searched the house where a suspected serial killer once lived.

Anthony Sowell, 50, has been charged with 11 counts of aggravated murder after the remains of ten women and a skull were found at his home and buried in the yard, AP said. He faces arraignment Thursday on an 85-count indictment returned Tuesday by a Cuyahoa County grand jury, according to AP.

His previous home is now being searched to see if he buried additional bodies there. So far nothing has been found at his previous home. The current owners of the home cooperated with the FBI and continue to allow them to search. 

BBC News reported that Susan Boyle, 48, set the record for the highest selling debut by a female artist. The record sales tracker Neilsen SoundScan told BBC News that Boyle's record "I Dreamed A Dream" sold 701,000 copies in the first week in the US.

Boyle was a finalist in the television show "Britain's Got Talent" and beat "American Idol" runner-up Adam Lambert in sales. Lambert's record debuted at number three.

Boyle even beat Eminem in record sales, CNN said. He held the year's highest record sales title until the release of Boyle's record. 

A women was convicted by a jury Friday of having sexual contact with a 17-year-old female student she was mentoring, KARE 11 reported.

Melissa Koehn, 31, was found guilty of three counts of criminal sexual conduct. Koehn was a teacher and the basketball coach at St. Croix Lutheran High School.

Koehn and the student were found by a police officer inside a parked car in Apple Valley. Koehn admitted the two had a sexual relationship and dating back to August 2008.

According to the \, the age of consent is 16 years old, but it is against the law for a teacher to have a sexual relationship with a student 17 or younger, 

KSTP reported that the lawyers for the Minnesota House believe the Gov. Tim Pawlenty misused a state law to enact budget cuts without legislative consent. The lawyers spelled this out in a 34-page brief on Friday.

The lawsuit questions some of the $2.7 billion in budget cuts made by Pawlenty. One of the main cuts involves money for food assistance and property tax credits for the poor.

KARE 11 added that the judge in this case might stop the cuts while the case is in court. 

USA Today reported that "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" set the box-office record for midnight screenings. It is estimated that it earned $26.3 million Friday morning.

"New Moon" opened at midnight in 3,524 theaters. This movie is expected to have one of the biggest opening weekends of the year.

"New Moon" beat "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince," which earned $22.2 million when it opened this summer, according to CNN. It will also make more in its opening day than "The Dark Knight," which grossed $67.2 million on its opening day. 

A grand jury in Jefferson City, Mo. indicted a 15-year-old on Wednesday of first-degree murder of her 9-year-old neighbor, USA Today reported.

Alyssa Bustamante was accused of murdering her neighbor Elizabeth Olten. Bustamante is accused of strangling the girl, cutting her throat and stabbing the girl. The murder took place Oct. 21. 

If she is convicted she could be sentenced to life in prison.

ABC reported that Bustamante confessed to the crime and said she did it so she would "know what it felt like to kill someone." 

She is being held without bond in Cole County jail.