ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Gay rights advocates claimed a major victory after the state Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional to deny benefits to same-sex partners of public employees. In overturning a lower court ruling, the state high court said last week that barring benefits for state and city employees' same-sex partners violates the Alaska constitution's equal protection clause. The ruling could influence courts in other states, said Michael Macleod-Ball, director of the Alaska American Civil Liberties Union. Alaska was one of the first states to pass a constitutional ban on gay marriage. "Other courts ... could be looking to the state of Alaska on how it handled the equal protection rationale," Macleod-Ball said. Anchorage city attorney Fred Boness said city officials would not appeal the decision. But Republican Gov. Frank Murkowski was "outraged" by the ruling and directed the attorney general's office to determine the best way to overturn it, said his spokesperson, Becky Hultberg. The high court said the disputed benefits plans would stand until a remedy is reached in future court hearings.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles County health officials are focusing a new anti-smoking program at gay men and lesbians, who they say are nearly twice as likely to smoke as the general population. The "Last Drag" campaign aims to reach gay men and lesbians through print ads and efforts in bars and clubs — where health officials say many smokers picked up the habit. "When a lot of gay men and women come out, they come out in the bar culture, and the bar and club culture has really established a culture where it's OK to smoke," said Jeff Bailey, director of education at the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center. "We need to change that." Health officials have set up smoking cessation programs targeting gay men at three local area health organizations and plan to start programs early next year for lesbians. Los Angeles' campaign is a response to a California Department of Health Services study last month that found 30.4 percent of the state's gay community smokes, compared to 15.4 percent of the general population. "This is the first time that there is data on the gay population," said Dr. Jonathan Fielding, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. "It's of grave concern."

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A judge imposed a life prison sentence on a 65-year-old Michigan truck driver who drugged, kidnapped, tortured and sexually assaulted two young men, killing one of them. James Donald Moore apologized to the surviving victim and to the men's families during his sentencing hearing Thursday in Kent County Circuit Court. "I am very, very remorseful," Moore said. "I don't know how else I can say how sorry I am." The separate assaults left Justin Bogdanik, 18, of Grand Rapids, dead and injured D.J. Dempsey, then 19, of Grand Haven. Bogdanik was beaten and sexually tortured after accepting a ride from Moore on June 25, 2003, in downtown Grand Rapids. A passer-by found Bogdanik face-down in a ditch along Interstate 96 in Livingston County's Genoa Township, his wrists bound by duct tape and his eyes and genitals glued. He died in a hospital 12 days later. Investigators said when Moore met Dempsey, he offered a cure for his stuttering. Instead, Dempsey was given up to 48 Benadryl pills that rendered him unconscious, then he was assaulted and dumped alongside a highway near Jackson on Sept. 1, 2003. Dempsey's recollection of events helped lead to Moore's capture a short time later. His father said he didn't want an apology from Moore. He wanted to see Moore dead. "You don't ever need to be on the street again because you'll just hurt someone again," David Dempsey said.

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