LONG BEACH - When the district attorney's star witness in the Bixby Knolls beating case saw a mob of kids surround three young women, then beat them ruthlessly to the ground, she was filled with conflicting emotions.

WASHINGTON - Rep. John Lewis, whose political career grew out of the civil rights movement, had longed for the day he could vote for someone he believed could become the nation's first black president. So when Sen. Barack Obama entered the race, he was on the cusp of declaring his support.

Three Sundays ago, Donald Flynn called his wife's attention to an item in the Press-Telegram. Actually, "called" is an understatement.

"Gerri, you've got to read this," she recalls him saying excitedly. "Look what's happening at Saint Anthony's."

Long considered the modern-day equivalent of Sodom and Gomorrah, Hollywood is increasingly showing its family-friendly side, churning out an unprecedented number of films and television shows with uplifting and redemptive themes.

NORWALK - A man was shot while walking down the 16000 block of Maidstone Avenue in Norwalk Saturday night.

Police responded to a gunshot victim call at about 6 p.m., said Lt. Duane Harris of the Norwalk Sherrif's Station.

The victim, a 23-year-old Hispanic male, was walking down the street when "three Hispanic males in their early 20s drove by and asked where he was from," Harris said.

Rupert Everett and 250 men dressed as Kylie Minogue were among 8,000 revelers who marched through Sydney, Australia, late Saturday for the 29th annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.

Myer Feldman, an aide to President John F. Kennedy who remained virtually unknown to the public while playing an integral role in planning his presidential campaign, White House press conferences and governmental policies, died Thursday in Bethesda, Md. He was 92.

His son, James, announced the death. Feldman lived in Potomac, Md., and Miami.

George and Ira Gershwin may have said it best for the five members of the Blue Steel band:

"I've got rhythm!

I've got music!