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MIAMI - The call girl involved in a scandal that brought down New York's former governor has dropped a lawsuit claiming "Girls Gone Wild" founder Joe Francis exploited her image and name on the Internet.

Ashley Dupre voluntarily dismissed the $10 million federal lawsuit, according to court documents filed Thursday. She said she was only 17 when she signed a binding contract giving permission to appear in the "Girls Gone Wild" video.

Telephone calls and e-mails to Dupre's lawyer and publicist were not immediately returned Friday.

Francis said in a statement issued late Friday night that "the truth invariably comes out, as I knew it would in this case.
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BUTTE, Mont. - Now that they're allies, Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton will help each other raise money in a series of fundraisers in New York next week.

Obama campaign spokesman Jen Psaki said the Democratic nominee-in-waiting and Clinton will hold three fundraisers. Two events are scheduled for Wednesday night — one to raise money for his general election campaign and one to help pay off debts from her primary campaign. A third fundraiser, for Obama, is a breakfast Thursday morning with women donors that Clinton, a New York senator, will attend.

The fundraisers will be the first joint appearances by the former foes since their lovefest in Unity, N.H.
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OMAHA, Neb. - Oklahoma's Samantha Woodward fell short in her final bid to make the U.S. Olympic swimming team Sunday in the 50-meter freestyle.

Woodward finished in 25.82 seconds for the 25th fastest time in the preliminaries. Only the top 16 swimmers moved on to the semifinals.

Woodward, who competed at Edmond Memorial High School, was two-tenths of a second too slow to reach the semifinals.

She also tried to make the Olympic team earlier this week in the 100 butterfly and the 100 freestyle.

Lara Jackson had the best qualifying time in the 50 freestyle by breaking the American record. She finished in 24.50 seconds, breaking the record by three-hundredths of a second.
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NORMAN- A ban on smoking and chewing tobacco has taken effect at Oklahoma State University, but that doesn't necessarily mean the state's other major university will be following suit.

State law bans smoking inside buildings at the University of Oklahoma, and spokeswoman Catherine Bishop said it's also prohibited within 25 feet of all building entrances. So far, though, there hasn't been grassroots support for banning the practice everywhere else on campus.

The issue was brought up this spring in a Student Congress after Oklahoma State approved its policy last year, which went into effect Tuesday.
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Some congressional candidates in Oklahoma are running out of habit. Some say they are on a mission from God. Others just want to make a statement.

Almost two dozen candidates are running in Oklahoma for the U.S. Senate and five congressional posts.

Most of them have one thing in common: scant chance of winning against well-financed and entrenched incumbents.

"To beat an incumbent you either have to have an angry electorate or lots of money, or both," said Keith Gaddie, University of Oklahoma political professor.

For some candidates, "running for office is a hobby," while "others really think that lightning is going to strike," Gaddie said.

Sen.
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Even folks in the Optimist Club are having a tough time toeing an upbeat line these days.

Eighteen members of the volunteer organization's Gilbert, Ariz., chapter have gathered, a few days before this nation's 232nd birthday, to focus on the positive: Their book-drive for schoolchildren and an Independence Day project to place American flags along the streets of one neighborhood.

They beam through the Pledge of Allegiance, applaud each other's good news — a house that recently sold despite Arizona's down market, and one member's valiant battle with cancer. "I didn't die," she says as the others cheer.
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In the spirit of Independence Day, let us declare (for just one day a week) our freedom from e-mail. Text messages, too. Begone!

The following is an excerpt from an editorial that appeared in the Orlando Sentinel on Tuesday :

I help homeless because I can

It is fire season, and our forests will burn this summer. There are choices to be made about our communities' relationships with fire. Old habits must be broken and we will benefit from increasing our tolerance for more fire and smoke; not less. Matt Skroch and Tom Swetnam would propose why in Sunday's Star.

Olympic trials: local update

EUGENE, Ore. — On his 31st birthday, Abdi Abdirahman resolved to run again.

PHOENIX — Cha Seung Baek threw six shutout innings for his first victory in seven starts this season, and the San Diego Padres beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-1 Friday night to drop the NL West leaders below .500.

● Twins 12, Indians 3: In Minneapolis, Delmon Young hit a three-run homer, and the Twins won for the 14th time in 16 games. The Indians cut closer Joe Borowski, last season's AL saves leader.

OMAHA, Neb.

● Rockies 18, Marlins 17: In Denver, the blasts returned to Coors Field on Friday night — long before the fireworks. In a throwback to the pre-humidor days, the teams combined for 43 hits and Colorado came back from nine runs down to pull off the biggest comeback in franchise history.

WIMBLEDON, England — Venus and Serena Williams have a busy schedule today.

BREST, France — Here is what a great victory would look like for Tour de France organizers: The riders reach the finish line in three weeks with no doping scandals.

OMAHA, Neb. — For the first time all week, the sparkle was missing in the eyes of Caitlin Leverenz as she walked slowly to the Olympic trials' warm-up area.

Jamie D'Antona hit three homers — all off Salt Lake starter Dustin Moseley — and had five RBIs Friday night to lead the Tucson Sidewinders to an 8-5 victory over the Bees at Franklin Covey Field in Salt Lake.