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Paul Davidson III was just hours away from receiving his degree in architecture from the University of Illinois when he was killed Friday night in a traffic accident.

Davidson, 30, originally of Lemont, was riding his motorcycle down an Urbana street when he was struck by a car and killed, according to police reports.

He was on his way to have his hair cut before his Saturday graduation ceremony, said his mother, Corinne Davidson.

An Iraq War veteran and motorcycle enthusiast, Davidson was an honor student with a passion for architecture, his mother said.

You should see some of the models this kid has done, Davidson said of her son. He has designed the most gorgeous stuff. He was just something else.

Even during his time in the Marines, Davidsons interest in architecture guided his work. While inFallujah in 2005, he was assigned to a combat engineering unit, which specialized in buildings, his mother said.

Davidson had finished his last test of the semester earlier Friday afternoon and then joined his family at an Urbana barbecue restaurant for a celebratory dinner before taking off to get a haircut, his mother said.

Paul said, I got to go, I got to get my hair cut, Davidson recalled.

He was not wearing a helmet when he drove off on his 2003 Harley motorcycle, she said. Illinois doesnt mandate that motorcyclists wear them.

Unless he was in a state that required a helmet, he hated wearing them, Davidson said. He was just stubborn like that.

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Iraq War veteran from Lemont killed in crash hours before college graduation

Militants kidnapped an Iraqi election candidate Sunday as attacks in Baghdad and northern Iraq killed nine people and officials prepared to announce the results of last month's election.

The latest unrest is part of a year-long surge in bloodshed that has fuelled fears Iraq is slipping back into the all-out sectarian conflict that left tens of thousands dead in 2006 and 2007.

In the northern Baghdad neighbourhood of Jamila, gunmen opened fire on Rahman Abdulzahra al-Jazairi early on Sunday morning while he was near his home, wounding his father and brother, police said.

The militants then snatched Jazairi, the general secretary of Hezbollah Warithun, an offshoot of the main Hezbollah party in Iraq.

Jazairi's party is not expected to win any seats in parliament following the April 30 vote, the results of which are due to be released later Sunday or on Monday, election commission officials say.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the kidnapping, but Jazairi's party said on Facebook that security camera footage had helped identify the militants behind the incident and said security forces were working to release him.

The abduction is the first incident of its kind since the election, the run-up to which was plagued by attacks on campaign rallies and candidates, but no reported kidnappings.

The election results have been delayed because of a litany of complaints, according to the election commission.

But Iraq's political parties have nevertheless already begun manoeuvring to build alliances in order to get a head start on forming a government.

Incumbent Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is seeking a third term, but faces criticism from opponents who say he has consolidated power and who blame him for a marked deterioration in security.

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Iraq election candidate kidnapped as attacks kill nine

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Oil-industry woes hit Libya #39;s finances
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