President Bush led the countdown Thursday to the unveiling of the nearly 42-foot Christmas tree. Before the lights went on, he took time to remember U.S. troops who are risking their lives. "They serve with courage and with honor," the president said. The tree-lighting ceremony started almost three weeks of activities that are meant to allow the public to soak in the holiday scene around the White House.

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LAS VEGAS — If O.J. Simpson is looking for a break from the Nevada judge who will sentence him for kidnapping and armed robbery, he may be in the wrong courtroom.

Judge Jackie Glass is known for giving severe sentences and tongue-lashings to high-profile defendants, and she has blasted Simpson before.

"I think she's one of the tougher-sentencing judges," said attorney Michael Cristalli, who has represented clients in front of Glass. "I don't think there's much contention about that."

On Friday, Glass will sentence Simpson and a golfing buddy on 12 criminal charges that arose from a hotel-room confrontation with two sports-memorabilia dealers who were peddling items from Simpson's glory days.

SPRINGFIELD — Three men, including a small-town police chief, were indicted Thursday on involuntary manslaughter counts in the gun-fair death of an 8-year-old who accidentally shot himself in the head with an Uzi that a prosecutor said he never should have been allowed to handle.

The club where the fair was held also was charged. The fair had promised shooters would have certified instructors in an advertisement, but District Attorney William Bennett said the child, Christopher Bizilj, was supervised by an uncertified 15-year-old boy.

Christopher, of Ashford, Conn., lost control of the 9 mm micro submachine gun as it recoiled while he was firing at a pumpkin Oct. 26 at the Machine Gun Shoot and Firearms Expo at the Westfield Sportsman's Club in western Massachusetts.

Pelham Police Chief Edward Fleury was charged because he owns the sponsor of the gun fair, COP Firearms & Training. Two men who brought the automatic weapon to the show, Carl Guiffre of Hartford, Conn., and Domenico Spano, of New Milford, Conn., also were indicted.

ALBERT LEA — Two teenage girls who worked at a nursing home have been charged with abuse, accused of taunting, spitting on and groping residents who suffered from Alzheimer's disease.

According to the criminal complaint, filed Monday, 19-year-old Brianna Broitzman and 18-year-old Ashton Larson laughed earlier this year as they spat in residents' mouths, poked and groped their breasts and genitals, and at times mocked them until they screamed.

Broitzman and Larson, who worked as part-time aides at the home, have been charged as adults. Four other teens who worked with them at the Good Samaritan Society were charged as juveniles for failing to report the incidents.

AUSTIN — Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison took the first step Thursday toward a run for Texas governor, setting up a Republican primary contest in 2010 with Gov. Rick Perry.

Hutchison said in a statement that she's setting up a gubernatorial exploratory committee and transferring $1 million into it from her federal account.

Perry has already said he's seeking re-election to a third term, so her moves could set off a tough campaign for the GOP nomination.

DETROIT — Medical marijuana became legal in Michigan on Thursday, but smoking a joint could still get patients arrested because the regulations needed to protect them won't be ready for months.

The law approved by voters in November allows patients with cancer, HIV, AIDS, glaucoma and other diseases to use marijuana to relieve their symptoms on a doctor's recommendation.

Qualifying patients can register with the state and receive ID cards allowing them to legally acquire, possess, grow, transport and use a limited amount — no more than 2.5 ounces and 12 plants — of marijuana. They also can designate a primary caregiver to receive similar protection.

But those cards won't be issued until the Department of Community Health introduces guidelines addressing how applications will be handled, what fees will be charged, and other issues. The rules must be finalized by April 4.

WASHINGTON — NASA has set a May date for its space shuttle mission to fix the Hubble Space Telescope for a final time.

The space agency Thursday announced that it is aiming to launch the shuttle Atlantis on May 12 for what would be an 11-day repair and upgrade mission to the $10 billion space telescope.

NASA was going to fix Hubble in October, but weeks before the shuttle launch, a glitch in Hubble's science computer forced a delay.