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hearing arguments in a lawsuit from the 17 news organizations seeking to change Idaho's protocol, saying it's unconstitutionally restrictive.
• The case aimed to strike down a portion of Idaho's regulations that prevent witnesses -- including reporters acting as representatives of the public -- from watching executions until after catheters have been inserted into the veins of death row inmates.
• "Nearly a decade ago, we held in the clearest possible terms that 'the public enjoys a First Amendment right to view executions from the moment the condemned is escorted into the execution chamber," the judges said in their ruling Friday. "The State of Idaho has had ample opportunity for the past decade to adopt an execution procedure that reflects this settled law."
• It's unclear how the ruling will affect the scheduled execution next week of Idaho death row inmate Richard Leavitt, who was convicted of the 1984 murder of a Blackfoot woman.
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• OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- The cost to dine with investor Warren Buffett has apparently spiked in value, with one deep-pocketed bidder forking over nearly $3.5 million during a charity auction.
• The annual auction for a private lunch with the Nebraska billionaire closed following a flurry of activity in the final hours Friday night. In the end, the highest bid was a record-breaking $3,456,789.
• The auction benefits the Glide Foundation, which helps the homeless in San Francisco. Buffett has raised more than $11.5 million for the group in 13 past auctions. The event provides a significant portion of Glide's roughly $17 million annual budget that pays for social services to the poor and homeless.
• "We just had a most amazing, shocking experience occur in our great city," Glide's founder, the Rev. Cecil Williams, said in a statement Friday night. "We are shouting, dancing, rejoicing and celebrating."
• The organization said Friday's winner bidder wished to remain anonymous. Williams said 10 people actively engaged in bidding.
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