In a deal with the British Library, Google will digitize some 250,000 books that date between 1700 and 1800. The BBC reports the partnership will allow readers to "view, search and copy the out-of-copyright works at no charge on both the library and Google books websites."

The BBC adds:

Sen. John McCain caused a stir over the weekend when he claimed that some of the wildfires in his state of Arizona were caused by illegal border crossers.

But on Monday McCain issued a statement insisting that the information came from someone with the U.S. Forest Service.

Some immigration activists accused McCain of wrongly blaming undocumented immigrants for at least one fire and perhaps more based on little to no evidence.

Michigan's governor announced a new reform program for Detroit schools Monday. The program creates a mini district for the city's lowest performing schools — and it works with university and private partners to improve schools and offer guaranteed college scholarships for city students. Detroit's long-troubled school system has been beset in recent years by financial mismanagement and declining enrollment. The district has already embarked on a plan to turn nearly half of its schools into charter schools.

You may think that having lots of stores and restaurants selling unhealthful food right next to high schools would be one of the reasons children are getting fatter.

But you might be wrong. Researchers in Maine have found something contrary to that conventional wisdom: Junk food sold near high schools does not seem to affect students' body mass index, or BMI.

Japanese officials say conditions at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant have markedly improved since the March 11 disaster, but the plant still won't be completely stabilized until early next year. At a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Association in Vienna Monday, officials released two reports that detail what went wrong — and what went right — in the aftermath of the crisis.

For the first time since the Vietnam War, U.S. mayors have passed a resolution calling on Congress to wind down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan so the money can be rerouted to domestic priorities.

Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the former leader of Tunisia, was sentenced to 35 years in prison after a day-long trial in Tunis. Ben Ali and his wife, who sought exile in Saudi Arabia in January, were convicted in absentia. The two were charged with embezzlement among other things.

The AP reports:

Ben Ali, 74, vigorously denied the charges in a statement through his French lawyer, calling the proceedings a "shameful masquerade of the justice of the victorious."

A new coal mining rule goes into effect tomorrow that regulators hope will help prevent explosions like the one at the Upper Big Branch Mine last year. The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration will require coal mine dust to be at least 80 percent rock dust, which is non-combustible. The other 20 percent can be coal dust, which can cause explosions.

With the fall election 20 weeks away, the two major gubernatorial slates in Kentucky are beating the bushes for campaign dollars.  So far, Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear and his running mate, Jerry Abramson, are out-raising Republican Senate President David Williams and his running mate Richie Farmer, but both campaigns are loading up for the fall campaign.

It appears Lexington officials are willing to give the state less-restrictive fireworks law a try this summer.  The new legislation allows for the sale of firecrackers and flying fireworks, which were previously illegal.  In Louisville, officials are considering a local proposal which is more restrictive than state law.