New York, Sept. 2 : In Wasilla, Alaska, the fact that 17-year-old Bristol Palin is pregnant with her ice hockey boyfriend’s baby, is not a surprise, but a well known fact.

Doe-eyed Bristol Palin and ruggedly handsome Levi Johnston, 18, have been dating for about a year, locals in their hometown of Wasilla, Alaska, told the Daily News.

The pregnancy is an open secret in this close-knit town of 9,780, the New York Daily News reports.

Bristol Palin, now a senior, was frequently seen cheering her young beau from the stands. He graduated high school in June.

Jennie Johnston, whose son Jade played hockey with Levi, saw the young couple in January at a game.

Washington, Sept. 2 : Alaska Governor and Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin employed a lobbying firm to secure almost 27 million dollars in federal earmarks for her hometown – Wasilla – when she was its mayor.

This town of 6,700 residents, according to an analysis by an independent government watchdog, secured 500,000 dollars for a youth shelter, 1.9 million dollars for a transportation hub, 900,000 dollars for sewer repairs, and 15 million dollars for a rail project, reports the Washington Post.

New York, Sept. 2 : The disclosure that Alaska Governor and Republican vice-president hopeful Sarah Palin’s unmarried teenage daughter is pregnant, is likely to be seen as a test case of what the American voter deems will remain in the private domain, and what will be public.

According to the New York Times, though Republican delegates are rallying around Palin on the issue, they are also citing it as a challenge for the party.

“It’s a challenge, and I just think we have to deal with it. But it’s just not going to hurt her (Sarah palin). This is a family problem that people have,” the paper quoted Katon Dawson, the Republican chairman of South Carolina, as saying.

London, September 2: A mystery Wikipedia user had overhauled the entry for Sarah Palin hours before John McCain made the surprising announcement of her selection as Republican vice-presidential nominee.

The user who made about 30 edits to the biographical article on the website worked under the name Young Trigg.