News Digest:

Thursday, September 27, 2007 2:03 PM PDT

IDAHO — Judge in Craig case says no quick ruling on plea request; Craig says he’ll stay for now

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A judge took Sen. Larry Craig’s request to withdraw his guilty plea under advisement on Wednesday, and the Idaho Republican announced he will stay in office for the time being, omitting mention of an earlier commitment to resign Sept. 30.

Hennepin County Judge Charles Porter said he probably won’t rule until next month on Craig’s request, which stems from his earlier guilty plea in a men’s room sex sting at the Minneapolis airport.

Craig didn’t say just how long he planned to remain on the job.

‘‘Today was a major step in the legal effort to clear my name,’’ Craig said in a statement.

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Craig skipped the court hearing in Minnesota, a decision that his attorney, Billy Martin, described as routine for such a session.

During the hearing, Martin acknowledged the difficulty in getting the plea withdrawn, saying it is ‘‘near impossible, and it should be.’’ But he said Craig’s conduct was not criminal.

OREGON

Woman who survived Oregon wilderness gets out of hospital

PORTLAND (AP) — The 76-year-old woman who survived two weeks in the Oregon wilderness is out of the hospital.

Doris Anderson was stuck by herself in the Wallowa Mountains of Eastern Oregon for 13 days after getting lost during a hunting trip with her husband. She was rescued three weeks ago and treated for frostbite and dehydration.

Providence Portland Medical Center did not release any further information on Anderson’s condition Wednesday.

STRANGE AMERICA

Man angered by refusal to sell is accused of sawing house in half

HILLSBORO, Ohio (AP) — A man angry that he wasn’t going to be sold a house is accused of using a power saw to turn the abode into a convertible.

Rodney Rogers apparently thought an acquaintance was going to build a house and sell it to him, and he was living in it while it was being completed, Highland County Sheriff Ronald Ward said Wednesday.

After the acquaintance refused to complete the sale, Rogers used a power saw last week to make a lateral cut through the walls and siding at about chest level, authorities said.

He cut all the way around the house, Ward said.

Only one thing was keeping the top half of the house in place on the bottom half.

‘‘Gravity,’’ Ward said.