National news briefs

National news briefsJackson's dad wants some of son's money

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Michael Jackson's father is seeking an allowance from his son's estate to help cover expenses that exceed $15,000 a month, according to court documents filed Friday.

The request seeking an unspecified amount for Joe Jackson was filed by lawyer Brian Oxman, who said there was no apparent reason for the administrators of the estate to not seek an allowance for the Jackson family patriarch.

Michael Jackson's 2002 will, however, omitted any mention of his father. The two had an often strained relationship, and Michael Jackson said at one point that he would get physically sick — as a child and as an adult — at the sight of his father.

The singer's private trust calls for money to be paid to his mother, Katherine, his three young children, and various charities.

A judge has approved more than $26,000 in payments to Katherine Jackson each month, and a $60,000 monthly payment for the care of the children.

National news briefsN.M. official resigns post after DUI arrest

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A top official in Gov. Bill Richardson's cabinet has resigned over a drunken driving arrest just days after she was appointed to a spot in President Barack Obama's administration.

Secretary of Aging and Long-Term Services Cindy Padilla submitted her resignation on Oct. 26. The governor's chief of staff requested the resignation because the administration has a zero tolerance policy for drunken driving, according to a Richardson spokeswoman.

In late October, Padilla was named principal deputy assistant secretary in the Administration on Aging, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She was to start Nov. 16, but that has been postponed at her request, department spokeswoman Vicki Rivas-Vazquez said Friday. No new start date has been set.

National news briefsMan pleads not guilty in baby killing

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A man serving time for killing his infant son and trekking around the country with the child's body pleaded not guilty Friday to doing the same thing to his baby daughter.

Prosecutors contend that Jason Hann stuffed 2-month-old Montana Hann's corpse into a trash bag in 2001 then kept it in trailers and motorhomes for nine months as he and his girlfriend moved from state to state doing odd jobs.

The body was finally discovered in an Arkansas storage facility.

Hann, 34, pleaded not guilty in Indio Superior Court to murder and assaulting a child causing great bodily injury after being extradited from Kentucky, where he was serving time for killing his 6-week-old son 10 years ago.