ATLANTA (Reuters) – Rick Santorum’s last-minute surge in the Iowa caucus brought him neck-and-neck with Mitt Romney in the first contest of the 2012 race to select a Republican presidential candidate. But it came too late to attract the harsh scrutiny usually visited on front-runners.

Only in recent days have questions emerged about his stand on abortion, his votes in Congress, and his endorsements of Romney over John McCain in 2008, and Senator Arlen Specter over Pat Toomey in 2004.

ATLANTA (Reuters) – Rick Santorum’s last-minute surge in the Iowa caucus brought him neck-and-neck with Mitt Romney in the first contest of the 2012 race to select a Republican presidential candidate. But it came too late to attract the harsh scrutiny usually visited on front-runners.

Only in recent days have questions emerged about his stand on abortion, his votes in Congress, and his endorsements of Romney over John McCain in 2008, and Senator Arlen Specter over Pat Toomey in 2004.

CHARLESTON, South Carolina (Reuters) – Last summer, Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, hosted a band reunion for alumni. Callista Gingrich attended and took a place among 25 French horns. As the band practiced for its concert on a bright July weekend, her husband, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, sat patiently in the hallway outside.

“He was very low-key,” music professor Timothy Peter recalled. Never mind that Gingrich’s campaign for the Republican nomination had imploded a few weeks earlier, with the mass defection of his staff, who complained, publicly, that Gingrich was putting commitments to his wife ahead of his campaign duties – in particular a June cruise of the Greek islands.

CHARLESTON, South Carolina (Reuters) – Last summer, Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, hosted a band reunion for alumni. Callista Gingrich attended and took a place among 25 French horns. As the band practiced for its concert on a bright July weekend, her husband, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, sat patiently in the hallway outside.

“He was very low-key,” music professor Timothy Peter recalled. Never mind that Gingrich’s campaign for the Republican nomination had imploded a few weeks earlier, with the mass defection of his staff, who complained, publicly, that Gingrich was putting commitments to his wife ahead of his campaign duties – in particular a June cruise of the Greek islands.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Newt Gingrich waged a charm offensive at a Tea Party gathering on Saturday, hoping to pick up support from conservative voters after fellow candidate Herman Cain suspended his presidential campaign.

Gingrich, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives in the 1990s, has taken the lead in the Republican presidential nomination race over former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, according to several recent polls.

LOCK HAVEN, Pennsylvania (Reuters) – For the better part of a decade, Jerry Sandusky was a fixture in this small, blue-collar community nestled in the Appalachian mountains: a volunteer football coach and eager mentor to some of its disadvantaged young boys.

But with the former assistant Penn State University football coach now accused of sexually abusing eight boys, the Lock Haven area finds itself with unwelcome notoriety as the home of the boy whose allegations sparked the Pennsylvania attorney general’s investigation.

STATE COLLEGE, Pennsylvania (Reuters) – At least one child from the New York City area stayed at the home of former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky, who has been accused of pedophilia, during the 1990s, a spokeswoman for the Fresh Air Fund said on Tuesday.

The charity is still reviewing its files and believes several other children may have stayed with Sandusky, Andrea Kotuk, spokeswoman for the group, told Reuters.

By Kristina Cooke, Edith Honan and Ben Berkowitz

STATE COLLEGE, Penn. (Reuters) – Until a few days ago, Jerry Sandusky’s face smiled down on students from a mural in downtown State College, the home of Penn State University, where football players and coaches are treated like royalty.

On Wednesday, the creator of the mural painted over Sandusky. The former assistant football coach was charged a few days earlier with sexually abusing eight boys over more than a decade.

By Kristina Cooke, Edith Honan and Ben Berkowitz

STATE COLLEGE, Penn. (Reuters) – Until a few days ago, Jerry Sandusky’s face smiled down on students from a mural in downtown State College, the home of Penn State University, where football players and coaches are treated like royalty.

On Wednesday, the creator of the mural painted over Sandusky. The former assistant football coach was charged a few days earlier with sexually abusing eight boys over more than a decade.

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania (Reuters) – For three days last summer, Mayor Linda Thompson joined religious leaders to pray for a “cooperative spirit” among city leaders, the business community and residents here in Pennsylvania’s state capital.

The prayers have gone unanswered.

Looking for a way to resolve $300 million in debt, the city council defied Thompson and voted to file for bankruptcy this month. Not only did a majority of the council go against the mayor’s wishes, but the council members also decided not to even tell her of their decision.