AUGUSTA, Maine — In a banner day for advocates of gay marriage in New England, Maine's governor signed a freshly passed bill yesterday allowing the practice and was followed closely by the endorsement of the New Hampshire Legislature.

If New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch signs the bill or lets it become law without his signature, his state would become the sixth overall to allow gay marriage and the fifth in New England. Rhode Island would be the region's only holdout.

Maine Gov. John Baldacci, a Democrat who hadn't indicated how he would handle his state's bill, signed it shortly after the legislation passed the Senate on a vote of 21-13.

AID SENT AS BRAZIL FLOOD DEATHS HIT 32

SAO PAULO — Brazil rushed aid yesterday by air, over land and through rapidly rising waters to dozens of cities and towns isolated by floods that have killed at least 32 people and left more than 200,000 homeless.

Some complained that aid wasn't coming fast enough to help flood victims deal with the disaster, which officials said is the worst rainfall and flooding that some parts of the region have seen in two decades.

In an ominous sign, rain continued to fall across a vast region stretching from the Amazon jungle to the northeastern Atlantic coast and meteorologists predicted the wet weather could last for weeks.

MORMON BAPTIZED OBAMA'S MOM LAST YEAR

CHICAGO — Is President Obama's mother a Mormon now?

Not necessarily. But The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has confirmed Obama's late mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, was posthumously baptized by a church member last year, shortly after Obama clinched the Democratic nomination.

Though it's still unclear whether the submission of Dunham's name was a prank or sincere gesture, church spokeswoman Kim Farah said baptizing someone unrelated violates church policy and the breach is under investigation.

The White House had no comment on the issue.

MISSOURI BOY ALIVE AFTER LOST FOR 2 DAYS

ST. LOUIS — A 3-year-old boy was found in rugged Missouri woods yesterday afternoon, 50 hours since he wandered away from his rural home three miles away, authorities said.

A search volunteer found Joshua Childers in a dry creek bottom in rugged national forest land, Madison County Sheriff David Lewis said. He was in fair condition based on an initial assessment at a hospital.

COLLEGE STUDENT GUNNED DOWN

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. — A disguised gunman fatally shot a Wesleyan University student at a popular bookstore near campus yesterday before fleeing into the bustling downtown area, leaving his wig behind.

Police with dogs and armed with assault rifles swarmed nearby streets looking for a suspect, 29-year-old Stephen Morgan, who is considered "armed and dangerous." Police said last night would not confirm media reports that he is the ex-boyfriend of the victim, Johanna Justin-Jinich of Timnath, Colo.

HIGH COURT ASKED TO STOP DEPORTATION

CLEVELAND — John Demjanjuk, branded by the U.S. government a Nazi death camp guard, yesterday asked the Supreme Court to stop his deportation to Germany, where an arrest warrant accuses him of 29,000 counts of accessory to murder during World War II.

A federal appeals court in Ohio has cleared the way for deporting him. The 89-year-old retired autoworker, his family and his lawyer say he's too frail to be sent overseas.

The Supreme Court didn't say when or if it would rule. The appeal goes first to Justice John Paul Stevens, who can decide the request on his own or refer it to the full court.

The arrest warrant in Germany accuses Demjanjuk of being a guard at the Sobibor camp in Nazi-occupied Poland in 1943. Demjanjuk, a native Ukrainian, maintains he was a prisoner of war, not a camp guard. A German court yesterday rejected an attempt to block his deportation, saying the issue would have to be decided by American courts.