S. suburb seeks mini 'Sox Park'

Though not many get a chance to play in a major league ballpark, kids in the south suburbs may have the fun of playing in a pared-down version of one being proposed by the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District.

The district's board recently gave the green light to seek architectural drawings for "Little White Sox Park" in Patriots Park in Homewood.

The proposed park would be a replica of U.S. Cellular Field -- on a much smaller scale, said Doug Boehm, the park district's superintendent for recreation.

"It'd be about 120 feet to center, like other youth league fields," said Boehm, who visited U.S. Cellular Field this winter with Keith Jones, the park district's …

SHAKE YOUR TAILFEATHERS

Zine, Sugar City Artist Collective buffalosugarcity.org

I do not want to meet the Sugar City Artist Collective. I am afraid they would eat me. Shake Your Tailfeathers is a joyful name for a collection of poems that have depression, sadism, dementia or esoteric angst as their theme. The cartoons …

National Basketball Association

Detroit 91, Orlando 72

New Orleans 101, San Antonio 82

Sunday, May 4

L.A. Lakers 109, Utah 98

Monday, May 5

Detroit 100, Orlando 93

New Orleans 102, San Antonio 84

Tuesday, May 6

Boston 76, Cleveland 72

Wednesday, May 7

Orlando 111, Detroit 86

L.A. Lakers 120, Utah 110

Thursday, May 8

Boston 89, Cleveland 73

San Antonio 110, New Orleans 99

Friday, May 9

Utah 104, L.A. Lakers 99

Saturday, May 10

Detroit 90, Orlando 89

Cleveland 108, Boston 84

Sunday, May 11

…

Lobbying group fined for McCormick bid scheme Politically connected Ronan Potts also must forfeit $67,000

A politically connected lobbying firm run by a former statelawmaker was hit with a $350,000 fine Tuesday and ordered toimmediately forfeit another $67,000 after admitting to a bid-riggingscheme involving McCormick Place convention center.

Ronan Potts L.L.C. is run by former state representative Al Ronanand John Potts. Neither is charged in any wrongdoing.

The firm -- a contributor to political campaigns including $12,900of cash and in-kind contributions to Gov. Blagojevich, pleaded guiltyin September to taking part in a scheme to rig a consulting contractawarded in 2001 to oversee an $800 million expansion at McCormickPlace.

Employee cooperating

Federal …

Daley Supports Scaling Back School Busing

Mayor Daley expressed support Tuesday for proposals that theChicago Board of Education modify the federal court order governingschool desegregation on the ground that busing is wasted on a systemnow 56 percent black and 30 percent Hispanic.

Daley said school systems all over the country are getting "backto the basics of community schools," and busing kids across town forthe purpose of integration runs contrary to that goal.

Possible efforts to modify the federal court order governingschool desegregation were discussed last week by School Board VicePresident Juan Cruz. Testifying at a City Council EducationCommittee hearing on school vouchers, Cruz said the board …

Railroads reach tentative deal with largest union

WASHINGTON (AP) — The major U.S. freight railroads have reached a tentative five-year deal with their largest union, which represents 38,000 workers.

The deal between the railroads' National Carriers' Conference Committee and the United Transportation Union, whose members include brakemen and conductors, was announced Monday. The UTU represents roughly one-third of all rail workers.

The NCCC represents BNSF, CSX Transportation, …

Iraq's top cleric says aides not to join campaigns

Iraq's top Shiite cleric on Saturday ordered his representatives across the country not to campaign for any blocs or candidates contesting the March 7 parliamentary elections, a move designed to assert the Iranian-born cleric's neutrality.

An official at the office of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani said the cleric, who is highly revered by Iraq's Shiite majority, also decided not to receive any politicians till after the vote.

The official's comments coincided with a visit by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to Najaf, the holy Shiite city where al-Sistani is based. However, the official said the Shiite prime minister did not request a meeting with the …

Gun law solution apparently hits snag

SPRINGFIELD A new Republican plan surfaced Wednesday to break thethree-day statehouse gun stalemate, but hope dimmed after questionswere raised about its constitutionality and fairness.

The plan, floated by Senate President James "Pate" Philip (R-WoodDale), would give prosecutors broad authority to charge someone witha felony or misdemeanor if they are caught illegally with a gun.

"When you're caught with a gun, you're automatically charged witha felony. Then we allow the state's attorney, in his or her judgment,to reduce that to a misdemeanor," Philip said, explaining his plan."We think that's a reasonable compromise."

But some lawmakers wondered whether the …

Venezuela struggles with repeated power outages

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — President Hugo Chavez accused his political rivals on Sunday of sabotaging the country's electricity grid and trying to pin the blame on his government for blackouts plaguing much of Venezuela.

Repeated power blackouts in recent months have affected areas stretching from Venezuela's western border with Colombia to eastern regions where hydroelectric dams produce roughly a third of the electricity that Venezuelans consume.

Many Venezuelans in affected areas appear to be growing impatient as government officials promise solutions to a problem that has persisted since 2009 despite billions of dollars in investment aimed at revamping the power …

Hong Kong marchers protest handling of bus tragedy

Hong Kongers marched in honor of eight locals killed in a bus hijacking in Manila, denouncing the Philippine government for botching the rescue operation and demanding justice for the dead.

Former police officer Rolando Mendoza commandeered a bus carrying a 20-member tour group visiting the Philippine capital last Monday, hoping to reverse his dismissal from the force on what he said were bogus robbery and extortion charges.

He released several children and elderly hostages early in the 12-hour standoff, but later opened fire on the tourists. A police sniper killed Mendoza after eight tourists already were killed. Three others were seriously wounded, including …

NON-PARTISAN PIETY

DEMOCRATIC AND REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES FOR PRESIDENT ARE INCREASINGLY BRINGING GOD WITH THEM ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

ANALYSIS

Bad news for the Jews

Should candidates for the White House have to pass a religious test?

The Constitution says no, but increasingly American political culture says otherwise.

The excessive focus on The excessive focus on religion is already evident religion is already evident in the early days of the 2008 presidential race.

That's bad news for the Jews who, for all the talk of "Judeo-Christian" values, don't meet the religious benchmarks of those who have set themselves up as the political judges of a nation they still insist …

NJ to decide if it wants legal sports betting

FREEHOLD, N.J. (AP) — Wanna bet? Then cast your ballot on a question that asks New Jersey voters if they want to legalize gambling on professional sports games.

The referendum is the only one on the ballot this fall in the state. It asks whether sports betting should be allowed at Atlantic City casinos, the state's four horse racing tracks, and a former track location in …

US intelligence chief signals skepticism of NKorea's commitment to nuclear disarmament

The U.S. intelligence chief on Tuesday questioned North Korea's commitment to stalled international nuclear disarmament talks.

Mike McConnell, director of national intelligence, also told U.S. lawmakers that the intelligence community believes North Korea continues a uranium enrichment program and to sell its weapons around the world.

McConnell said the United States remains "uncertain about Kim Jong Il's commitment to full denuclearization, as he promised in the six-party agreement," referring to the North's leader and to the nuclear talks involving the U.S., the Koreas, Japan, China and Russia.

Cancer Setback Prompts Upjohn Exec Change

KALAMAZOO, Mich. The Upjohn Co. named a new president and chiefoperating officer and promoted another high-level executive after asetback in Chairman Theodore Cooper's fight with cancer.

Cooper, 64, was diagnosed in January with multiple myeloma, orcancer of the bone marrow. He was in critical but stable conditionThursday at the University of Virginia Medical Center with a lunginfection and respiratory failure, company officials said.

In a special meeting Wednesday, the board promoted Ley S. Smithfrom vice chairman to president and chief operating officer. WilliamU. Parfet, former president of the Kalamazoo-based pharmaceuticalmaker, was named a vice chairman.

"We are all very concerned for Dr. Cooper and his family anddisappointed in this setback in what appeared to be a good recovery,"said William Mulholland, senior outside member of the board'sexecutive committee.

Cooper returned to work in early March after spending six weeksin the hospital receiving radiation and chemotherapy.

On March 30, however, he returned to Virginia for acceleratedtreatment. Upjohn directors were notified Tuesday that Cooper hadbeen moved into the intensive-care unit.

Smith also will assume chief executive officer responsibilitiesin Cooper's absence.

Parfet will remain responsible for Upjohn's allied healthbusinesses, worldwide manufacturing and finance.

Gulf drilling rig inspections find no big problems

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar says federal inspectors have found no major problems after they looked at 30 offshore drilling rigs in the Gulf of Mexico.

Salazar spoke Wednesday after touring Breton Island, a historic part of the Delta National Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana that could be affected by the huge oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico. He's making a few stops along the coast.

He says no significant problems have been identified in rig inspections that started after the Deepwater Horizon exploded April 20, killing 11 workers. Oil has been gushing from an underwater well ever since.

Salazar says minor problems were found on one rig. The inspections should be finished Wednesday.

Pakistan resumes polio vaccines halted by Taliban

Authorities in Pakistan's Swat Valley have resumed vaccinating children for polio, a practice the Taliban had banned as un-Islamic before they were beaten back by an army offensive.

The last inoculations were administered nearly a year ago, an official said Tuesday.

The Islamist militants, who began taking over the valley in 2007, had declared a campaign to vaccinate against the potentially crippling disease was un-Islamic because it was foreign-funded. Swat Taliban leader Maulana Fazullah said the vaccinations were a Western conspiracy to make Muslim children infertile.

The army says it has killed more than 1,800 suspected militants in Swat since launching its latest offensive there four months ago. The government is now trying to bring the valley back to normal. Most of the 2 million people displaced in the offensive have returned home.

Government official Khurshid Khan, a doctor, said six cases of polio have been discovered since vaccinations resumed Monday. Some 215,000 children are a target of the three-day campaign, said Khan.

He said Pakistani health officials had to quit their campaign last September after several attacks by the militants. The department made another attempt to restart in January, but that was quickly abandoned after another attack.

"Our staff was beaten and our equipment was snatched," Khan told The Associated Press.

Swat resident Yar Mohammad said the people of the valley welcomed the resumption of the campaign.

"The militants have been depriving our children of our basic right. It is our national responsibility to secure our kids against all diseases," said Mohammad, who lives in the valley's main city, Mingora.

Polio has been eradicated in most countries. But in Pakistan, Nigeria, Afghanistan and India it remains "endemic," according to the World Health Organization.

The disease mostly strikes children under age 5 and is spread when people come into contact with the feces of those with the virus. It usually attacks the nervous system, causing paralysis, muscular atrophy, deformation and sometimes death.

Pakistan still faces threats from Taliban fighters and other militant groups throughout its northwest.

It is waging an ongoing offensive in the Khyber tribal region, where the military said Tuesday that it had killed 24 more insurgents _ a toll that could not be independently verified. The military has reported killing scores of militants in the region in the past week.

In the Orakzai tribal region, suspected militants killed four high school students, officials and a resident said.

Government official Mohammad Yasin could only confirm that gunmen fired on students in the Kalaya village area. However, the resident, Yousuf Mohammad, said he saw masked gunmen kill four boys. Others were wounded.

The children were Shiite Muslims, an intelligence official said. He said their tribe was fighting a gunbattle with the militants. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information to media.

Orakzai is the main base for new Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud, but no group has claimed credit for Tuesday's attack.

Also Tuesday, trucks carrying supplies to U.S. and NATO troops in neighboring Afghanistan were attacked in two areas of Pakistan.

Three people were wounded by gunmen who attacked trucks on the outskirts of the main northwestern city of Peshawar, police official Ali Waqar said.

In the southwest city of Quetta, two NATO oil tankers caught fire and were completely gutted. Three more were partially damaged, police official Khalil Bugti said. He said someone fired shots at one of the tankers, sparking the blaze.

He said he would not speculate on whether it was the work of militants.

___

Associated Press writers Hussain Afzal in Parachinar, Riaz Khan in Peshawar, Abdul Sattar in Quetta and Matiullah Achakzai in Chaman contributed to this report.

Groupama wins 2nd-leg sprint in Volvo Ocean Race

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — French team Groupama secured its first stage victory in the Volvo Ocean Race on Wednesday, beating overall leader Telefonica in a sprint to Abu Dhabi to complete the second leg.

The five-boat fleet set off on a 98-nautical-mile sprint from nearby Sharjah to finish a leg that began last month in Cape Town, South Africa. The boats initially sailed to a secret "safe haven" port in the Indian Ocean to avoid pirates before being shipped to the United Arab Emirates.

Groupama overtook Telefonica shortly before the finishing line to clinch the victory.

"We had one last opportunity downwind but we didn't really believe in it," said Groupama skipper Franck Cammas. "Then, with a gust, we managed to overtake them."

Groupama's crew had to patch up their $10-million boat with plastic tape to repair hull damage shortly before the sprint, as normal repairs aren't allowed during the race.

"This morning we were a little worried about the repair," Cammas said. "Now, I think we were so fast we will leave it the way it is."

Telefonica extended its overall lead over Camper, which finished third in the stage. American team Puma was fourth, ahead of Abu Dhabi in fifth.

Telefonica has 66 points in the overall standings, with Camper second on 58 and Groupama third on 42.

The next event will be an in-port race in Abu Dhabi on Jan. 13. After that, there are another seven offshore legs and seven more in-port races before the around-the-world race finishes in Galway, Ireland, in July.

Agency uses respect to recruit best workers

After several years of working for large employment agencies, Michele Mummau and Karen Hobbs decided the best way to recruit workers was to give them respect.

In July 1999, Mummau and Hobbs established A-Plus Employment Agency Inc., 1929 Lincoln Highway East in East Lampeter Township, Lancaster County. APlus now employs five people and had revenues of $1.27 million in 2000, Mummau said.

Although it faces competition from much larger employment agencies, Mummau and Hobbs said A-Plus continues to succeed because it values the workers it recruits just as much as its clients.

"We're paid by the client, but the employees are just as important to us," Hobbs said. "The employees are not just numbers to us. They come from all walks of life, and we're here to help them."

A-Plus helps companies recruit employees for a variety of jobs, including construction and industrial production work.

The agency works with about 15 companies and recruited about 600 people last year, Mummau said.

A-Plus charges its clients fees that are based on how many hours the recruited employees work, Mummau said. The employees are then paid by A-Plus until a client chooses to hire them on a permanent basis.

Temporary employees are especially helpful to businesses that operate on a seasonal basis, Hobbs said. They can be used in times of economic slowdown, when companies may need additional employees but can't afford to hire them permanently.

However, temporary employees often feel stigmatized because they are not formally part of a company, Hobbs added. So, A-Plus provides these employees incentives to make them feel more comfortable, including helping to pay for bus fare and giving bonuses for good attendance.

"Other agencies will do those kind of things, but only once or twice," Mummau said. "For us, it's a constant process of helping employees feel like they're part of a company."

When employees feel accepted, they perform better at work, said Robb Dombach, production superintendent at East Petersburg-based Specialty Products & Insulation Co.'s plant in Lancaster. Specialty Products & Insulation started working with A-Plus earlier this year and has used about 25 of the agency's recruits.

"A-Plus is very easy to work with, and they make sure that people show up to their job on time and are ready to work," he said.

Mummau and Hobbs said they hope to start a program in October to help senior workers find jobs. The company's revenues are expected to increase by 10 percent this year. Mummau said A-Plus might open an office in Reading in the future.

"We're not going to add anything tremendous," Mummau said. "But we want to continue to grow."

Police surprised by teacher-student sex confession

In his 28 years with the Burbank Police Department, Sgt. Robert Quesada had never heard of anything quite like it: A well-respected teacher at one of the city's public schools walks into police headquarters and confesses to having an affair with a 14-year-old boy.

With her attorney by her side, police say, Amy Victoria Beck told detectives the relationship with one of her former students began in March 2009 and continued until last December. She said it left her wracked with guilt.

"I can't tell you that I remember anything like that ever happening before," Quesada said of someone confessing to a crime when police had no idea a crime had even been committed.

"Burglars, robbers, criminal suspects, they don't turn themselves in," he said. "But when people are overwhelmed with guilt, and they have a conscience, I guess it makes them do what's right."

After hearing Beck's story, detectives tracked down the boy, who is now a 15-year-old high school student. Quesada said he confirmed what she told them.

The 33-year-old teacher, who has been charged with five counts of engaging in sex acts with a person under 16, appeared briefly in court Wednesday before returning to jail. She is scheduled to be arraigned March 25 and faces as much as seven years in prison if convicted.

As she sits in jail, making no effort to post her $175,000 bail, according to her attorney, school officials say they are as stunned by the revelation as police were.

"I think the reason why people are in shock is because she was considered such a good, upstanding teacher," said Gabe Soumakian, the Burbank Unified School District's assistant superintendent. "I don't think anyone has ever had a complaint about her."

Beck, who Quesada said is married and the mother of three children, had taught school for several years in the Los Angeles suburb that is home to such major studios as Walt Disney and Warner Bros. She was teaching English and social science at David Starr Jordan Middle School until last week when she abruptly resigned. Soumakian said she told school officials she was moving out of state.

After learning she'd been arrested, officials sent psychologists to the school to counsel students.

Although teacher-student sex scandals make headlines and have been the subject of TV movies, USC sociologist Dorian Traube said evidence suggests they are actually quite rare. Quesada couldn't immediately recall the last time one occurred in Burbank, a city of 100,000 that borders Los Angeles.

The most famous case is likely that of Mary Kay Letourneau, the Washington teacher who served seven years in prison for her affair with a student that began in the 1990s when he was 12 and she was 34. Letourneau, who has since married her former student Vili Fualaau, continues to capitalize on her notoriety, hosting a "Hot For Teacher" night at a Seattle bar last year.

Traube said there is often a double standard in such cases. Girls who become involved with their male teachers are sometimes thought of as sluts, she said, while a boy is sometimes hailed as the campus stud. But the emotional trauma for either sex, she added, can be just as devastating.

Both sexes are made to feel desirable when such an affair begins, Traube said, and then devastated when it ends. What's more, they are being manipulated by people in authority who have control over their grades.

"It is still highly taboo and highly illegal," she said of such relationships. "And it is appropriate that it be highly taboo."

Colts attempting to sign Bosworth

With Heisman Trophy winner Vinny Testaverde signed, sealed anddelivered to Tampa Bay, NFL draftnicks have focused their attentionon Indianapolis, which owns the second pick over all. The Colts, whofailed to persuade John Elway to join them in Baltimore four yearsago, reportedly are trying to woo Brian Bosworth, the outrageous linebacker from Oklahoma.

The Buffalo News, citing a source in the Colts organization thenewspaper did not identify, said the team wants Bosworth to sign afour-year, $2.2 million contract before a Monday deadline. Bosworthmust decide by then whether to forgo his senior year and declarehimself eligible for the April 28 draft.

Bosworth has said he does not want to play on artificial turfand wants to work in a high-profile city, such as New York or LosAngeles. But it could be Indianapolis or nothing, since Oklahomacoach Barry Switzer has made it clear Bosworth, who had to sit outthe Orange Bowl after testing positive for steroids, will not bewelcomed back to the Sooners.

The Colts' decision to pursue Bosworth came after weeks ofdiscussion about him and Alabama linebacker Cornelius Bennett. Thenewspaper reported that the Colts' player personnel departmentbelieves Bosworth would better fit the team's needs for an insidelinebacker, as opposed to Bennett, who played outside in college. IfBosworth signs with the Colts, the Buffalo Bills could draft thehighly rated Bennett.

END OF THE RAINBOW: Baseball souvenir collectors spent more than$36,000 for the rainbow Houston Astros jerseys the team wore in '86.The entire set of jerseys was donated to the United Way of the TexasGulf Coast and auctioned Wednesday evening. The Astros are wearingwhite uniforms this season.

The prize of the night - Nolan Ryan's jersey - was worn out ofthe auction by 11-year-old Chad DuBose, after his father, Houstonattorney Tracy DuBose, paid $8,000 for it. Pitcher Mike Scott'sjersey fetched $5,000.

RELUCTANT KING: Former NBA scoring king Bernard King said he hasmixed emotions about asking friends and family to come to MadisonSquare Garden tonight when he makes his first appearance for theKnicks since major knee surgery more than two years ago.

"I've always played at a level commensurate with the betterplayers in the league, so I don't want them to come and then not playwell," King said. "I think I'm in pretty good shape, but you get in agame and those guys get going 50 miles an hour."

The guys he'll face tonight are the Milwaukee Bucks. Knickscoach Bob Hill said King would enter the game after four to sixminutes.

On the practice court, King displayed much of the explosivenessand the quick release that made him one of the NBA's most fearedscorers. But questions have arisen about his lateral quickness.

"The position I play, small forward, has some of the greatestscorers in the league," said King, who is expected to spend much ofthe night matching moves with defensive specialist Paul Pressey."Some of them can't be stopped whether you're healthy or not."

THE LIST: The last three No. 2 picks in the NFL draft: 1986 -Tony Casillas, Oklahoma nose tackle, by Falcons. 1985 - Bill Fralic,Pittsburgh offensive tackle, by Falcons. 1984 - Dean Steinkuhler,Nebraska offensive tackle, by Oilers.

Quake shakes Alban Hills near Rome; no damage or injuries reported

Italian authorities say an earthquake has shaken the Alban Hills southeast of Rome. No injuries or damage have been reported.

Many people were awakened by the quake, which struck at 7:44 a.m. (0544 GMT) Saturday. Parts of eastern Rome also have reported feeling it.

Italy's Civil Protection Department says the quake had a 3.8 magnitude.

About 15 minutes after the quake, an aftershock shook the area of the epicenter, near the wine-growing towns of Frascati and Marino.

Ciampino, a town near the hills which has a small airport serving Rome, also has reported feeling the quake.

Gunmen kill 2, injure 5 in California coffee shop

Masked gunmen opened fire inside a southern California coffee shop, killing two men and wounding five other people before fleeing, police said early Friday.

Officers who received a panic alarm call from the Coffee House cafe were headed there Thursday night when they were flagged down by several people who had been shot, police Sgt. Rene Hernandez said.

Witnesses said two men with bandanas over their faces entered the cafe and opened fire before fleeing, he said.

One victim was declared dead at the scene and another died at a hospital, Hernandez said.

Two victims were hospitalized in critical condition. Three others suffered wounds that were not considered life-threatening, including a man who was grazed by a bullet and declined hospital treatment, Hernandez said.

San Gabriel is about 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of downtown Los Angeles.

Kristie Phillips is latest gymnastic `sweetheart'

INDIANAPOLIS Kristie Phillips smiled ingenuously, showing all herbraces, and insisted her sister gymnasts of the United States teamweren't jealous.

"They understand I can't help it I get all the attention."

She is 15, weighs 87 pounds, stands 4-11 and has been on thecover of Sports Illustrated.

If she accomplishes her mission on schedule, she will be able toretire at 16 as the world's sweetheart (at least America's) with anincome in the millions from doing TV commercials and smiling from thebacks of cereal boxes.

In short, Phillips is heiress-apparent to Olga Korbut, NadiaComaneci and Mary Lou Retton. If she doesn't screw up or get hurtbefore they drape a golden Olympic medal around her neck in Seoul inOctober, 1988, she won't have to do a lick of work the rest of herlife.

Kristie took another small step in that direction Wednesday whenshe compiled the highest score among 20 competitors from five nationsin the first afternoon of women's artistic gymnastics at the PanAmerican Games.

It was team competition in compulsory exercises, but individualscores are kept and will count in the all-around competition to come.Phillips, of Baton Rouge, La., scored 38.950. Melissa Marlowe, ablond mite of 87 pounds from Salt Lake City, was second with 38.750.Sabrina Mar, of Huntington Beach, Calif., was third at 28.925. Infact, the six women on the U.S. team finished one through six.

"We dominated today," said Kelly Garrison-Steves, who finishedfourth, "but we all know we need more work on our compulsories forthe world." The world championships, to be held in Rotterdam Oct. 18,will offer much stiffer competition than the nations of the WesternHemisphere represented here. There will be Russians, Romanians,Hungarians, two kinds of Germans, Chinese and Japanese.

Hopefully, Phoebe Mills, a 14-year-old from Northfield, will bethere, too. Mills, one of the top female gymnasts of our country,skipped the Pan Am show to allow a heel injury to heal.

They call this "women's" gymnastics, but that is a misnomer.For the most part, these are children. Garrison-Steves, an Oklahomanwith eyes like a teenage Elizabeth Taylor, qualifies as a woman,since she is 19 and married to a gymnast. Mar is 17. The rest ofthe U.S. "women" here are 15.

This is a sport in which a girl goes over the hill when sheleaves her teens. A grown woman with a full set of curves can't dothe things these sprites do.

For instance, Phillips has moved into the top position amongAmerican female gymnasts by touching her bottom with the back of herhead. Standing on her hands on a balance beam, she can arch her backuntil her butt meets her blond curls, then do a split in thatposition. No other female in the world can do this. It seemsimpossible for any vertebrate creature.

Phillips is the current star of Bela Karolyi's stable, whichalso includes Mills and Rhonda Faehn of Coon Rapids, Minn., (whofinished sixth Wednesday). Karolyi, the Count Dracula of theseMunchkins, developed Comaneci before he fled Romania and settled inHouston, where he taught Retton.

Bela didn't make it to Indianapolis to watch Phillips' gracefuldismount from the beam, because he erred in dismounting a horse inTexas and it stepped on him, damaging his ribcage.

However, Karolyi, master of the intricacies of his sport, wouldhave been proud of Phillips. He knows it is not enough for a tinygirl to be able to twist herself into a pretzel. This is show biz.She must be a combination of Shirley Temple, Lolita and a Barbie dollthat gives interviews.

Phillips has learned to bat her baby blue eyes and flash thosebraces at the judges, wave to the crowd as vigorously as Mary Lou,and confide all her thoughts to anyone with a tape recorder.

"This is 90 percent physical and 10 percent media," Kristie saidWednesday.

It is not enough to do her routines with near perfection, shehas found. "You have to have something people notice. People noticemy flexibility, my smile and my attitude. You have to look good allthe time, and not just be wimping around."

If Kristie indeed becomes the next Olympic heroine, she mayhave the same impact on hairstyles as did skater Dorothy Hamill. Ifso, you can expect every moppet who watches her on TV to dye her hairyellow and have it cut to resemble a mushroom cap.

To be one of Karolyi's gymnasts is almost like entering anunnery. He demands total dedication.

But there is a threat to Phillips' concentration. Her hormonesmust be beginning to work. She confessed Wednesday she has a boyfriend, a soccer player from Virginia who will visit her here thisweekend. With Bela away, Kristie's attention may stray.

There is still another threat to American dominance of thefemale side of this sport.

Canada trotted her out Wednesday, and she finished 10th in thecompulsories. She is Amelie Major, a "woman" from Montreal who willturn 14 on Sept. 20 and could pass for 10. She stands 3-10 andweighs 70 pounds, without a trace of that old devil puberty. Shemust buy her lunch from Hartz Mountain. Amelie told me she has beena gymnast since she was 4 and hopes to win an Olympic medal.

Once the television cameras glimpse Amelie, they may forgetKristie. In this fleeting business, a girl must make her fortunebefore she's out of braces. There is always another 13-year-oldtrying to render you obsolete.

Timber Lodge officially opened with joyful celebration

Waldheim, Sask.

About 500 people from across Saskatchewan came together at Shekinah Retreat Centre to celebrate, worship and play on June 1-2. The occasion was the grand opening of Timber Lodge, as well as Skekinah's fifth annual bike-a-thon.

"It was a huge success," said Carl Wiens, administrator at Shekinah and Timber Lodge project manager. "There was an incredible spirit of community and camaraderie here that weekend."

Sandwiched between the celebratory banquet on Friday evening and the opening ceremony on Saturday was the most successful bike-a-thon ever! Close to 200 riders participated, the majority completing the 71 km route from north of Saskatoon to Shekinah. All ages participate.

[Graph Not Transcribed]

"It has developed into a true community and family event," said Wiens.

One of the major fundraisers of the Shekinah board, the bike-a-thon raised approximately $35,000 this year. Each year the number of bikers and the amount raised has increased.

Construction on the Timber Lodge, supported by the Conference of Mennonites of Saskatchewan, began two years ago, but plans for a conference meeting place had been in the works for many years. Rudy Froese, provincial conference minister, has been involved in many of those plans and is proud of the final result.

"It is a very unique building," said Froese. "It is a valuable asset to our conference."

The dedication service involved Froese; Anna Rehan, conference youth minister; Wendy Harder, young adult minister; and Armin Krahn, moderator. The ceremony included the installation of a bell on the outside of the building, a gift from the conference.

"It seemed a suitable gift," said Froese. "It is a symbol meant to call people to worship, to relate, to visit." The bell was crafted by Stu Jantz of Drake.

At the conclusion of the service, participants moved outside and joined hands in a large circle, surrounding the building. Following silent prayer, the bell sounded, calling the congregation to a final song of blessing, led by Duff Warkentin.

Remorseful US vet returns French war flag to Paris

PARIS (AP) — On the day Paris was liberated from the Nazis in 1944, a young American soldier nabbed a souvenir of epic proportions: He took home the French flag that hung from the Arc de Triomphe, a symbol of the end of four years of struggle and shame.

Six and a half decades later, the aging veteran has given the flag back to the city of Paris.

Officials from Paris City Hall took possession of the 12-meter (13-yard) tricolor flag Saturday in a ceremony in southern France, a step in its unusual journey from New York state back home to Paris. The American veteran remains anonymous, too ashamed to come forward.

French officials have no intention of scolding him: They have only thanks and kind words for him, pointing out that he once risked his life for France.

"I'm infinitely grateful," Catherine Vieu-Charier, deputy to the mayor of Paris, told The Associated Press. French historian Christine Levisse-Touze insisted his act couldn't be considered a theft.

"If an American GI wanted to take home a souvenir, I'd say there was nothing reprehensible about that, it's an act you can easily understand," said Levisse-Touze, director of a Paris museum with exhibits on the city's liberation.

Levisse-Touze is studying the flag to verify its authenticity, but she said it appears to be the real thing, based on comparisons with archive footage and based on the straps used to tie it to the monument. The cotton flag is still in excellent condition and has been carefully preserved.

Paris firefighters in the Resistance hung the flag on the Arc de Triomphe on Aug. 25, 1944. After Gen. Philippe Leclerc's 2nd Armored Division, backed by the Americans, rolled into Paris, the occupiers surrendered, ignoring Hitler's order to demolish much of the city.

The flag quickly disappeared, and its absence was barely noticed during the tumult. Levisse-Touze believes a different, larger French flag was hanging under the Arc de Triomphe the next day, when Gen. Charles de Gaulle led a victory parade down the Champs-Elysees.

The flag didn't resurface until 2008, when Armand Lourdin, a French chef who has lived in the United States for three decades, was cooking for a group of U.S. veterans he had gotten to know in his job at a private club in Chappaqua, New York. After dinner, the veterans sent for him.

"Everybody was standing up, they had opened up the flag and they were all singing the Marseillaise in French - they had learned the words," Lourdin told the AP by telephone from his home in New York. One of the men told him that he had taken the flag as Paris was liberated, and asked Lourdin to carry it to France on his upcoming vacation.

Lourdin turned it over to the town where his relatives live, Chandolas, in southeastern France, sparking the long process of checking its authenticity. In Saturday's ceremony, French firefighters hung the flag from the town hall.

Afterward, local mayor Alain Mahey entrusted the flag to Paris officials. There is no official protocol for folding a French flag, Mahey said, but this one was sent back to Paris folded into a small triangle, American-style.

`Neighbor' contest set

North Side property owners who think their apartment building,single-family home, co-op, town house or office building is fancyenough for recognition are invited to nominate their rehab orconstruction work for an award.

The North Side Real Estate Board is accepting applications forthe 1987 Good Neighbor Awards competition.

The annual laurels go to owners of newly constructed orrenovated properties that contribute to the revitalization ofneighborhoods.

Application deadline is Feb. 28. For more information call769-3888.

Study Finds Podcast Use Rising but Small

NEW YORK - A growing number of Americans are listening to podcasts, but very few do so every day.

The Pew Internet and American Life Project said Wednesday that 12 percent of Internet users have downloaded a podcast, an increase from 7 percent earlier in the year.

However, only about 1 percent said they download a podcast on a typical day - unchanged from the survey earlier this year. The rest do so less frequently, perhaps only once.

Podcasts are typically sound files that can be played on personal computers, TiVo Inc.'s digital recorders and music players such as Apple Computer Inc.'s iPod. Many are regularly scheduled and automatically delivered, and more recently some have incorporated video.

News organizations such as National Public Radio and The Associated Press offer news podcasts throughout the day, while amateurs have produced podcasts once or twice a week to discuss their favorite television shows, among many other subjects.

"While podcast downloading is still an emerging activity primarily enjoyed by early adopters, the range of content now available speaks to both mainstream and niche audiences," said Mary Madden, senior research specialist at Pew. "We are at a crossroads of a major transition in the way media content is delivered and consumed."

Men and online veterans are more likely to download podcasts, according to the telephone survey of 972 adult Internet users, which was conducted Aug. 1-31 and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. The previous survey was conducted February to April.

Too much or too little weight gain puts pregnant mothers, babies at risk

Report from Asian News International brought to you by HT Syndication.

Washington, May 8 -- While pregnancy and weight gain go hand in hand, a report by an Indian-origin researcher has cautioned that too much or too less than the recommended amount of weight gain during pregnancy might prove risky not only for the mother but the baby as well.

The new report by Meera Viswanathan, Ph.D., a senior research analyst at the RTI International-University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Evidence-based Practice Center, is based on a systematic review of 150 studies, between January 1990 and October 2007, examining the short- and long-term effects of maternal weight gain on pregnancy, mothers, fetuses, and children.

The report indicated that there is a strong link between high maternal weight gain and increased foetal growth and infant birth weight, which can create complications during labor if a baby is too big, and can lead to long term health effects for the child.

Besides, high maternal weight gain is also associated with caesarean delivery and weight retention by mothers after childbirth.

Also, the findings of the review confirmed that gaining too little weight during pregnancy can be a problem. Low maternal weight gain is linked to poor foetal growth, lower birth weight, and the chance of a baby being born prematurely.

The report came as a result of the trend that more and more pregnant women in America were overweight and obese, and there were an increasing number of women who gained much more weight in pregnancy than suggested by the Institute of Medicine's 1990 recommendations for maternal weight gain. Also, health officials were worried about an increase in pregnancy complications such as diabetes and caesarean delivery.

In fact, The Institute of Medicine is also reviewing its pregnancy weight guidelines to see if they need to be revised.

"Unfortunately, the existing body of research on maternal weight gain is inadequate to permit a more comprehensive assessment. Most beneficial would be an analysis that considers the risks and potential benefits of various maternal weight-gain scenarios to all women - irrespective of age, race or ethnicity, or their body mass index before they became pregnant. But such an analysis is not possible at this time," said Viswanathan.

Published by HT Syndication with permission from Asian News International.

Too much or too little weight gain puts pregnant mothers, babies at risk

Report from Asian News International brought to you by HT Syndication.

Washington, May 8 -- While pregnancy and weight gain go hand in hand, a report by an Indian-origin researcher has cautioned that too much or too less than the recommended amount of weight gain during pregnancy might prove risky not only for the mother but the baby as well.

The new report by Meera Viswanathan, Ph.D., a senior research analyst at the RTI International-University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Evidence-based Practice Center, is based on a systematic review of 150 studies, between January 1990 and October 2007, examining the short- and long-term effects of maternal weight gain on pregnancy, mothers, fetuses, and children.

The report indicated that there is a strong link between high maternal weight gain and increased foetal growth and infant birth weight, which can create complications during labor if a baby is too big, and can lead to long term health effects for the child.

Besides, high maternal weight gain is also associated with caesarean delivery and weight retention by mothers after childbirth.

Also, the findings of the review confirmed that gaining too little weight during pregnancy can be a problem. Low maternal weight gain is linked to poor foetal growth, lower birth weight, and the chance of a baby being born prematurely.

The report came as a result of the trend that more and more pregnant women in America were overweight and obese, and there were an increasing number of women who gained much more weight in pregnancy than suggested by the Institute of Medicine's 1990 recommendations for maternal weight gain. Also, health officials were worried about an increase in pregnancy complications such as diabetes and caesarean delivery.

In fact, The Institute of Medicine is also reviewing its pregnancy weight guidelines to see if they need to be revised.

"Unfortunately, the existing body of research on maternal weight gain is inadequate to permit a more comprehensive assessment. Most beneficial would be an analysis that considers the risks and potential benefits of various maternal weight-gain scenarios to all women - irrespective of age, race or ethnicity, or their body mass index before they became pregnant. But such an analysis is not possible at this time," said Viswanathan.

Published by HT Syndication with permission from Asian News International.

Too much or too little weight gain puts pregnant mothers, babies at risk

Report from Asian News International brought to you by HT Syndication.

Washington, May 8 -- While pregnancy and weight gain go hand in hand, a report by an Indian-origin researcher has cautioned that too much or too less than the recommended amount of weight gain during pregnancy might prove risky not only for the mother but the baby as well.

The new report by Meera Viswanathan, Ph.D., a senior research analyst at the RTI International-University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Evidence-based Practice Center, is based on a systematic review of 150 studies, between January 1990 and October 2007, examining the short- and long-term effects of maternal weight gain on pregnancy, mothers, fetuses, and children.

The report indicated that there is a strong link between high maternal weight gain and increased foetal growth and infant birth weight, which can create complications during labor if a baby is too big, and can lead to long term health effects for the child.

Besides, high maternal weight gain is also associated with caesarean delivery and weight retention by mothers after childbirth.

Also, the findings of the review confirmed that gaining too little weight during pregnancy can be a problem. Low maternal weight gain is linked to poor foetal growth, lower birth weight, and the chance of a baby being born prematurely.

The report came as a result of the trend that more and more pregnant women in America were overweight and obese, and there were an increasing number of women who gained much more weight in pregnancy than suggested by the Institute of Medicine's 1990 recommendations for maternal weight gain. Also, health officials were worried about an increase in pregnancy complications such as diabetes and caesarean delivery.

In fact, The Institute of Medicine is also reviewing its pregnancy weight guidelines to see if they need to be revised.

"Unfortunately, the existing body of research on maternal weight gain is inadequate to permit a more comprehensive assessment. Most beneficial would be an analysis that considers the risks and potential benefits of various maternal weight-gain scenarios to all women - irrespective of age, race or ethnicity, or their body mass index before they became pregnant. But such an analysis is not possible at this time," said Viswanathan.

Published by HT Syndication with permission from Asian News International.

Too much or too little weight gain puts pregnant mothers, babies at risk

Report from Asian News International brought to you by HT Syndication.

Washington, May 8 -- While pregnancy and weight gain go hand in hand, a report by an Indian-origin researcher has cautioned that too much or too less than the recommended amount of weight gain during pregnancy might prove risky not only for the mother but the baby as well.

The new report by Meera Viswanathan, Ph.D., a senior research analyst at the RTI International-University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Evidence-based Practice Center, is based on a systematic review of 150 studies, between January 1990 and October 2007, examining the short- and long-term effects of maternal weight gain on pregnancy, mothers, fetuses, and children.

The report indicated that there is a strong link between high maternal weight gain and increased foetal growth and infant birth weight, which can create complications during labor if a baby is too big, and can lead to long term health effects for the child.

Besides, high maternal weight gain is also associated with caesarean delivery and weight retention by mothers after childbirth.

Also, the findings of the review confirmed that gaining too little weight during pregnancy can be a problem. Low maternal weight gain is linked to poor foetal growth, lower birth weight, and the chance of a baby being born prematurely.

The report came as a result of the trend that more and more pregnant women in America were overweight and obese, and there were an increasing number of women who gained much more weight in pregnancy than suggested by the Institute of Medicine's 1990 recommendations for maternal weight gain. Also, health officials were worried about an increase in pregnancy complications such as diabetes and caesarean delivery.

In fact, The Institute of Medicine is also reviewing its pregnancy weight guidelines to see if they need to be revised.

"Unfortunately, the existing body of research on maternal weight gain is inadequate to permit a more comprehensive assessment. Most beneficial would be an analysis that considers the risks and potential benefits of various maternal weight-gain scenarios to all women - irrespective of age, race or ethnicity, or their body mass index before they became pregnant. But such an analysis is not possible at this time," said Viswanathan.

Published by HT Syndication with permission from Asian News International.

Report: Malaysia to supply Brunei with power

A newspaper says Malaysia has inked an unprecedented agreement with Brunei to supply power to the neighboring sultanate.

The Star daily reported the two countries signed a deal Friday that could lead to 400 megawatts of power being supplied from Sarawak state to Brunei within the next two or three years.

The two countries will conduct a feasibility study …

Treasuries Give Up Most Early Gains

NEW YORK - With stocks gaining, U.S. Treasury bond prices ended Wednesday only mildly up, despite a report of weak factory output and jitters over the subprime mortgage market.

At 5 p.m. EDT, the 10-year Treasury note was up 63 cents per $1,000 in face value, or 2/32 point, from its level at 5 p.m. Tuesday. Its yield, which moves in the opposite direction, fell to 5.08 percent from 5.09 percent.

The 30-year bond rose 5/32 point. Its yield fell to 5.20 percent from 5.21 percent.

The 2-year note fell 1/32 point. Its yield rose to 4.90 percent from 4.88 percent.

Yields on 3-month Treasury bills were 4.78 percent as the discount rate fell 0.03 percentage …

The Hill Bachelors.(Review)

The Hill Bachelors William Trevor Viking 245 Pages

The twelve stories in Trevor's stunning collection explore the quiet lives of characters caught between desire and circumstance. In the title story, a son must choose between marrying his longtime love or caring for his widowed mother and the family farm, while another tale finds a man and a woman reaching for each other with small, guarded gestures, knowing if they ever touched, the relationship would dissolve. By …

Problems hinder biotech industry: Trade group chief says companies leave state due to lack of training, venture capital.

Byline: Eric Anderson

Sep. 15--TROY -- Nathan Tinker says New York can create biotechnology companies. It just has trouble holding on to them.

"The incubators are filling up and there's a lot going on," he said in a phone interview Thursday. "But when it comes time to graduate out of the incubator, we lose the businesses, to Massachusetts, North Carolina, even Michigan."

Tinker, president of the New York Biotechnology Association, a trade group based in Stony Brook, has some ideas on how to change this. He will present them during a talk Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic …

Bruno friend draws scrutiny from FBI; Senate majority leader, business associate have tangled relationship.(Main)

Byline: JAMES M. ODATO - Capitol bureau

ALBANY - Sherrie and Jared Abbruzzese might seem to have it made.

A mansion in Loudonville. Country club memberships. His and hers Cadillacs and Mercedeses in their fleet of eight high-end cars. Jets. A 27-foot boat. Horses.

People still talk about the 50th-birthday party thrown a couple years ago for "Jerry," as he is called, at the couple's 9,600-square-foot home, estimating it cost at least $100,000. He is known to toss down $100 tips at the prestigious Schuyler Meadows Club, where he is an enthusiastic if average golfer.

But now Abbruzzese, 52, is being scrutinized in an FBI probe that has found he paid Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, R-Brunswick, hundreds of thousands of dollars in consulting fees. Interviews and a review of court documents reveal that his business dealings have included accusations of fraud and deceit, and even a multimillion-dollar judgment that threatened to take his home until that ruling was reversed.

In recent years the entrepreneur has been dogged by complaints of deceiving stockholders and fleecing investors. None of those complaints has ever been sustained in court.

Abbruzzese and his local lawyers have refused repeated interview requests, and there was no response when reporters attempted to reach him at his home.

Flashy and outspoken, the businessman is described by associates as a "close friend" and business associate of Bruno, the state's most powerful Republican politician. But beyond friendship, their relationship is a tangled web of public money and private enterprise that has now drawn the …

Coca-Cola's 3Q profit up 14 percent

The Coca-Cola Co. reported its profit rose by double digits, weathering a volatile third quarter in which consumers felt pressured by economic uncertainty.

The nation's biggest soft drink seller reported third-quarter profit was 14 percent higher than a year ago, as sales in emerging markets offset U.S. weakness.

"Our brands and our business were built for times like these," Chief Executive Muhtar Kent said on a conference call with investors. "We are clearly in uncharted territory in these global markets. I'm confident in our ability to navigate in these challenging times."

The company posted earnings of $1.89 billion, or 81 …

Clinton tries to buck tradition

The Clintons already have a number of firsts lashed to theirnames, and casual house hunting on the weekends is yet another.Photos of the president and the first lady shaking hands along animpromptu neighborhood rope line are one of a kind. It is a curiousfact, overlooked by most, that the Clintons' last venture intopersonal real estate did not turn out well. Originally the Clintonshad their own house and lot on the Whitewater River, and look howthat turned out.

Those who think the Clintons are ethically challenged and eager toamass wealth (accusations long ago embedded in the Whitewater landdeal) should pay attention to these ongoing, rather melancholy house-hunting …

A call for `race-neutral outreach'.

TV radio groups propose alternative to FCC plan, using the 'Net to recruit minorities

Broadcasters and cable executives last week said the federal government should not try to again force the industry to recruit minorities and women.

Instead, the FCC should require companies to post job vacancies on the Internet or other outlets with widespread and diverse audiences.

The FCC's plan to revive equal opportunity recruiting rules is "based on constitutionally illegitimate stereotypes and [would] pressure stations to make race-based employment and hiring decisions," wrote a group of 46 state broadcaster associations in comments to the agency.

…

Mystery still surrounds death of Malaysian tourist.

MYSTERY still surrounds the death of a Malaysian tourist who was crushed by a train at Haddenham and Thame Parkway Station earlier this year.

Chin Tsai Yap, 38, inexplicably clambered down from the platform in between two carriages as the train was waiting at the station on the evening of February 13. When the Chilterns train, which was heading from London to Birmingham, pulled off, Mr Yap's torso was nearly cut in half.

It is still a mystery why Mr Yap, a seemingly happy man who talked about his future plans, put himself in such danger, and a jury at an inquest in to his death returned an open verdict at Amersham Coroner's Court today.

He had left …

FIRM TRIES TO AVOID BANKRUPTCY.(BUSINESS)

Byline: -- Associated Press

TULSA, Okla. -- Williams Communications Group, which faces a deadline Friday to restructure its nearly $6 billion debt, hopes to avoid joining a string of its competitors in bankruptcy court. It won't be easy. ``When you look at their financial state and what's happening with the creditors it's becoming harder and harder for them to avoid bankruptcy,'' said Peter Cohan, the author of ``e-Stocks'' and a high-tech industry expert.

…

LOW BIRTH WEIGHTS IN BLACKS FOUND.(Living Today)

Byline: Associated Press

Middle-class black women with college educations are twice as likely to bear low-birth- weight babies as whites of the same income and education, a study found.

The study of more than 100,000 births in Chicago suggests that the effects of poverty linger for generations, the researchers said Monday.

Low birth weight is the most important predictor of whether babies will die, said the lead researcher, Dr. James W. Collins Jr., who specializes in newborns at Children's Memorial Hospital.

The United States, which ranks 22nd among developed countries in infant survival, is losing its fight to reduce the infant mortality …

Treasury says it got bailed-out banks to pay more

The Obama administration said Wednesday it has increased the investment return to taxpayers by pushing banks to pay higher prices to repurchase stock warrants given to the government during the financial crisis.

The government made $4 billion from the sale of the warrants it held, a Treasury Department report said. The warrants are instruments that let the holder buy stock in the future at a fixed price. The government received them in return for aid it provided to banks from the $700 billion bailout fund.

Of the $4 billion, $2.9 billion came from 31 institutions that repurchased their warrants from the government. And $1.1 billion came from the auction of …

Russia Says New ICBM Can Beat Any System

MOSCOW - Russia tested new missiles Tuesday that a Kremlin official boasted could penetrate any defense system, and President Vladimir Putin warned that U.S. plans for an anti-missile shield in Europe would turn the region into a "powder keg."

First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said Russia tested an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying multiple independent warheads, and it also successfully conducted a "preliminary" test of a tactical cruise missile that he said could fly farther than existing, similar weapons.

"As of today, Russia has new tactical and strategic complexes that are capable of overcoming any existing or future missile defense …

SpecialtySoft Lite.(software for picture framers)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)

SpecialtySoft of Wilmington, N.C., introduces the software program, SpecialtySoft Lite. It is a frame write-up and pricing software package that maintains a comprehensive customer database and inventory management system. Included in …

'Ugly Betty' to move production to New York.(Main)

Production of ABC's "Ugly Betty" is moving to New York City. The announcement came Monday from Gov. David Paterson , Mayor Michael Bloomberg and ABC Studios President Mark Pedowitz .

The popular comedy will be taking advantage of a 35 percent tax credit from the city and state when it moves from Los Angeles.

"Ugly Betty" stars Emmy …

TV SHOW GATHERS TIPS IN SLAYING OF ABORTION PROVIDER.(CAPITAL REGION)

Byline: Associated Press

BUFFALO -- Officials with the television program ``America's Most Wanted'' say they have received at least 10 tips after airing a segment about a man wanted as a witness in the sniper killing of a Buffalo-area obstetrician-gynecologist who performed abortions.

Police have not named James Charles Kopp as a suspect in the Oct. 23 shooting of Dr. Barnett Slepian of Amherst. But law enforcement authorities in the United States and Canada believe the 44-year-old California native, who last lived in St. Albans, Vt., and is nicknamed ``Atomic Dog'' in anti-abortion circles, may know something about the attack.

On Saturday, …

Imam entangled in terrorism case leaves US

The imam entangled in the investigation into a suicide bomb plot against New York City subway stations left the U.S. Monday on court orders after admitting he lied to the FBI. Among his final words on U.S. soil, his lawyer says, were "God bless America."

Ahmad Wais Afzali and his wife Fatima took off on a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight to Jeddah and then will go on to Mecca, where Fatima got a job teaching English, said the lawyer, Ron Kuby. Afzali, who was born in Afghanistan but spent most of his life in Queens, isn't sure what he's going to do there, Kuby said. Most of his family lives in Virginia, including two children from a previous marriage.

…

Will Power's 'Honey Bo and the Gold Mine' encourages brotherly love

Since eta Creative Arts Foundation estab- lished its cultural organization at the YWCA, it has featured many cultural activities that inter- ested children and youth created by Chicago and national artists. Currently, the organization, now located at 7558 S. South Chicago Ave., is featuring a contemporary children's artistic musical adventure, Honey Bo and the Gold Mine, created by Will Power which runs through July 31.

Power wrote the play espedaily for youngsters of all ages, including teens and the "young at heart." The innovative revue is directed by Bobby Andrews with musical direction by Wander Bishop.

In the play, an unscrupulous land developer threatens to bulldoze …

Cape Town restaurants among the best in the world.(News)

LA COLOMBE, an award-winning restaurant in Constantia Uitsig, has been placed 12th on the San Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants list.

This was announced at the Guildhall in London on Monday in a ceremony often referred to as the "Oscars" of the global dining scene.

The awards, organised by the UK's Restaurant Magazine, tallied votes from an academy of more than 800 international critics, journalists and food experts to …

DIAMOND DOGS FALTER IN FINALE.(SPORTS)

The Waterbury Spirit captured at least a tie for the second half North Division championship with 1-0 victory over the Albany-Colonie Diamond Dogs Friday night at Municipal Stadium.

Scott Pinoni's solo home run leading off the seventh inning was the difference in the game as the Spirit won for the ninth time in their last 10 games heading into the playoffs.

Spirit starter Erik Plantenberg and relievers Jon Hand and Michael Huffaker combined on a five-hit shutout. Plantenburg went the first …

Calif. rains ending, residents can return to homes

Residents forced to flee the Los Angeles area foothills amid fears that heavy rains would cause mudslides can return to their homes.

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Deputy Lillian Peck says public works and fire department officials drove through the wildfire-scarred neighborhoods on Sunday and determined that it was safe for the residents of the 44 evacuated homes to return.

…

Recent Findings from University of Kentucky Highlight Research in Biomedical Engineering.

Data detailed in "Infection, inflammation, and bone regeneration: a paradoxical relationship" have been presented. "Various strategies have been developed to promote bone regeneration in the craniofacial region. Most of these interventions utilize implantable materials or devices," scientists in Lexington, Kentucky report (see also Biomedical Engineering).

"Infections resulting from colonization of these implants may result in local tissue destruction in a manner analogous to periodontitis. This destruction is mediated via the expression of various inflammatory mediators and tissue-destructive enzymes. Given the well-documented association among microbial biofilms, …