Eruption: At least 30 people are believed to be dead after the eruption yesterday of a volcano in central Japan that is a popular hiking and climbing spot. About 250 people were on the mountain when it began to spew gas and ash shortly before noon, blanketing the area with ash. Most of the climbers were able to get off the mountain by late last night but recovery operations are still underway.

World: Hong Kong police used tear gas today in the third day of efforts to clear thousands of Democracy protesters from the central business district. Thousand of protesters blocked streets and highways. They used umbrellas to ward off tear gas canisters and threw them back at the police. Hong Kong authorities are trying to look tough for the central government in Beijing.

Nation: A pack of state governors including New York’s Andrew Cuomo made a surprise visit to Afghanistan to visit the troops and get briefings on counter terrorism and security. Also in the group were Gov. Bill Haslam of Tennessee, Gov. Jay Nixon of Missouri, who recently had to handle the Ferguson mess, and Gov. Brian Sandoval of Nevada. War zones are not the turf of governors unless they are looking to burnish their foreign policy credentials in the event that higher office calls.

> Two suspects are wanted in the wounding of a Ferguson, Mo. police officer last night. Authorities say the officer approached two men at a closed community center and they ran away, one of them firing a shot that hit the officer in the arm. Ferguson was the site of days of racial unrest this summer after an officer killed an unarmed black teenager. Police say the shooting could be linked to continuing protests.

Alpha Beta: Clemson University in South Carolina has suspended all fraternity activities after a 19-year-old pledge was found dead in a lake following a group run. Tucker Hipps, 19, somehow fell off a bridge into the lake after the run began at 5:30 am and was reported missing only at 1:45 pm. The University says this was the 15^th serious fraternity incident since Aug. 20^th. The police said they didn’t think it was a hazing incident, as if going on a group run at 5:30 in the morning is not hazing.

The Obit Page: James Traficant, the entertainingly loudmouthed former Ohio congressman with a road kill toupee who was expelled for corruption, died at age 73 of injuries suffered in a tractor accident on his family farm. Traficant was convicted in 2002 of charges that he took bribes from businessmen. He became only the second member of Congress expelled for unethical conduct since the Civil War. Despite his failings he was a colorful representative who spoke bluntly about government BS. In one speech on the floor he said, “Mr. Speaker the Lord’s Prayer is 66 words, the Gettysburg Address is 286 words, the Declaration of Independence is 1,322 words. U.S. regulations on the sale of cabbage — that is right, cabbage — is 27,000 words.”

Vows: Perpetual bachelor actor George Clooney, 54, was married in Venice, Italy yesterday to Amal Alamuddin, 36, a British-Lebanese human rights lawyer who is the ideal of beauty and brains. A serial heartbreaker, Clooney surprised the world in April with the announcement of his engagement. Clooney arrived at the wedding by boat, chased by paparazzi. The event was attended by many famous names wearing famous-name clothing.

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