Last Week in the World of News

by Jennifer Kietur assistant perspectives editor

0 2/20

Deng Xiaoping, dies at 92.

The admired Chinese leader died on Thursday, Feb. 20.

His deteriorating health had long ago left him inactive and all but invisible, but his presence held reassurance and direction.

Xiaoping was one of the founding revolutionaries of Communist China and the architect of economic modernizations that transformed the world's most populous nation.

Xiaoping was the last of China's revolutionary titans. Mandate has now been passed to a collective of younger men centered around Jiang Zemin, a 70-year-old power engineer turned party boss, and Prime Minister Li Peng. These men must now fill the void that was created by

Xiaoping's death.

0 2/22

Mom flees fire, baby left behind.

A mother fled a kitchen fire and left her 4-month old child on top of the stove. The child burned to death, firefighters said.

"She said that grease caught on fire," neighbor James Or quiz said. "I kicked in the back door and I did get inside, but not very long. The flames were real big."

Neighbors told the fire officials that the mother ran out with her 14-month-old child and told them her other baby was still inside on top of the stove.

The infant's parents were being questioned by police. Their names and the sex of the child was not available.

0 2/22

Father kills sons, then self.

On Saturday, police officials said a father fatally shot his three sons to death and then killed himself.

The body of Kevin Dale Fox, 32, was found by police near the doorway of his home early Saturday, police spokesman Pete Walker said.

Fox died late Saturday morning at Southwest Medical Center in Oklahoma City.

Fox's sons, Cody, 11, Cory, 10 and Caleb, 8, were found shot to death in the bedrooms of the house, police said.

"We are treating it as a homicide-suicide," Walker said.

Although no suicide note was found, Fox's divorce had recently become final and both parents wanted full custody.

0 2/23

Clearing the way for pregnant drivers.

Pregnancy parking spots have become one of the newest things to occur in some Atlanta supermarkets.

In an attempt to ease the burden on pregnant women, some supermarkets and shopping centers around the country have begun to reserve parking spaces for mothers-to-be, or "stork parking," as some stores call it.

The spaces, often two or more depending on the size of the parking lot, are usually near parking spots reserved for people with disabilities.

Representatives of the supermarket trade associations said the trend of reserving maternity parking was relatively new and was mostly heavily concentrated in the South.

The Publix chain, which operates stores in four southern states, began setting aside parking for pregnant women two years ago.

Warren May, who manages the Sandy Springs store just north of Atlanta, beard of a grocery store in Cuba that offered maternity parking.

"I gave it a try and I got about 100 compliments and maybe two complaints," May said.

"It was phenomenal the way it took off, so I kept it," May said.