1961 memo: Ted Kennedy sought to rent Chile brothel

WASHINGTON (AP) – An FBI file contends that a young Edward M. Kennedy arranged to rent a brothel for a night while visiting Chile in 1961, a year before he was elected to the Senate.

The previously redacted State Department memo, dated Dec. 28, 1961, was released by Judicial Watch, a Washington-based organization that said it obtained it through a Freedom of Information lawsuit.

According to the memo, the Massachusetts Democrat made arrangements to rent the brothel “for an entire night” in Santiago earlier in 1961. “Kennedy allegedly invited one of the Embassy chauffeurs to participate in the night’s activities,” according to the memo.

Easing oil prices send stocks sharply higher

NEW YORK (AP) – Stabilizing oil prices and more signs of a stronger economy sent stocks sharply higher Monday. The Standard and Poor’s 500 index had its best start of any year since 1998.

Oil prices fell to about $97 a barrel as worries about the global oil market eased after reports that some Libyan ports reopened to oil tankers and Saudi Arabia was boosting exports. Prices surged to more than $100 a barrel last week as clashes between rebels and government-backed forces intensified in Libya.

The Dow Jones industrial average gained 95.89 points, or 0.8 percent, to close at 12,226.34. The Standard and Poor’s 500 rose 7.34, or 0.6 percent, to 1,327.22. The Nasdaq composite rose 1.22 points, or less than 0.1 percent, to 2,782.27.

Texans survey homes destroyed by wildfires

AMARILLO, Texas (AP) – Stunned and weary residents of a Texas Panhandle town were allowed to return to what was left of homes Monday, a day after fleeing one of several wind-driven wildfires that scorched about 190 square miles in the state.

Shaken residents of rural Mesilla Park who spent Sunday night in a shelter in nearby Amarillo waited in their cars at a roadblock until authorities gave them the all-clear to return home to survey the damage. The 30 destroyed homes in the town were among at least 75 that burned statewide.

Firefighters battled blazes in the Panhandle and West Texas overnight and had contained them by Monday, authorities said. But crews were preparing for new wildfires Monday in the central and southern parts of the state because of the low humidity, warm temperatures and very dry conditions, said Texas Forest Service spokesman Lewis Kearney.