EARLY BIRDS: Voters are casting early ballots at a brisk pace for a non-presidential year, with men leading the way. Even though they make up about 45 percent of all registered voters, men have cast more than half the ballots in the first four days of the early voting, according to an analysis of State Board of Elections data. The male turnout is a little unusual; turnout for women is typically higher. (N&O)
FIRED TROOPER WINS IN COURT: A state judge has ruled that Crime Control Secretary Reuben Young did not follow proper procedure when he fired a state trooper over an incident involving another man's wife. (N&O)
DOOR OPENS FOR OPENLY GAY: The military is accepting openly gay recruits for the first time in the nation's history, even as it tries in the courts to slow the movement to abolish its "don't ask, don't tell" policy. (AP)
