Version: (using KDE KDE 3.4.1) Installed from: SuSE RPMs as i can see the applet only separates news that you have seen from the rest probably it's interesting to use different icons for not readen news that have been updated at last refresh period from older ones, so it's easier to check for changes (without having to read anyone if you're not interested) regards
The news ticker as in KDE4 lets you hide read articles, so that only the unread articles are scrolled by. You can still access read articles via the context menu.