A gathering of 878 guitarists in Shreveport, La., gave children a chance to jam with artists such as James Burton and Al Di Meola, event organizers said. The James Burton International Guitar Festival, held Saturday in Shreveport, is sponsored by the James Burton Foundation.

Cleveland, Tenn., poultry farmer Mildred Mason said she has fans in her chicken houses to clear the air of ammonia and other toxins that come from chicken waste.

By SUSANNE RUST Within just a few years of Christopher Columbus' journey to the New World, West African slaves appeared in the Western Hemisphere.