The news at a glance...United States

Salem, Ore.

Suicide kits banned: The Oregon Senate voted this week to ban the sale of so-called “suicide kits” containing equipment to help a person end his or her life. State lawmakers acted in response to the death of Nick Klonoski, 29, who killed himself last year with a suicide kit he ordered through the mail from California. Such kits typically consist of a plastic bag that fits over a person’s head and a tube to attach to a tank of helium gas, facilitating death by asphyxiation. They retail online for around $60. Oregon was the first state to permit the terminally ill to end their lives by taking lethal medication supplied by a doctor, but suicide kits can be used without medical consultation. Sharlotte Hydorn, whose company sold the paraphernalia to Klonoski, said sales have increased sharply since the Senate bill was introduced in January.

Cincinnati

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Doctor guilty of pushing OxyContin: A physician was convicted in federal court this week of illegally handing out the prescription painkiller OxyContin, causing at least four deaths. Dr. Paul Volkman could face a life sentence after prescribing the drug to “countless” patients without medical justification from a clinic in Portsmouth, Ohio, said prosecutors. Abuse of OxyContin, sometimes called “hillbilly heroin,” has exploded in Ohio, where prescription drug overdoses have surpassed car crashes as the leading cause of accidental death.

Washington, D.C.

Gingrich launches 2012 bid: Newt Gingrich formally announced this week that he would seek the 2012 Republican nomination for president. The former House speaker confirmed via Twitter and Facebook his long-rumored decision to run. Known for his budget battles with President Clinton in the 1990s, the 67-year-old has gained a reputation in recent years as a powerful fund-raiser, bringing in $32 million from donors in 2009 and 2010. But Gingrich has considerable obstacles to overcome, too. He ranks fifth in recent polls of all potential GOP contenders, with high negatives from independent voters and from social conservatives, who disapprove of his admitted marital infidelities.

The Lower Mississippi

Floods head south: The rain-gorged Mississippi River crested at near record highs of 47.9 feet in Memphis this week, before surging south to threaten the delta regions of Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas with devastating floods. Some 3,000 buildings in low-lying areas of Memphis were at risk of flooding, but levees protected most of the historic city. The Mississippi will crest in Natchez, Miss., next week at 64 feet, said forecasts, well above the 58-foot record set in 1937. The state has evacuated 2,200 homes. In Louisiana, state authorities warned the rising waters could flood 3 million acres of land next week. In New Orleans, the prospect of widespread flooding stirred memories of 2005, when Hurricane Katrina left the city in ruins. “This city is the last place on earth that needs any more high water,” said one city resident.

New Orleans

Flag appeal: A Confederate flag flying outside a Shreveport courthouse subverted justice and caused a black man to be wrongly sentenced to death, lawyers claimed this week before the Louisiana Supreme Court. Attorneys representing Felton Dorsey, 37—convicted in 2009 of murdering a white man, retired fire chief Joe Prock—argued that the Civil War–era flag dissuaded black citizens from serving as jurors and influenced prosecutors’ jury selections, resulting in a panel of 11 whites and one African-American. Prospective juror Carl Staples was disqualified after he complained in court that the flag symbolized one of the world’s “greatest injustices.” The American Civil Liberties Union backs the case, arguing that the flag—part of a Civil War memorial—might lead white jurors to view black defendants as “second-class citizens.” Prosecutors contend that race played no role in Dorsey’s trial and that his conviction should stand.

Greenville, S.C.

A long shot triumphs: Herman Cain, the former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza, was declared the victor last week of the first debate among would-be 2012 Republican presidential candidates. Pundits had dismissed the Georgia businessman as a no-hoper before the 90-minute Fox News debate. But afterward a focus group declared Cain, 65, their favorite among the five other GOP candidates, including former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Texas Rep. Ron Paul. The group hailed Cain’s quick wit and said he talked sense on the importance of “free markets and leadership.” Despite his early success, Washington insiders see Cain as a long shot for the GOP nomination, saying he lacks experience and major donors. Cain is undeterred. “I hope they continue to call me a long shot until I take the oath of office in the White House,” he said.