In this task, you are given news articles and you need to generate a highlight, i.e., a short summary, with a maximum length of 10 lines.

(CNN) -- Former Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards was released from federal prison Thursday after serving about 10 years, the federal Bureau of Prisons said. Edwards was convicted of racketeering, conspiracy and extortion after prosecutors said he asked for payoffs from people who applied for riverboat casino licenses in New Orleans in the 1990s. Edwards, 83, had pursued a pardon from President George W. Bush, but never got one. He began serving his sentence in February 2001. He was released from prison to a halfway house, said Edmond Ross, spokesman for the Bureau of Prisons. At Edwards' trial in 2000, star witness Edward J. DeBartolo Jr., former owner of the San Francisco 49ers, got a reduced sentence in exchange for testifying about his own $400,000 bribe to Edwards. He said he had felt compelled to make the payment. DeBartolo ended up not going through with the project after the scandal broke. Allegations of corruption dogged Edwards throughout much of his political career, but he always maintained that he'd never lose an election, and famously joked that he'd keep his office unless he was caught "in bed with a dead girl or a live boy." Frequently during his trial -- for allegedly extorting almost $3 million from casino applicants -- he held his own court on the courthouse steps. "Today, I took care of some housekeeping and had my car fixed and went and cashed a check before they freeze my accounts," he told reporters at one point. Edwards served several terms in office -- from 1972 to 1980, 1984 to 1988 and 1992 to 1996. The Democrat, U.S. Navy aviation cadet and lawyer began his career as a city councilman and state representative before being elected to Congress, and then governor. He won his first gubernatorial term "by an unprecedented combination of 'Cajun' and black votes," according to his biography on the Louisiana Secretary of State's website. "Edwards named blacks to key state positions and his support of black politicians resulted in a mutually beneficial relationship," the biography says. His third term "was marked by federal indictments, but not convictions, for mail fraud, obstruction of justice and public bribery," the biography adds. The bio does not refer to Edwards' conviction later on. The U.S. District Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana, on its website, describes Edwards as "leader of the corrupt enterprise whose objectives included the illegal and corrupt manipulation of the riverboat gaming licensing process during and after his four terms as governor." "Also convicted were Edwin's son, Stephen Edwards and his close associates Andrew Martin, Cecil Brown, and Bobby Johnson," the office says. CNN's Dave Alsup contributed to this report.
The former governor was convicted of extortion in casino industry .
Edwards had pursued a pardon from President Bush .
A former NFL team owner testified about a bribe during Edwards' trial .
Edwards said he'd keep his office unless he was caught with a "dead girl or a live boy"

(CNN) -- After nearly 40 years of recorded increases, the number of immigrants living in the United States remained flat between 2007 and 2008, recent statistics released by the U.S. Census Bureau show. The number of naturalized citizens in the U.S. increased, partly attributed to voter drives for the 2008 election. According to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey, the U.S. foreign-born population represented about 12.5 percent of the population in 2008, down from 12.6 percent in 2007. Taking into account the margin of error, it was possible that the immigrant population remained even. "Between '07 and '08 there really wasn't that much of a change," said Elizabeth Grieco, chief of immigration statistics staff at the Census Bureau. But given the steep upward trend in the foreign-born population since 1970, no change is big news. The American Community Survey collects data from about 3 million addresses each year, and provides one of the most complete pictures of the population, according to the bureau. The survey doesn't give a reason for the leveling off, but experts pointed to the economic downturn and the resulting high unemployment as factors behind the shift. "The recession has had a significant effect on immigrants' decisions on whether to come to the U.S.," said Michelle Mittelstadt, director of communications at the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute. Would-be unauthorized immigrants and legal temporary workers are mostly the ones who have decided to stay put in their home countries for now, Mittelstadt said. The largest declines in the foreign-born population were in states that were hardest hit by the recession, including California, Florida and Arizona. Mittelstadt noted, however, that those immigrants already in the United States appear to be staying. A recent study by the Pew Hispanic Center concluded that emigration from Mexico, the largest source of immigrants to the United States, slowed at least 40 percent between mid-decade and 2008, based on national population surveys in the United States and Mexico, as well as Border Patrol apprehension figures. The Mexican-born population in the United States dropped by about 300,000 between 2007 and 2008, according to census data. The new Census statistics show that for the first time since the American Community Survey was fully implemented in 2005, the number of noncitizens decreased, Grieco said. There were about 21.6 million noncitizens in 2008, down from 21.9 million in 2007. The label noncitizens includes both legal residents and illegal immigrants. Along with the decline in the noncitizen population, however, there was a notable increase in the number of naturalized citizens, Grieco said. The number of individuals who are naturalized citizens increased to 43 percent of the foreign-born population in 2008 from 42.5 percent in 2007. The Census survey matches reports from the Department of Homeland Security on the rise of naturalization applications. "Naturalizations grew at a record pace between 2006 and 2008, with a total of 2.4 million immigrants becoming new citizens in the United States," according to a DHS statement. A significant fee increase imposed in 2007 for naturalization applications and an awareness of citizenship brought on during voter registration drives for the 2008 election help explain the increase, Mittelstadt said.
Bureau official: "Between '07 and '08 there really wasn't" much immigration change .
Notable increase in naturalized citizens, Census Bureau's Elizabeth Grieco says .
Mexican-born population in U.S. dropped by about 300,000 between 2007 and 2008 .

(CNN) -- Pemba Sherpa had already reached Camp 1 on Mount Everest when he heard the loud and chilling bang of the avalanche. He knew his father was behind him on the Khumbu Icefall and ran down the mountain, only to find the devastation of ice, snow and baggage scattered everywhere. "I thought he abandoned his load and ran to safety," he tells me, almost whispering. "But I could not find him amid the commotion at base camp. Then I saw the helicopters, with the bodies on the suspended ropes, and I knew I lost my dad." Ang Tshiring's body was taken to Lukla, a tourist town where most who embark on a trip to Everest Base Camp start out. From there, Pemba and his brother carried him home themselves on foot, a trek that took seven hours along the mountain trail. Unforgiving land of few opportunities . Ang Tshiring, 57, was a high altitude cook. For the past 15 years, during the climbing season, he spent one month at Everest Base Camp and one month at Camp 2, at 6,100 meters. Two months to earn $1,500, meant to last the year. Ang Tshiring was famous for always showing happiness. Climbers who knew him remember him as a funny man, laughing and joking all the time, never angry, always kind. His son Pemba, 37, lives with the family in Thamo, a small village of 50 souls located in the Thame Valley in the Khumbu, where the country's greatest ethnic Sherpa climbers live, well off the beaten track of Nepal's Everest Base Camp trail. The Thame Valley suffered the biggest loss of life from April's Everest tragedy that killed 13 guides (another three are still missing and presumed dead), the deadliest accident in the history of the world's highest peak. Here, every man, if not in school or too old, is involved in climbing expeditions. They have few other choices. Little grows but the odd patch of potatoes. Few tourists pass by and yak herding is an insufficient way to make a living. Cut off from the economic tourism opportunities that the rest of Nepal's Kumbhu region enjoys, uncontaminated by progress, the Thame Valley retains the atmosphere of ancient Himalaya -- which for centuries nurtured the Western utopian dream that a secret land of happiness may exist somewhere among the impenetrable snow-capped mountains. The villages are marked by the vernacular architecture of slate-roofed houses. Traders still cross the perilous high passes into Tibet with their cargo of salt and wool as they've done since ancient times. There's an abundance of pagodas, monasteries, stone walls carved with mantras, wheels containing prayer scrolls and sacred shrines. Thousands of colorful flags flutter in clusters, offering prayers to be carried along by the wind. Everest avalanche: American climber recounts how Sherpa saved his life . A time to earn merit, not mourn . In Ang Tshiring's home, feelings of sadness are eclipsed by spiritual duty. "All that matters now are the puja," says Ang Riku, his widow, referring to a series of prayers and rituals. Her focus is on directing special prayers aimed at purifying and earning merit for Ang Tshiring's spirit. Nothing else holds relevance for her -- not the political demands of the Sherpas, nor the discussions raging on social media worldwide, nor whether someone will climb Everest from the Nepal side of the mountain this year. She's silencing her mourning and sorrow to give all of herself for the benefit of Ang Tshiring. The Sherpa follow one of the Tibetan sects of Buddhism, Nyingmapa, and believe that 49 days after Ang Tshiring's death, his next life is determined and he may reborn. Ang Riku is concerned. She says accidental deaths are a bad way to go. It means Ang Tshiring's consciousness was in confusion when he died, and that affects his afterlife and rebirth. The more people involved in the prayers, the better the chances of a superior reincarnation. Ang Riku and Ang Tshiring's private quarters have been transformed into a prayer room, and we all sleep together on the floor of the main hall. Early in the morning, Ang Riku and I plan to go to the three isolated monasteries of Ginupa, Charok and Laudo, located high on the steep hills above Thamo. Immersed in nature, they're a retreat for ascetics and much revered by local communities. On the kitchen table are several kilograms of rice, three bottles of Coke, a few pats of butter and sugar. Her son, Pemba, has already left for Namche Bazar to meet the management of the company his father worked for to discuss what support they can offer. "You are my porter," Ang Riku says, bursting into a laugh, and I'm glad that she finds my presence amusing. High cost of devotion . Ang Riku climbs the yak trails with determination, stopping every few minutes to catch her breath. We pass through forests of juniper, continuously climbing until we reach the clouds and the monasteries hidden in them. At each gompa (monastery), the same ritual takes place. The lama (priest) offers us butter or milk tea and food. We politely decline, but the lama insists and we accept. We barely empty half of our bowls when the lama comes to fill them again. We decline, he insists, we accept again. Then Ang Riku offers money for the lama to perform the puja. The lama declines, she insists, he accepts. This display of generosity is a fundamental aspect that governs the relationship of the Sherpas. Next, Ang Riku prepares a copper plate full of rice, the equivalent of $30, and a ceremonial white scarf that the lama will use for the prayers. We pay our respects in the monastery's prayer room. Before leaving, the lama puts the ceremonial scarf around Ang Riku's neck. It's an emotional moment, the only time Ang Riku lets her emotions overtake her. She cries, holding the hands of the lama, abandoning herself in his support. After six or seven bowls of noodles and a dozen teas, we head back home. Ang Riku's face is relaxed. She's carried out important deeds for her husband. But today was just a small part of the funeral rites. Ang Riku also sends bags with salt, butter, rice and money to 500 families in the valley, so they'll recite prayers for Ang Tshiring. She says she sent similar bags to many monasteries in the Kumbhu and in special holy places as far as India. The cost of such devotion is high. To confirm a day of puja in a large monastery costs $1,300. The total expenditure will be upward of $10,000, significantly more than the life insurance that the government pledged after many protests by the Sherpas. Ang Riku says she had to ask for a loan at the market at an interest rate of 25% per year -- she doesn't have the collateral to borrow from banks. Climbers head home as Everest Sherpas refuse to work . "I wonder if I will come back alive?" Although the world regards them as high altitude guides and porters, most Sherpas don't want to be mountain climbers on Everest. Better jobs are available for many in the other valleys of the Khumbu that cater to trekking tourists. But here in the Thame Valley, there aren't many options. "Every time I go on a climbing expedition, I wonder if I will come back alive," says Pemba. "I feel sad, but I have to do this job for my family. I've summited Everest 14 times and I've always brought a photograph of my family with me." Though more catastrophic than usual, this year's tragedy was no great surprise for those in the Thame Valley, who have become familiar the loss of life that almost always occurs in April and May. The only difference, Pemba tells me, is that "this year was particularly unlucky." The Sherpas' approach to religion includes an animist tradition that holds that mountains and other natural features are the abodes of deities that can make men suffer if they fail to respect them. I offer a puja in the monastery for Ang Tshiring in the afternoon and ask Lopsang, a young monk who says he escaped from Tibet, the reason behind the bad luck. "I don't know if the god of the moun .

Ang Tshiring, 57, was among the 16 killed in this year's Mount Everest avalanche .
In Nepal's Thame Valley, villagers have few employment options other than to work in the climbing industry .
For families of deceased, sadness now eclipsed by spiritual duty .

