National news capsules

Passenger train hits car, killing 5 teens

CANTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — An Amtrak passenger train carrying about 170 people struck a car that had skirted a gate at a road crossing near Detroit on Thursday, killing all five people in the sedan, authorities said. The victims were believed to be teens.

The crossing has a gate and flashing lights that apparently were working when the car approached, said Sgt. Mark Gajeski, a police spokesman.

The crash occurred around 12:30 p.m. in Canton Township, about 20 miles west of Detroit, police Sgt. Craig Wilsher said. The train typically travels about 67 miles per hour at the site of the crash, Gajeski said.

Roland Burris won't run for term in 2010

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Roland Burris, whose deep ties to former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich seemed to doom his Senate tenure from the start, will not run for a full Senate term in 2010. The move increases Democrats' chances of holding on to the former Senate seat of President Barack Obama.

Burris has begun informing fellow Democrats about his decision and is expected to make an announcement on Friday, a Democratic official and a friend of Burris' told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity because Burris has yet to discuss his decision publicly. Burris issued a news release on Thursday evening that said he planned a "major announcement" at an event in Chicago today.

Prankster incites damage at hotel

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Authorities say a prankster persuaded a married couple to smash their Florida hotel window after falsely telling them the room had a gas leak.

Police say a person claiming to be a front-desk clerk at an Orlando hotel convinced the couple to break a wall mirror and use a lamp to punch a hole through the wall. The couple also threw a mattress out the window, but a hotel manager came to the room before they could jump.

The prank cost about $5,000 in damages. Police say the couple were not arrested Monday because they thought it was an emergency. The hotel has not asked them to pay.

Palin leaving office for lucrative deals?

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The former fiance of Gov. Sarah Palin's 18-year-old daughter says he believes he knows why the Alaska governor is resigning — concerns over money.

Nineteen-year-old Levi Johnston, whose wedding to Bristol Palin was called off earlier this year, says he thinks the governor is resigning over personal finances.

Johnston says he lived with the Palin family from early December to the second week in January. He claims he heard the governor several times say how nice it would be to take advantage of the lucrative deals that were being offered, deals that included a reality show and a book.