Republican McDonnell wins Va. gov's race

WASHINGTON, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- Republican Robert McDonnell, a former Virginia attorney general, easily beat state Sen. R. Creigh Deeds Tuesday in the race to become the state's 71st governor.

With nearly two-thirds of precincts reporting, McDonnell held wide leads, The Washington Post reported.

Democrats, who had won the last two gubernatorial races, suffered a GOP sweep of statewide races. Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling cruised to victory and state Sen. Ken Cuccinelli won the contest for attorney general.

McDonnell, 55, had promised to create new jobs in the sluggish economy and ease congestion on clogged roads without increasing taxes. He played down his conservative views on social issues and gained support from independent voters, who proved essential to the election of his two Democratic predecessors, The Roanoke (Va.) Times reported.

The Post noted Deeds, 51, never pulled together the coalition of voters that helped Barack Obama become the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry Virginia in more than four decades.

Voters in New Jersey, Maine, New York, Ohio and Washington states also went to the polls Tuesday.

Along with voting for candidates, they cast ballots on same-sex marriage, medical marijuana and casino gambling.

Six states have 26 measures on their ballots for the 2009 Election Day, down from the 33.2 average number of initiatives common in odd-year elections, the National Council of State Legislatures said on its Web site.

Maine voters were deciding whether to overturn a law permitting same-sex marriage while Washington voters were deciding whether to repeal a law giving domestic partnership rights to same-sex and unmarried senior couples that are equivalent to the rights provided by marriage.

Maine voters also were asked to consider amending existing medical marijuana laws to expand the list of conditions for which it can be prescribed and set up a procedure to grow the list in the future without a public vote. The measure also would create and regulate a dispensary system, among other things.

Ohio voters considered whether to allow one casino to be built in each of four cities. Tuesday's ballot question was the fifth time since 1990 that Ohio voters were asked to approve casino gambling -- the four previous initiatives failed.

Other measures states put to their voters involved setting revenue limits and several bonding questions.

In addition to the Virginia gubernatorial race, Election Day 2009 featured at least two other races described by some pundits as an early referendum on Obama.

Polls indicated Republican challenger Chris Christie was in a statistical dead heat with Democratic incumbent Gov. Jon Corzine in New Jersey.

A congressional election in upstate New York has turned into a litmus test for conservatives. Dede Scozzafava, supported by the local GOP, dropped out and endorsed Democratic candidate Bill Owens following a backlash by Republican conservatives who put up their own candidate, Doug Hoffman.

Cleveland police find 10th body at home

CLEVELAND, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- Police said they discovered four more bodies Tuesday at the Cleveland home of suspected serial killer Anthony Sowell, bringing the total to 10.

Cleveland police Chief Michael McGrath said at an evening news conference the four bodies were discovered in the back yard of the home, WEWS-TV, Cleveland, reported.

Workers had resumed digging at the home Tuesday, and a tent was being put up in the back yard so crews can dig through the night, The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer reported. The newspaper said authorities had stopped searching for bodies for two days before resuming.

Five of the first six victims found had been strangled and the sixth died from unknown causes, police said. All six are women.

As police continued searching, Sowell was charged Tuesday with five counts of aggravated murder as well as rape, felonious assault and kidnapping and is to be arraigned Wednesday, WEWS said.

Sowell was arrested Saturday after five decomposing bodies were found in his home and one outside.

He was released from prison in 2005 after serving 15 years for raping a woman in East Cleveland.

None of the victims has been identified. All were African-American, the coroner said.

Justice of peace in marriage flap resigns

BATON ROUGE, La., Nov. 3 (UPI) -- A Louisiana justice of the peace who refused to marry an interracial couple has resigned, officials said Tuesday.

Keith Bardwell -- who the couple said refused to issue a marriage license for them and then refused to perform a marriage ceremony -- resigned as a justice of the peace for Tangipahoa Parish's 8th Ward, Jacques Berry, a spokesman for the Louisiana secretary of state's office said.

Bardwell had come under pressure from Gov. Bobby Jindal and other elected officials to resign following news reports he refused to marry Beth Humphrey, 30, and Terence McKay, 32, both of Hammond, La.

The couple -- who were married by another justice of the peace -- filed a federal discrimination lawsuit accusing Bardwell and his wife, Beth Bardwell, of violating the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, CNN reported.

The lawsuit alleges Beth Bardwell asked Humphrey in a telephone conversation whether Humphrey and McKay were a "mixed couple."

"We don't do interracial weddings," Beth Bardwell allegedly told Humphrey.

Keith Bardwell told CNN affiliate WAFB, Baton Rouge, La., he would not apologize.

"It's kind of hard to apologize for something that you really and truly feel down in your heart you haven't done wrong," he said.

He told the Hammond Daily Star last month his main concern in refusing to wed the couple was that he thinks interracial marriages don't last.

"I'm not a racist," he said. "I do ceremonies for black couples right here in my house. My main concern is for the children."

Charlie Beck named LAPD chief

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- Deputy Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck was named Tuesday to succeed William Bratton, who retired after seven years as LAPD chief.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said he chose Beck, a 32-year veteran of the department, because he "understands the past" and "will lead the charge to make Los Angeles the safest city it can be."

Civil rights activists reacted positively to the appointment because of Beck's record of reforming the department and working with minorities, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Within the department, he is known for rehabilitating the Ramparts Division -- which was rocked by a corruption scandal -- and for heading LAPD operations in South Central. He has a reputation for integrating a tough-on-crime approach to crime with an emphasis on community relations, the Times said.

"I pledge that I will not disappoint this city," Beck said at a news conference where his appointment was announced.

Beck, 56, has a son and a daughter on the force and a sister who has retired from the LAPD. His wife is a retired Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy.

Los Angeles crime rates declined under Bratton, whose last day in office was Saturday.

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