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"American Idol" finalist Joshua Ledet won't be belting it out on this season's final showdown. The booming 20-year-old vocal powerhouse from Westlake, La., was revealed Thursday to have received the fewest viewer votes on the Fox talent contest, leaving bluesy 21-year-old crooner Phillip Phillips of Leesburg, Ga., and sassy 16-year-old budding diva Jessica Sanchez of San Diego to compete for the show's record deal grand prize on next week's finale....

WHO Louis DiBiccari WHAT DiBiccari, the chef at Boston's Storyville and host of the innovative dining challenge series Chef Louie Night, launches a new endeavor on June 3 from 2 to 6 p.m. called CREATE: Six Artists, Six Chefs, One Canvas, at the Boston Center for Adult Education. Six regional artists, including Josh Falk and Emily Lombardo, and Miracle 5, will be paired up with six chefs like Brandon Arms of Garden at the Cellar and Douglas Rodrigues of Clio to collaborate on dishes inspired by the artwork.

Facebook was supposed to soar. Instead, it plunged. After the social network's stock fizzled on Friday in its long-awaited debut, its stock fell 11 percent on Monday, even as the rest of the stock market rallied. The downward spiral has left some people sitting on big losses, and others scratching their heads. After all, nothing fundamental has changed at Facebook in the days since the much-hyped company came to the stock market — Facebook still has more than 900 million users, its 28-year-old founder Mark Zuckerberg controls the company, and it is still one of the few...

ESSEX — When crew members from the venerable PBS series "This Old House" began clearing brush around their next project house a few weeks ago, homeowner John Corcoran put on a hard hat, picked up a chain saw, and worked alongside them. "Part of the reason we moved to Essex was it's a small town, rural, with lots of trees," Corcoran said. "Chain saw therapy, I call it. " The hillside cottage isn't his residence, however. Corcoran and his wife, Julie, have lived in another house close by for nearly a decade, raising four daughters there.

The Mashpee Wampanoag tribe would make approximately $33 million in upfront payments to Taunton as part of a deal reached with the city's mayor to allow the tribe to build a resort casino in the southeastern Massachusetts community. The agreement announced Thursday by tribal chairman Cedric Cromwell and Mayor Thomas Hoye also calls for minimum annual payments of about $13 million to the city. The tribe has proposed a $500 million casino on 146 acres of land at the junction of Routes 24 and 140. The complex, to be built in stages over a five-year period, also would include three...

Felipe Paulino blanked New York for the second time in a month, and Mike Moustakas and Jeff Francoeur hit two-run homers to lead the Kansas City Royals to a 6-0 victory Monday night at Yankee Stadium. New York's bats fizzled once again, going 0 for 13 with runners in scoring position with five strikeouts and a foulout. Booed repeatedly by their increasingly impatient fans, the Yankees lost for the sixth time in seven games and at 21-21 have their worst record at this point in the season since they started 20-25 in 2008 - the only time since 1994 that New York failed to make the playoffs.

She didn't get lucky in love, but former "Bachelorette" Ali Fedotowsky has managed to parlay her TV experience into an NBC hosting gig. Fedotowsky, who hails from Williamstown, will be in front of the cameras on a new travel and lifestyle show called "1st Look," premiering April 15, after "Saturday Night Live. " Seems the timing couldn't be better: Fedotowsky recently split from fiance Roberto Martinez, whom she met on the ABC dating show "The Bachelorette. "

Three people were killed Thursday after a chaotic shooting scene that had crowds running for cover in a crime-ridden section of Louisville. Two men — Tyson Mimms, 24 and Craig Bland Jr., 22 — were killed Thursday afternoon in a shooting that attracted dozens of onlookers anxious for answers in the city's Russell neighborhood, which is dotted with boarded-up houses. As police investigated and a host of media gathered nearby, shots rang out about four houses down. Makeba Lee, 24, was killed after she was shot by a woman who had gotten into...

The Watertown Youth Coalition is holding a workshop for parents of teens called "Understanding Social Host Liability" from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Police Department headquarters. Social-host liability laws say that people can be held responsible for actions, including alcohol consumption by minors, that happen in their home even if they are not present. Presenters include Brook Lane, a Middlesex assistant district attorney, and lawyer Richard Campbell, who will talk about the law and how parents can protect themselves and their children from being held responsible.

Bill Littlefield, host of National Public Radio's weekly sports show "Only a Game," will speak at 2 p.m. next Sunday at the Eliot Church, 45 Eliot St. in South Natick. Sponsored by the Friends of the Bacon Free Library in partnership with the Eliot Church and the Natick Historical Society, the talk is free but donations are welcome. Refreshments will be served, and copies of Littlefield's books will be for sale during the event. Visit www.baconfreelibrary.org or call 508-653-6730 for more information.

Robinson Cano homered, Phil Hughes beat Kansas City for the second time this month and the Yankees - still looking to bust out with the bats - eked out a 3-2 victory over the Royals Tuesday night in New York. Derek Jeter delivered a bases-loaded single that tied the score in the fifth inning and New York rallied from an early two-run deficit to snap a three-game skid. Shut out Monday in the series opener, the Yankees went 2 for 7 with runners in scoring position, one night after they finished 0 for 13 in those situations for their worst performance with RISP since 1990.

It's a family affair at the upcoming BET Awards: Kanye West has the most nominations with seven, while his mentor, Jay-Z, earned five, and Jay-Z's wife, Beyoncé, received six. Jay-Z and West collaborated last year on the album "Watch the Throne. " Their songs — "In Paris" and "Otis" — are up for video of the year. Beyoncé has two nominations in that category with "Love on Top" and "Countdown. " The fifth nominee is Usher's "Climax. " The nominations were announced Tuesday in New York.

Felipe Paulino blanked New York for the second time in a month, and Mike Moustakas and Jeff Francoeur hit two-run homers to lead the Kansas City Royals to a 6-0 victory Monday night at Yankee Stadium. New York's bats fizzled once again, going 0 for 13 with runners in scoring position with five strikeouts and a foulout. Booed repeatedly by their increasingly impatient fans, the Yankees lost for the sixth time in seven games and at 21-21 have their worst record at this point in the season since they started 20-25 in 2008 - the only time since 1994 that New York failed to make...

(Courtesy Asian American Civic Association) Michael Tow, president of the New Boston Financial and member of the Asian Community Development Corporation board of directors; Mary Chin, president of the ACDC board; Monalisa Smith, vice president of Citizens Bank Massachusetts; and Jerry Sargent, president of Citizens Bank Massachusetts pose at the reception. Smith was among the 2012 AACA Community Service Award recipients. By Boston.com The Asian American Civic Association recently hosted its 45th annual gala, raising $225,000 to help the agency continue to expand its...

By Bob Holmes, Globe Staff Latin Academy earned the No. 5 seed in the North and will host 12th-seeded Greater Lowell Thursday at 6 p.m. when the MIAA volleyball tournament opens play. Tournament pairings were announced Tuesday. The Dragons finished the season 15-4 and were seeded behind No. 1 Haverhill (18-0), No. 2 Lawrence (17-3), No. 3 St. John's Prep (17-3) and No. 4 Cambridge (16-3). Greater Lowell, from the Commonwealth Conference, finished the spring 10-10. Should LA advance to the quarterfinals it would play the winner of the...

Stephen Strasburg hit his first major league home run and struck out eight in five innings to carry the Nationals past the Baltimore Orioles, 9-3, Sunday in Washington. Strasburg sent an 0-2 pitch from Wei-Yin Chen (4-1) into the Baltimore bullpen in the fourth inning to put the Nationals ahead, 5-3. After returning to the dugout, Strasburg responded to a curtain call by waving to the crowd of 41,918. Strasburg (4-1) allowed three runs, one earned, on four hits and a walk, retiring his last 10 batters.

Candidates for town offices who want the blessing of Brookline PAX may be expected to attend the self-described progressive political group's April 15 campaign kickoff. The event, from 4 to 5:30 p.m., will be at the home of Judy Lieberman and Ed Greer, 63 Buckminster Road. In addition to candidates in the May 1 election, the gathering will include PAX board members and community activists of various political stripes. - Andreae Downs

The town's Department of Public Works is hosting a Truck Day open house Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., when visitors will be able to get a close look at heavy-duty vehicles, use a metal detector and other equipment, and learn more about backyard composting and the growth cycle of trees. The free event will be held at the Samuel Hadley Public Services Building, 201 Bedford St., to celebrate National Public Works Week. Light refreshments will be served.

Embracing perhaps the most polarizing figure in the Bush administration, Mitt Romney will hold a fund-raiser at the Jackson Hole, Wyo. home of former Vice President Dick Cheney this summer. The Romney campaign confirmed Monday that it sent a save-the-date e-mail to supporters advertising the "memorable event" in a "beautiful summer destination" on July 12. Cheney, who had a heart transplant in March, retains clout and cachet within the Republican Party but also has detractors.

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent The 27th annual Washington Irving Middle School basketball reunion will be Tuesday from 2:15 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Roslindale school. The theme of the reunion, which is organized by the Warriors for Peace basketball alumni organization, is "Support our Troops" "First of all, this month is Military Month and just the idea of honoring them," Washington Irving basketball coach Leonard Brown said when asked why this year's theme was chosen.