Big Hurt makes a big error Ritchie's woes continue amid Thomas' baserunning mistake

Devil Rays 6

White Sox 2

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.--Todd Ritchie continues to slide, not helpedby the fact that one of his teammates didn't.

Ritchie continued on his path toward 20 losses, while after a 6-2defeat Saturday to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Carlos Lee and FrankThomas had an animated discussion about a fifth-inning baserunningblunder.

Thomas was thrown out at the plate after he didn't slide whiletrying to score from second base on a single by Royce Clayton.Television replays appeared to show that Thomas just beat the throwto the plate as he came in standing.

Thomas, who didn't officially lift his media boycott, stilloffered an …

Davox and eGain seal e-commerce partnership agreement

Davox Corporation, a developer of customer contact solutions, and eGain Communications Corp., a provider of customer service infrastructure for ecommerce, have unveiled a strategic agreement to jointly market, sell and integrate eGain's real-time Web collaboration and e-mail management solutions with Davox's customer contact telephony capabilities. This alliance is intended to enable customer contact centers to deliver a higher level of customer service by using an integrated solution for phone, e-mail and live Web …

Spain beats U.S. for 7th in women's field hockey

Rocio Ybarra scored on a penalty corner in the second extra period as Spain defeated the United States 3-2 Wednesday in the seventh-place game of the Olympic women's field hockey tournament.

The Americans took the lead when Angela Loy scored in the 59th minute to give her team a 2-1 lead.

American Carrie Lingo was sent off after getting a yellow card late in regulation, and Spain took advantage when Raquel Huertas scored in the 68th …

On the scent of success

BRAINTREE band Hounds play the BandCrash Christmas gig inChelmsford this Friday with a real sense of purpose in their mindsThe electro-rock trio have had an eventful few months which has seentheir music used in a horror film and The Prodigy's manager MikeChampion take them under his wing.

Singer/guitarist Olly is in an ebullient frame of mind as hetalks about what Hounds have been up to and what lies ahead in 2010.

He's particularly looking forward to returning to barhouse.

"We've done a couple of gigs there recently. It's been goodplaying there. Back in the day there was the Army and Navy and the YClub, then there were years without any venue like that. I …

Who's skilling the great chefs of Chicago? // From accredited schools to one-shot courses, there's a class for every need of interest

The art of cooking encompasses a working knowledge of art, math,history, a sense of style and, more important, experience in thekitchen. In short, one must master the finer points of cookingbefore attempting to create an edible masterpiece.

Whether by the often tried method of trial and error or underthe tutelage of a master chef, the first thing one must do is acquireat least a rudimentary understanding of the basic language and skillsassociated with cooking, beginning with the term itself.

Sometime during the 1980s and the early '90s the term "cooking"evolved into "culinary arts," making the subject more appealing.This new image not only propelled cooking into the …

Amid Europe's crisis, UK skeptics seek looser ties

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — It shunned the euro to keep its cherished pound. Now could Europe's deepening debt crisis see Britain turn its back entirely on its struggling neighbors?

Delegates at an annual rally of the governing Conservative Party this week are looking to the continent's economic woes as an opportunity to revive old debates about Britain's relationship with Europe.

Costly bailouts and meddling judges are cited as new evidence to support the long cherished goal of Britain's skeptics: Leaving the European Union.

"The tide is moving irrevocably towards a referendum, regardless of whether or not the prime minister wants one," Conservative Party lawmaker …

(null)

Lebanon has been conquered and colonized many times over in the last three millennia. Among the famous invaders: Alexander the Great, Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar and the Muslim warrior Saladin.

Others include Persians, Romans, Egyptians, Christian Crusaders, Ottoman Turks, the French and English in World War I and, more recently, Israelis. Lebanon's rival Christians and Muslims also upset the peace, most notably in the 1975-90 civil war.

Many invaders left monuments and other remnants of their civilizations that can be visited in day trips from Lebanon's urbane capital, Beirut. You can go east to the Roman ruins at Baalbek, north to the Crusader-era …

NFL Report

BEARS 23, VIKINGS 13

The Chicago Bears clinched the NFC North with a victory overMinnesota.

Devin Hester had his fourth kick return for a TD, a 45-yard puntrunback. Ricky Manning Jr. returned an interception 54 yards for atouchdown, and host Chicago (10-2) claimed its second straight NFCNorth title.

The Bears overcame another shaky performance by quarterback RexGrossman in frigid conditions. Grossman was 6-of-19 for 34 yards andthrew three interceptions for the second straight week. He has 14interceptions in the last seven games.

Brad Johnson was 11-of-26 with 73 yards and four interceptions forMinnesota (5-7) before being lifted for Brooks Bollinger …

WORLD at 0400GMT

NEW THIS DIGEST:

RUSSIA-ELECTION. Putin's party wins more than 60 percent in parliamentary vote

VENEZUELA. Tight race in vote on Chavez's constitutional changes.

ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS. Israel releasing 429 Palestinian prisoners in gesture to Abbas.

SUDAN-TEACHER. Sudanese president to meet British delegation to discuss imprisoned teacher's possible pardon.

HONG KONG. Pro-democracy candidate Anson Chan wins Hong Kong election.

EXPANDING TROPICS. Earth's tropics belt expands, may mean drier weather for U.S. Southwest, Mediterranean.

TOP STORIES:

RUSSIA-ELECTIONS

MOSCOW _ Vladimir …

News in Brief

Centrum lofts forced to go rental

Under pressure from its lenders, developer Centrum Properties Inc. said Friday it is converting its South Loop residential complex from condominium units to rentals. The change involves the 342-unit Lofts at Roosevelt Collection complex at 150 W. Roosevelt. A lack of condo sales will force Centrum to return deposits to people who bought units. Sources said lenders led by Bank of America Corp. demanded the switch. Centrum said apartments will be available for Sept. 1 occupancy, with one-bedrooms listed at $1,375 a month and two-bedrooms at $2,300 a month.

Jobless rate, layoffs down

It's the clearest sign yet the recession is finally …

Scissor Sisters: Fun... and filthy/gorgeous

Scissor Sisters: Fun... and filthy/gorgeous

"I Don't Feel Like Dancin'," the Scissor Sisters encore at their Feb. 27 show at the Royal Oak Music Theatre, wasn't how the nearly sold-out crowd felt when the glam-pop band played for a brisk hour and 45 minutes. The band, headed by the beefier-thanever Jake Shears, sprinkled fan favorites like "Filthy/Gorgeous" and "Tits on the Radio" into their setlist, which leaned …

Zimbabwe vs. New Zealand Result

BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe beat New Zealand by one wicket in the third and final one-day international at Queens Sports Club on Tuesday. New Zealand wins the three-match series …

Anthony Janicek, teacher, coach

Anthony Janicek was a kindly, helpful man who for 37 yearscoached sports, taught physiology, typing and computers, and urgedthousands of boys attending Quigley South and later ArchbishopQuigley preparatory seminaries to be the best person they could.

Many of those boys went on to become Roman Catholic priests,while others are police officers, lawyers and civic leaders.

"He was a very kind coach. He motivated you to be your best bystressing to us to use the gifts God had given to us, not byscreaming as some coaches do," said a former student, the Rev. MartinMichniewicz, pastor of St. Andrew the Apostle Church in Calumet City.Mr. Janicek, 61, was murdered Monday when he returned late fromschool and was ambushed at his house near Midway Airport by would-berobbers. Neighbors who saw men entering the house called police.Two men were arrested at the scene and charged with the killing.Quigley officials knew about his death even before Mr. Janicek'srelatives were found because two of the investigating officersrecognized him as their former teacher, said his brother-in-law,Casey Ladowski, a veteran employee of the Sun-Times sales department.Arizona police tried to notify Mr. Janicek's mother and sisterof his death, but they already had left for the airport to visit himfor Christmas. When he failed to meet their overnight flight earlyTuesday, they called his sister, who drove them to Mr. Janicek'sresidence.They let themselves in with a key, found blood on the floor,feared he had had an accident and called a neighbor, Ladowski said.The neighbor came over and told them about the murder."He was also a part-time guard at the Marquette National Bank at63rd and Western. You'd think if he was going to get killed the wayhe did, it would be in the line of duty as opposed to coming homewith schoolwork," Ladowski said.Walter Liptak, Mr. Janicek's stepbrother, said Mr. Janicek wasknown by amateur athletes around Chicago because of his work in ParkDistrict programs, where he refereed football and basketball gamesand umpired baseball games. He graduated with a degree in physicaleducation from DePaul University in 1962.Archbishop Quigley students dedicated their Advent program tothe man they called "Mr. J." At Quigley South, he had been known as"Coach."Survivors in addition to his stepbrother are Mr. Janicek'smother, Wilma Liptak; two sisters, Helen Snarski and Ann Ladowski,and eight nieces and nephews.A memorial service was scheduled at 10:30 a.m. today at St.Gall's Church at 55th and Kedzie. Burial will be private.

Pakistan bowler Asif banned by IPL for 12 months

Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Asif has been formally banned for one year from the lucrative Indian Premier League after testing positive for nandrolone during last year's inaugural tournament.

"Mohammad Asif was found guilty by the IPL drug tribunal in as much as a prohibited substance namely Nandrolone was found in the urine sample from the player during the support period and the match played on May 30 2008 between the Delhi Daredevils and the Rajasthan Royals at Mumbai," the IPL's three-man anti-doping tribunal said in a statement published Wednesday by Cricinfo.com.

Asif said he will consult his lawyer and doctor before deciding to appeal against a 12-month ban.

"I will consult both my lawyer and doctor whether I should appeal against the ban or not," Asif told reporters in the eastern city of Lahore.

"I am fully fit and now I am concentrating on my cricket."

The ban means Asif will be ineligible for IPL or any other international or first-class cricket until Sept. 21, taking in the entirety of the second season of the Twenty20 competition. However Pakistan's government had already ruled its players would not take part in the 2009 Indian league for political reasons in the wake of last year's Mumbai terrorist attacks.

Asif had earlier asked to be released from his contract with IPL franchise the Delhi Daredevils while he contested the charges. His appeal had been delayed several times.

The 26-year-old paceman appealed against the results of the doping tests because the A and B samples showed different levels of Nandrolone, which he claimed was contained in eye drops he'd been using to treat a sore eye.

Asif was embroiled in another drug controversy last year, when he was detained in the United Arab Emirates for 19 days in June after 0.24 grams of opium were found in his wallet at Dubai Airport during a stop over on his way home from the IPL competition.

In 2006, Asif was suspended for one year by the Pakistan Cricket Board after testing positive for nandrolone, but the ban was overturned on appeal.

In this latest case, the PCB had suspended Asif from playing domestic and international cricket pending the IPL decision.

Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt ruled Asif out of contention for the national team until after Sept. 21.

"When his ban is lifted, we will definitely consider him for selection _ depending on his fitness," Butt said.

A three-member PCB committee, headed by former test wicketkeeper Wasim Bari, is investigating Asif's detention in Dubai.

"The committee is looking into this and the report will be made public once we receive it later this month," Butt said.

The International Cricket Council released a statement saying it expected all member countries to adopt the ban, which would force Asif out of Pakistan's upcoming limited-overs series against Australia and the Twenty20 World Cup in England in June. Asif has taken 51 wickets in 11 test matches and played in 31 limited-overs internationals.

___

AP Sports Writer Rizwan Ali in Islamabad, Pakistan contributed to this report.

IAEA inspectors begin mission to Syria amid allegations of hidden nuclear program

U.N. nuclear sleuths looking into allegations that Syria is hiding secret atomic activities expressed hope Sunday that a fact-gathering trip to Damascus will be the start of a thorough investigation.

The International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors face a daunting task. Syrian officials are expected to place strict limits on where they go and what they see during their three-day visit.

Still, IAEA Deputy Director General Olli Heinonen spoke optimistically of the mission's chances before boarding the flight to Damascus on Sunday, saying he and his two-man mission hoped to start to "establish the facts this evening."

Despite the low-key nature of the visit, the stakes are immense.

Damascus denies working on a secret nuclear program. But Washington hopes the U.N agency team will find evidence backing U.S. intelligence that a structure destroyed by Israeli war planes in September was a nearly completed plutonium-producing reactor.

If so, the trip could mark the start of massive atomic agency investigation similar to the five-year inquiry into Iran's activities. What's more, the investigation could draw in countries such as North Korea, which Washington says helped Damascus and Iran. Media reports also have linked Iran with Syria's nuclear efforts.

After months delay, Syria agreed to allow the nuclear inspectors visit the bombed Al Kibar, but not three other locations suspected of harboring secret nuclear activities.

Syrian President Bashar Assad said earlier this month that visits to sites other than Al Kibar were "not within the purview of the agreement" with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The agency has little formal inspection rights in Syria, which has declared only a rudimentary nuclear program using a small 27-kilowatt reactor for research and the production of isotopes for medical and agricultural uses.

Before the trip, both IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei and the United States urged Syria to show transparency.

"Syria was caught withholding information from the IAEA," Gregory L. Schulte, the chief U.S. delegate to the IAEA, told The Associated Press. "Now Syria must disclose the truth about Al Kibar and allow IAEA's inspectors to verify that there are no other undisclosed activities."

Diplomats accredited to the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, told the AP that the agency only learned a few days ago it would be able to bring ground-penetrating radar needed to probe below the concrete foundation of a new building erected on the site of the bombed facility.

It also was unclear how much freedom inspectors would have to move around the site, said the diplomats, who were briefed before the mission but who spoke with the AP on condition of anonymity because their information was confidential.

Specifically, the inspectors want to examine the remnants of water pipes leading to the site as well as a nearby pumping plant, in order to establish whether they match the specifics of the North Korean reactor prototype U.S. intelligence asserts was being built, the diplomats said.

They also want to tour sites where the debris from the bombing _ and an apparent subsequent controlled explosion by the Syrians to obliterate the remains _ was stored, the diplomats said.

The inspectors will be looking for minute quantities of graphite, which is used as a cooling element in the North Korean prototype allegedly being built with the help of Pyongyang. Such a reactor contains hundreds of tons of graphite, and any major explosion would have sent dust over the immediate area.

But if the Syrians are interested in a cover-up, they will have scoured the region to bury, wash away and otherwise remove any telltale traces.

One diplomat said the team would ask for information related to allegations of secret Syrian nuclear procurements, either from North Korea or the nuclear black market headed by renegade Pakistani scientist A.Q. Khan.

But the inspectors' success depends largely on what they are allowed to see and do.

"The main thing you need to do is to get Syria to cooperate," former IAEA nuclear inspector David Albright said. "Will the Syrians tell the truth, or will they lie and stonewall?"

US dollar falls in European trading

The U.S. dollar fell Wednesday against other major currencies in European trading. Gold prices also fell.

The euro rose to $1.5929 from $1.5878 late Tuesday in New York. The 15-nation currency reached a record high of $1.6038 on Tuesday.

Other dollar rates at midday Wednesday in Europe compared with late rates Tuesday in New York included: 104.29 Japanese yen, down from 105.07; 1.0050 Swiss francs, down from 1.0134, and 1.0008 Canadian dollars, down from 1.0026.

The British pound was quoted at $2.0047, up from $2.0020.

Gold traded in London at $974 per troy ounce, down from $986 late Tuesday.

British GP Results

Results of Sunday's Formula One British Grand Prix at the 5.141-kilometer (3.194-mile) Silverstone circuit (with driver, country, car, time, leader's average speed:

1. Lewis Hamilton, Britain, McLaren, 1 hour, 39 minutes, 9.440 seconds, 185.585 kph

2. Nick Heidfeld, Germany, BMW Sauber, 1:40:18.017,

3. Rubens Barrichello, Brazil, Honda, 1:40:31.713

4. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Ferrari, one lap behind

5. Heikki Kovalainen, Finland, McLaren, one lap

6. Fernando Alonso, Spain, Renault, one lap

7. Jarno Trulli, Italy, Toyota, one lap

8. Kazuki Nakajima, Japan, Williams, one lap

9. Nico Rosberg, Germany, Williams, one lap

10. Mark Webber, Australia, Red Bull, one lap

11. Sebastien Bourdais, France, Scuderia Toro Rosso, one lap

12. Timo Glock, Germany, Toyota, one lap

13. Felipe Massa, Brazil, Ferrari, two laps

Failed to finish

14. Robert Kubica, Poland, BMW Sauber, 39 laps completed

15. Jenson Button, Britain, Honda, 38 laps

16. Nelson Piquet Jr., Brazil, Renault, 35 laps

17. Giancarlo Fisichella, Italy, Force India, 26 laps

18. Adrian Sutil, Germany, Force India, 10 laps

19. Sebastian Vettel, Germany, Scuderia Toro Rosso, no laps

20. David Coulthard, Britain, Red Bull, no laps.

___

Drivers' Standings

1. Lewis Hamilton, Britain, McLaren, 48 points

2. Felipe Massa, Brazil, Ferrari, 48

3. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Ferrari, 48

4. Robert Kubica, Poland, BMW Sauber 46

5. Nick Heidfeld, Germany, BMW Sauber, 36

6. Heikki Kovalainen, Finland, McLaren 24

7. Jarno Trulli, Italy, Toyota, 20

8. Mark Webber, Australia, Red Bull, 18

9. Fernando Alonso, Spain, Renault, 13

10. Rubens Barrichello, Brazil, Honda, 11

11. Nico Rosberg, Germany, Williams, 8

12. Kazuki Nakajima, Japan, Williams, 8

13. David Coulthard, Britain, Red Bull 6.

14. Sebastian Vettel, Germany, Scuderia Toro Rosso, 5

15. Timo Glock, Germany, Toyota, 5

16. Jenson Button, Britain, Honda, 3

17. Nelson Piquet Jr., Brazil, Renault, 2

18. Sebastien Bourdais, France, Scuderia Toro Rosso.

Constructors' Standings

1. Ferrari 96 points

2. BMW Sauber 82

3. McLaren 72

4. Toyota 25

5. Red Bull 24

6. Williams 16

7. Renault 15

8. Honda 14

9. Scuderia Toro Rosso 7

Stallone takes a swing at sly 'Spy Kids' role

life, the veteran actor can lay claim to a crown on the tenniscourt.

"I beat Pete Sampras at something on the tennis court," he boastswhile promoting his newest movie, "Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over."

Of course, the "something" was a contest in which the ItalianStallion challenged the King of Swing to see who could throw amedicine ball the farthest. And the 57-year-old Hollywood heavyweighttriumphed over the 31-year-old tennis champion using equal partsbrain and brawn.

"He said he could beat me anytime on the tennis court inanything," Stallone says of his pal Sampras. "So I brought a medicineball instead of a tennis racquet."

Standing behind the baseline on one side of the court, the objectof the match was to throw the 16-pound training ball as far aspossible backward over the head and across the net.

Stallone's ball went the distance.

"I got about six feet past the net and he got it about four feetpast the net," recalls Stallone, smiling. "Considering I am theworld's worst athlete and he is the best, I took that as being agreat thing. I could be his father. And I (said), 'Very good, Pete.That's the equivalent of me being beaten by an 85-year-old guy."'

Stallone, looking muscular and fit with just a hint of gray in hisdark hair, chuckles over his technical knockout.

Though his long career has had its ups and downs, he alwaysrebounds and usually ends up on top.

Now, he's embarking on a whole new genre, playing a multiple-personality villain in the third and likely the final installment ofthe successful "Spy Kids" family adventure franchise.

"I thought that [writer-director] Robert Rodriguez had actuallycalled the wrong number," Stallone recalls about being asked to playThe Toymaker in the fantasy 3-D adventure. "I thought: Wrong guy.Maybe he wants Michael Keaton."

But after checking with his daughters, Sophia, 6, and Sistine, 5--both "Spy Kids" fanatics--he knew he couldn't say no. "I've gotparental respect" now, he says. "I had to do it, otherwise I wouldhave been disowned."

Rodriguez--a maverick director who is practically a one-man bandin lensing, scoring, editing as well as conceiving and directing hisinnovative movies--says he thought of Stallone for the role of theevil inventor of an enticing but ultimately dangerous video game thatsucks players in and brainwashes them.

"I met Sly five years ago at a film festival and he had melaughing the whole time," recalls the Austin, Texas-based filmmaker."I was always a fan of his but I didn't know how genuinely funny hewas. I thought, How come his comedies weren't that good? But hedidn't make those. He was always funny in his 'Rocky' movies. Heknows how to write for himself. Now that I knew what his sense ofhumor was like, I wanted to work with him not in an action movie butin a comedy. So five years later, I called him knowing he has littlegirls who have probably seen the 'Spy Kids' movies. I told him I hadthis character--which is actually five characters--and something yourkids can watch ... and he said, 'I'm there.' "

Making "Spy Kids" was a challenge for the seasoned actor. Set inthe fantasy world within a video game, the backdrops were largelyadded later by computer. Stallone shot most of his scenes againstwhat is known as a "green screen" and had to rely on what Rodrigueztold him about what was going on around him during his sequences.

Returning for "Spy Kids 3-D" are Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara, whoplay sibling secret agents Carmen and Juni Cortez. Also returning areAntonio Banderas, Carla Gugino, Ricardo Montalban, Holland Taylor andMike Judge.

As a writer-director himself, Stallone says he understandsRodriguez's passion for his work. Indeed, Stallone is about to stepbehind the camera for the first time in nearly two decades to helm adrama (which he also wrote) based on the L.A.P.D. police scandal andthe murders of rap artists Tupac Shakur and Biggie "Notorious B.I.G."Smalls. It's tentatively titled "Thugz Lives."

Stallone concedes that he's encountered some resistance from thehip-hop community but is looking forward to telling the story basedon the facts, without drawing his own conclusions.

"The Biggie and Tupac situation is very much like the JFKconspiracy to the black community," he says. "Yet there's never beenan arrest. It makes you scratch your head and go, hmm."

Stallone is looking forward to directing again, he says, becausehe likes being in charge. He wrote and starred in the Oscar-winning"Rocky." He was an actor-writer-director on "Rocky II" and "ParadiseAlley."

But with three recent films in which he served only as an actor--2001's "Driven," 2002's "Avenging Angelo" and the as-yet-unreleased"Shade"--the actor wants to get back in the driver's seat.

"A lot of times, the best-laid plans go awry," he shrugs of hisrecent box-office disappointments. "That's what happens and that'swhy I wanted to get back to directing again. You can be the architectof your own fate."

Entertainment News Wire

Tornado deaths underscore risks of taking shelter in cars

More than a third of the 23 people killed by a tornado that smashed parts of Oklahoma and Missouri over the weekend died in cars, troubling experts who say vehicles are one of the worst places to be during a twister.

"It's like taking a handful of Matchbox cars and rolling them across the kitchen floor," said Sgt. Dan Bracker of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, surveying the damage in and around Seneca, near the Oklahoma line, the hardest hit area. "This is devastating."

Among those killed were three people in Oklahoma who were rushing to reach a relative's house in their car; a woman whose car was blown off a road near Seneca; and four family members _ Rick Rountree, his wife, his 13-year-old son, and his mother-in-law _ who were in a van on the way to a friend's wedding when a twister packing winds of 170 mph struck the Seneca area on Saturday night.

"They were on the road when the warnings came," said Rountree's brother-in-law, Larry Bilke.

About 100 people have died in U.S. twisters so far this year, the worst toll in a decade, according to the National Weather Service, and the danger has not passed yet. Tornado season typically peaks in the spring and early summer, then again in the late fall.

This could also prove to be the busiest tornado season on record in the United States, though the final figure on the number of twisters is not yet in.

All together, at least 26 people died in Missouri, Oklahoma, Georgia and Alabama after the severe storms erupted Saturday over the Southern Plains and swept east.

The death toll rose Monday when Tyler Casey, a 21-year-old firefighter in Seneca, died at a hospital. Officials said he got caught in the tornado while trying to warn people to seek shelter.

In Oklahoma, authorities on Monday confirmed that a person died of carbon monoxide poisoning after fumes from a generator turned on amid power outages filled the home. Two other people in the house were hospitalized for carbon monoxide poisoning.

According to data from the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center, 49 of the 705 deaths _ or about 7 percent _ attributed to tornadoes from 1997 to 2007 were people who were in vehicles when the storm struck.

"They can cover more ground than you can in your car, so unless you know you are moving away from the tornado the best thing you can do is find a strong structure," said National Weather Service meteorologist Andy Foster.

The twister that struck Seneca and surrounding Newton County was moving at 50 mph to 60 mph, Foster said. One car was found a half-mile from the tornado track.

Authorities were still piecing together how some of the other victims died over the weekend. But the Missouri Highway Patrol said one person was killed when her vehicle was blown off the same road where the Rountree family died.

In Picher, Okla., 32 miles away, a man and a woman died when their car was blown into a lagoon. The body of another man from the car wound up in a tree nearby. A 13-year-old girl who was riding in the car was injured.

Fire Chief Jeff Reeves said they were not trying to outrun the twister.

"I think they were actually trying to get to a family member's house on the south side of town to help them and they just didn't make it over," Reeves said.

Another woman was critically injured after she took shelter in a broken-down car outside Susan Roberts' home in Seneca, authorities said. "That is what is tearing me up," Roberts said, adding she had warned the woman about the approaching tornado.

Val Castor, one of the many spotters who bring dramatic video of tornadoes to local TV stations in Oklahoma, said the number of people on the road during tornadoes seems to have increased every year since 1996, when the movie "Twister," which depicts meteorologists chasing tornadoes, came out.

He said driving during severe weather is extremely dangerous for the inexperienced because they don't know where a tornado will form or what direction it will go. Heavy traffic or a broken-down vehicle can prevent people from escaping the funnel cloud.

"Vehicles of any size really don't fare that well in a tornado. Vehicles can be thrown and tossed by the wind," said Rick Smith, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oklahoma.

As with mobile homes, the problem with cars is that they are not anchored to the ground, and the wind can easily get underneath them. Smith said winds of less than 100 mph can flip a car.

"That is probably the worst place that you can be when a tornado, or even some of the severe storms that we see in Oklahoma, happen," he said.

Smith said people should avoid driving when severe storms are forecast and seek shelter in a truck stop, restaurant or other permanent structure if caught on the road during a twister. As a last resort, Smith said, motorists should get out and find a low-lying area, such as a culvert or a ditch, where they can duck and cover.

Weather experts say overpasses should be avoided because the wind can become more powerful as it squeezes through.

"Paying attention to the weather and not being caught in that situation is really your best bet," Smith said.

The warnings against staying in cars were prompted by a tornado that struck Wichita Falls, Texas, in 1979. Of the 42 deaths, 25 were vehicle-related.

The U.S. death toll from tornadoes this year is the highest since 130 people were killed in 1998, according to the weather service. The highest number of tornado-related deaths came in 1953, when 519 people died.

To date this year, 858 tornadoes have been reported in the U.S., although that number probably includes numerous duplicate sightings of the same twister.

Harold Brooks of the National Severe Storms Laboratory said the highest number of tornadoes ever recorded through May 11 of any year was in 1999, when 676 tornadoes were counted. Brooks said he expects the number of confirmed tornadoes through mid-May of this year to end up in the 650-to-700 range.

Altogether, 16 people died in Missouri from the same storm that devastated Picher, where seven were killed. Two more people were killed in Georgia, where forecasters said at least six tornadoes touched down. One of those twisters struck McIntosh County's emergency management center, destroying the fire trucks and ambulances inside. Another man was killed in Alabama when his truck was hit by a tree limb as he was surveying storm damage.

The Environmental Protection Agency said it would check for high lead levels in Picher after the tornado blew through the heavily polluted former mining town where lead-filled waste is piled into giant mounds.

Miles Tolbert, Oklahoma secretary of the environment, said he did not believe there was any immediate hazard to the 800 residents. But he said more testing was needed.

___

Associated Press writers Murray Evans in Picher, Okla., Dorie Turner and Debbie Newby in Atlanta, and Russ Bynum in Kite, Ga., contributed to this report.

President Welcomes New NATO Members

President Welcomes New NATO Members. President Bush welcomed seven new NATO members at the White House on March 29. The President, accompanied by NATO secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, congratulated prime ministers from Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia, all countries that had once been part of or controlled by the former Soviet Union. The President told the crowd that "the people of these seven nations were captives to an empire. ... [They] endured bitter tyranny. They struggled for independence." The addition of the seven new countries brings the number of NATO members to 26.

Four days later, the countries were officially made part of NATO during a ceremony at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.

WORLD SPORTS at 1330 GMT

TOP STORY:

CRI--WCUP-FINAL

MUMBAI, India — Mahela Jayawardene scored a composed century to salvage the innings as Sri Lanka set India a challenging target of 275 to become the first nation to win the World Cup on home soil. Moved, will be updated. By John Pye.

WITH:

— MUMBAI, India — BC-CRI--WCUP-MUMBAI SCENE. Moved. By Caroline Cheese.

— MUMBAI, India — BC-CRI--WCUP-FINAL-CROWE'S CURSE. Moved.

NEW/DEVELOPING:

SOC--ENGLISH ROUNDUP

LONDON — Manchester United aims to move closer to a record 19th Premier League title with a tricky assignment at in-form West Ham, while contenders Arsenal and Chelsea are also in action. By 1630 GMT. By Stuart Condie. With separates.

SOC--SPANISH ROUNDUP

BARCELONA, Spain — League leader Barcelona visits third-place Villarreal trying to maintain its five-point gap over Real Madrid, which hosts Sporting Gijon without Cristiano Ronaldo or Karim Benzema in attack. By 1900 GMT. By Joseph Wilson.

FOOTBALL:

SOC--ITALIAN ROUNDUP

MILAN — City rivals AC Milan and Inter Milan meet at the San Siro in a match that is likely to be crucial in determining the final destination of the Serie A title. Milan leads by two points, but hasn't won in three games. Inter meanwhile has clawed back 13 points since coach Leonardo became coach at Christmas. By 2200 GMT. By Jeremy Inson.

SOC--FRENCH ROUNDUP

PARIS — Lille looks to strengthen its lead at the top of the French league when it hosts Caen. Rudi Garcia's team leads Marseille, which plays Sunday, by four points and is five ahead of third-place Rennes, which plays at home to struggling Auxerre. By 1900 GMT. By Jerome Pugmire.

SOC--PORTUGUESE ROUNDUP

LISBON, Portugal — Braga looks to provisionally move ahead of third-place Sporting Lisbon through its visit to Beira Mar, while Academica hosts Portimonense. By 0000 GMT.

ALSO:

— PARIS — BC-SOC--FFF-REFORMS APPROVED. Moved.

— FRANKFURT, Germany — BC-SOC--GERMANY-MATCH SUSPENDED. Moved.

— BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — BC-SOC--ARGENTINA-TEVEZ. Moved.

— COLUMBUS, Ohio — BC-SOC--MLS ROUNDUP. Moved.

TENNIS:

TEN--SONY ERICSSON OPEN

KEY BISCAYNE, Florida — Rafael Nadal usually receives a trophy when he beats Roger Federer. This time, the reward is a chance to play Novak Djokovic in Sunday's final at the Sony Ericsson Open. Moved. By Steven Wine.

RUGBY UNION:

BC-RGU--LIONS-QUEENSLAND

JOHANNESBURG — Australian conference leaders Queensland Reds visit South Africa's Lions in round seven of the Super 15. By 1500 GMT. By Gerald Imray.

BC-RGU--SHARKS-STORMERS

DURBAN, South Africa — Overall Super 15 leaders the Stormers face the fourth-placed Sharks in South Africa's coastal derby. By 1700 GMT.

ALSO:

— NAPIER, New Zealand — BC-RGU--WELLINGTON-BULLS. Moved.

— PERTH, Australia — BC-RGU--FORCE-REBELS. Moved.

— WHANGAREI, New Zealand — BC-RGU--AUCKLAND-CHEETAHS. Moved.

GOLF:

GLF--TROPHEE HASSAN II

AGADIR, Morocco — Defending champion Rhys Davies of Wales shares the lead with Joost Luiten of the Netherlands heading into the third round of the Trophee Hassan II. Davies is looking for his first top-20 finish of the season, while Luiten is chasing his first victory on the European Tour. By 1700 GMT.

ALSO:

— HUMBLE, Texas — BC-GLF--HOUSTON OPEN. Moved. By Chris Duncan.

— RANCHO MIRAGE, California — BC-GLF--KRAFT NABISCO. Moved. By Greg Beacham.

BASKETBALL:

BKN--NBA ROUNDUP

HOUSTON — San Antonio's losing streak hit a worrying six games when the Spurs lost 119-114 to the Houston Rockets in the NBA. Moved.

MOTOR BIKES:

MOT--SPANISH GP

JEREZ, Spain — Casey Stoner of Australia took pole position at the Spanish Grand Prix, ahead of Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa and defending MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo. Moved.

ALSO:

— PHILADELPHIA — BC-BBN--NL ROUNDUP. Moved.

— ARLINGTON, Texas — BC-BBA--AL ROUNDUP. Moved.

— NEWARK, New Jersey — BC-HKN--NHL ROUNDUP. Moved.

YOUR QUERIES: Questions and story requests are welcome. Contact your local AP bureau or the AP International Sports Desk in London by telephone at 44-207-427-4105 or email lonsports@ap.org.

Springtime lakefront gets wet and wild

Caption only.

Quinn to sign tougher disclosure law

Setting aside protests from prosecutors and local governments, Gov. Quinn today will sign legislation to strengthen Illinois' public disclosure law.

Quinn's office could not be reached Sunday after sending out an advisory indicating his plan to "sign legislation regarding transparency" today in Chicago. Attorney General Lisa Madigan, whose office helped draft the Freedom of Information Act legislation, is to appear.

The measure will plug many loopholes in the FOIA law and establish a public access counselor under the attorney general.

Fugitives nabbed during warrant sweeps

Fugitives nabbed during warrant sweeps

The streets of Chicago are presumed a little safer after authorities rounded up 252 fugitives on outstanding warrants throughout the Chicagoland area over a one-week period.

At a press conference Monday, Cook County Sheriff Michael F. Sheehan and Chicago Police Superintendent Terry G. Hillard said the one-week sweep, conducted by officers from the Sheriff's Police Fugitive, Gang Crimes and Narcotics Unit and investigators from the Police Narcotics and Gang Investigations Section, concluded with the fugitives being processed at the Sheriff's Fugitive Warrants Office and being sent to the Cook County Jail where they will await trial on a variety of charges.

"These individuals arrogantly thumbed their noses at the courts and thought they could get away with breaking the law," Sheehan said. "This warrant sweep sends a clear message to all fugitives in Cook County that they are being tracked by police and will be caught."

Headlining the list of those nabbed in the sweep was 24-year-old James Cross of the 6000 block of South Honore; 28-year-old Tommy Williams of the 6900 block of South Lowe and 18-year-old James Daley of the 5000 block of South Central Avenue in Stickney Township.

Cross was taken in on an outstanding warrant for unlawful use of a weapon. Police said when they approached him in front of his residence last Tuesday, he began to flee on foot and subsequently attempted to pull a handgun from his waist band.

One of the officers eventually tackled Cross and wrestled the gun away from him without a shot being fired. Officers recovered a .40-caliber, semi-automatic Glock equipped with a laser sight.

Cross, an active gang member, was also charged with resisting arrest.

Williams, who had previously been arrested 38 times with eight convictions to his credit, was arrested on a possession of a controlled substance warrant.

Daley, also an active gang member with seven convictions to his credit, was arrested on an armed robbery warrant.

Speaking at Monday's conference, Hillard said "This joint operation is just one example of our cooperative strategies to attack gang and drug violence. The apprehension of so many repeat offenders leaves no doubt in my mind that these arrests have prevented potential crimes from occurring.

Last week's sweep is the latest in a series of fugitive sweeps conducted by Sheriff's Police over the last several years. Prior sweeps targeted fugitives wanted for domestic violence, DUI, welfare fraud, deceptive practices and failure to make child support payments.

Article Copyright Sengstacke Enterprises, Inc.

The conversion problem: Reform, Conservative rabbis ought to re-visit the Denver model

The anger which Reform and Conservative rabbinic leaders in the U.S. have expressed to Israeli governments over the years is understandable.

Why does the country refuse to recognize the authority of their rabbis in personal issue matters like marriage and conversion?

Why are the rabbis representing the vast majority of American Jews viewed as outsiders in the Jewish state, when they and their congregants are financial and political supporters of Israel?

The most recent effort in the two movements' on-going attempts to get some positive response on these issues from Israel's leaders came last weekend, when Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, and Rabbi Jerome Epstein, exec. vice-president of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, met for half-an-hour with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York.

Their talks focused on their hope that Mr. Netanyahu would stop pending legislation which would prevent non-Orthodox conversions from being performed in Israel, and which requires all residents and citizens of Israel who wish to convert to do so in that country.

Conversions of non-Israelis outside of Israel would continue to be recognized in Israel.

Not surprisingly, Mr. Netanyahu told his visitors that he would not interfere with the progress of the legislation.

Americans can be rightfully proud of many features of the pluralistic attitude towards religion which exists in this country, but when it comes to tolerance and understanding the implementation of the model still leaves much to be desired.

The Jewish scene here is riven with inter-sectarian competitiveness and antagonism. Why should Israelis want to substitute this American export when their own Orthodox-secular model provides enough tension on its own?

The answer is that there is no reason for Israel to adopt what is not yet working in America. And that ought to send Reform and Conservative leaders back to the drawing board with this message: Put your own house in order before exporting the furniture. Show how the Reform, Conservative and Orthodox movements can work together in this country, and then try to teach Israelis how it might work there as well.

One way to do that is to revisit the failed attempt in Denver some two decades ago to promote unity among the religious streams in Judaism.

In that famous experiment, which lasted for some six years, Reform, Conservative and Orthodox rabbis worked together on a rabbinic court for conversions in such a way as to make it possible for all of the groups to recognize the final status of the convert. The experiment eventually collapsed with the Reform movement's adoption of patrilineal descent and criticism of the effort by right-wing Orthodox groups.

This noble, failed effort -- which Rabbi Irving Greenberg, of CLAL, called at the time "another warning that the religious bonds that bind Jewry are fraying rapidly" -- deserves to be revisited.

While adopting a single standard as was done in the Denver program would be an enormous -- perhaps an impossible -- achievement today, U.S. Jewish religious leaders (and not just the Reform and Conservative) ought to give it another try.

Would not Israelis likely be more receptive to religious leaders who could present an American model of intermovement cooperation rather than hostility?

At the very least putting one's own religious house in order must be the prerequisite for acting as an interior decorator elsewhere.

Gallery curator doubly honoured

In the past two months, Ray Dirks has found himself the recipient of two prestigious local awards.

Although the long-time curator of the Mennonite Heritage Centre Art Gallery and visual artist has been given mugs and pens in the past in recognition of his efforts, most recently he had a $10,000 Above and Beyond Award bestowed upon him. The Manitoba Foundation for the Arts gives out five monetary prizes every two years to honour "artists who go above and beyond their daily professions to use their art in ways that enhance the cultural and community life in our province, through volunteerism and outreach."

Dirks' work is all about raising profiles, but definitely not his own. His work and his passion are about promoting the work and lives of immigrants and those from developing countries. "This is what I am called to do and what I can do," says Dirks. "There is nothing wrong with art for art's sake, but my own art or the art we feature here is something that can be used for the greater good of the community."

Earlier this year, Dirks was recognized as a global ambassador to local school students, winning the 2008 TEAL (Teachers of English as an Additional Language) Award. Through the visual arts, he works to bring global perspectives to local people.

It all began when Dirks was invited to "help instill confidence" in English as an Additional Language (EAL) students at Gordon Bell High School in Winnipeg's core in 2005. The experience led Dirks to invite students to the gallery and meet guest artists from Africa, who served as role models. "Eventually, we had a core group of EAL students come to the gallery on a regular basis after school to work on art-related projects," says Dirks. Today, he spends about three to four weeks each year in classrooms, adjusting his presentations to appeal to varying audiences and age groups.

His core message to kids remains consistent.

"I talk a lot about cultural and religious differences, differences that result from material wealth or lack thereof, and that we all have things we can learn from each other," he says. "Many differences are neither right nor wrong. We should get to know each other and understand our differences, rather than fear them."

Dirks is clearly making a positive impact, according to teachers, who consistently remind him that no one else is doing what he does. And since schools-teachers, administrators and students-are becoming increasingly multicultural and multi-faith, they need to hear what he is saying.

"Mainstream kids often say they never knew there were positive stories to tell about Africa," he notes, adding, "African and other refugees and newly arrived students say the presentations make them feel proud to be who they are."

The feedback he gets from students also affirms his message. Anuoluwapo Okunnu, a Nigerian-born Grade 6 student, wrote to Dirks after a presentation: "[A]s soon as you left, people started seeing things at a different angle and seeing each separate [African] country as both unique and different in its own way, instead of being one continent where everything was the same. I'm very glad you came because you opened a new window of understanding that we would likely not have ever known. I'm very happy you chose to do this. Thanks again from the bottom of my heart."

Dirks is modest about the commendations. "I'm just doing what I love to do and what I sincerely feel called to do. I'm not much good at anything else. But I can tell stories, take photographs, get close to people I stay with overseas, and come back here and try to make connections, create awareness and make kids feel good about themselves."

With files from Manitoba correspondent Evelyn Rempel Petkau.

[Author Affiliation]

BY DAN DYCK

Mennonite Church Canada

WINNIPEG

Zimbabwe opposition appeals to U.N. to intervene to avoid bloodshed

Zimbabwe's opposition party is appealing to the United Nations to intervene to avoid bloodshed as the country prepares for a presidential runoff.

Spokesman Nelson Chamisa said Saturday that Zimbabweans are aware of the challenges of fighting a dictatorship, but added that the people need help from the international community.

The party of President Robert Mugabe has said he would fight to retain his 28-year grip on power in a runoff election.

Chamisa said that "The U.N. has to make sure that there is no violence ... they should not (wait to) come when there is blood in the street, blood in the villages."

GUZMÁN'S ALLENDE

"[A]s in any form of nostalgia, it is difficult to walk the line between sentimental lament over a loss and the critical reclaiming of a past for the purposes of constructing alternative futures." (Andreas Huyssen 9)

Guzm�n's Memory Aesthetic: Between Romanticisim and Critique

Like previous emblematic moments during Chile's transition to democracy, the thirtieth anniversary of Pinochet's military coup (2003) was marked by the irruption onto the national scene repressed signs and images of a traumatic past that could not be kept at bay. Yet unlike previous anniversaries of the coup, the playing field onto which such signs and images were projected had changed markedly. Since …

Talks resume in addressing Calif.'s $26B deficit

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders resumed work Saturday on bridging California's $26 billion budget shortfall, with one lawmaker saying a deal was possible within the week.

The negotiations that began Friday after two weeks of inaction and partisan bickering were remarkable for their lack of acrimony. Aides to the governor and top lawmakers from both parties expressed optimism about the direction of the talks, even as they cautioned that much work remains.

"If things keep progressing the way they are, it's certainly possible to have a vote next week," Senate Minority Leader Dennis Hollingsworth, a Republican, told The Associated Press after emerging from a …

OK to Spy on Kidnappers Took 9 Hours

WASHINGTON - Last spring, when insurgents apparently captured three American soldiers in Iraq, it took the U.S. government more than nine hours to begin surveillance on the kidnappers' electronic communications.

The bulk of that time was spent on internal legal deliberations by Bush administration lawyers and intelligence officials, according to a timeline from the office of the director of national intelligence.

The delay was a centerpiece of the Bush administration's argument to Congress in late July that the law requiring court orders to conduct electronic surveillance inside the United States was dangerously restrictive.

Congress subsequently approved an …

WEB4/CADOPIA.COM OFFER INTELLICAD 2000 VIA SPA.(Company Business and Marketing)

Web4, Inc., Yorba Linda, Calif., a subsidiary of netGuru, Inc., an Internet technology and services company, has partnered with CADopia.com, LLC to offer a Web-enabled version of IntelliCAD 2000 software through Web4engineers.com Solution Providers Alliance (SPA) program.

IntelliCAD 2000 is a powerful CAD solution for engineers, architects, designers and drafters virtually anyone who creates, edits or views professional drawings. It offers a high degree of compatibility with popular CAD systems and supports DWG as its native file format. IntelliCAD can be customized using AutoLisp and SDS (Solution Development System). Over 200,000 users in 80 countries are already …

Bookies bow to punters' pressure.

TIME stood still on 'Whiteley's Corner' for several years - but now a Brighouse bookmaker has reset the landmark clock above its office.

Time is now ticking along nicely thanks to Ladbrokes' customers who fought to bring Whiteley's clock back into use.

The clock, above the new Ladbrokes store at what was once known as Whiteley's Corner, has proved a popular talking point for people in Brighouse after it ceased ticking many years ago.

The landmark clock is hung on the central column of the Ladbrokes' store, at the junction of Huddersfield Road and Bethel Street.

Area manager Michael O'Connor said people were guessing that it had been out of …

DOROTHY DUBBERKE BAKER, 95; FORMER NURSE.(CAPITAL REGION)

Dorothy Dubberke Baker, 95, of the Kingsway Arms died Saturday in St. Clare's Hospital after a long illness. Mrs. Baker was born in Schenectady. She was a graduate of the Albany Memorial Hospital Nursing School.

She was a private-duty nurse. Mrs. Baker was a member of Zion Lutheran Church. …

Future of joint Korean projects in jeopardy

South Korea marked the 10th anniversary Tuesday of its first tours to North Korea's scenic Diamond Mountain _ a landmark joint project suspended four months ago amid deteriorating inter-Korean ties.

The South Korean government hopes officials can meet soon to discuss resuming the tours, Unification Ministry spokesman Kim Ho-nyeon said Tuesday.

"We anticipate the authorities of South and North Korea would meet as early as possible to restart tours to Diamond Mountain," he told reporters.

Tours to the North's Diamond Mountain, revered throughout Korean history as one of the country's most beautiful, have been banned since a North Korean …

Gun buyer for criminals gets 2 1/2 years in prison

A South Side man was sentenced Wednesday to more than 2 1/2 yearsin prison for selling 19 guns to drug dealers who paid him back withcash, crack cocaine and marijuana.

Terrance Greenwood, 28, of the 7100 block of South Claremont, hadno criminal record, so he could legally buy guns for the criminals,authorities said.

Among the weapons he bought were three Intratec AB-10s and a .357revolver, Assistant U.S. Attorney David Hoffman said.

Chicago police have recovered six of the guns so far, some duringinvestigations of shootings. None of the guns has been linked to aslaying.

Hoffman said that one of the guns …

Wilson Appointed to Midstate Board.(Kenneth Wilson)(Brief Article)

Kenneth Wilson, a resident of Chemult, Ore. since 1952, has been appointed to the board of directors of Midstate Electric Cooperative, Inc. (LaPine, Ore.).

A local business owner, Wilson is active within the Chemult community and is committed to its growth and success. Various positions held by Wilson within the community include: fire chief, …

Angola detains Unita election campaigners.(News)

Angolan police have detained a group of opposition activists ahead of next month's elections - the country's first since the end of a 27-year civil war. The 13 Unita campaigners were accused of holding a rally without notifying authorities.

Peacekeepers 'engaged in sexual abuse' in DRC

A United Nations internal investigation has found that peacekeepers from India engaged in sexual exploitation and abuses when they were posted in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

AU warns Burundi to stop delaying ceasefire

The African Union has warned Burundi's government and its last active rebel group that its patience is wearing thin over the delayed …

COMMUTER BUS SERVICE HITS THE ROAD IN LOW GEAR.(CAPITAL REGION)

Byline: KENNETH C. CROWE II Staff writer

A new commuter bus service between Saratoga County and Albany was off to a slow start Monday, as the first buses left the Wilton Mall with no riders.

Organizers said ridership did pick up during the day, but exact numbers won't be available until today. They said the slow start of the $750,000, yearlong federally funded pilot program did not surprise them.

``I'm not nervous at all,'' said Paul Kulls, president of Upstate Transit, which has a contract with Saratoga County to run the program. ``People are just finding out about it.''

The 5:13 a.m. and 6:23 a.m. buses left the Wilton Mall's …

PLANNING IN SCHODACK COMMITTEES FORMED TO ADVISE LAND USE.(Local)

Byline: Dean Betz Staff writer

The town is organizing four committees to follow up on land-use research done by a citizens task force.

The new committees, which include residents and members of the Planning Board, won't be merely repeating the research that was done by the task force, Supervisor John A. Nelson said.

"The recommendations made to the last Town Board were not in a form that could be acted on," Nelson said Monday.

He praised the work of the task force, but blamed the administration of former Supervisor Beth Morgan, whose term ended in January, for not taking action to turn its 14 recommendations into legislation.

…

January US home sales fall 7.2 percent

Sales of previously occupied homes took a large drop for the second straight month in January, falling to the lowest level since summer. It was another sign the U.S. housing market's recovery is faltering.

The National Association of Realtors says sales fell 7.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted …

DT Okoye Signs With Houston Texans

HOUSTON - Defensive tackle Amobi Okoye, the youngest player taken in the first round since the AFL-NFL merger in 1967, signed a $17.6 million deal with the Houston Texans and was on the field Friday for the first day of training camp.

Okoye, who was 19 on draft day and turned 20 last month, agreed to a six-year deal that can be voided after five years under certain conditions.

"It was good," said Okoye, the 10th pick in the draft. "I want to be out here with my teammates. I want to be out here the very first day and start this thing off right."

Agent Darin Morgan said the total package included $12.785 million guaranteed. That money and Okoye's salary for the …

H.B. Fuller. (Wrap-Up).(alliance with Tracking Technologies )(Brief Article)

H.B. FULLER says it has formed an alliance with Tracking Technologies (Minneapolis) to sell microparticle security systems for applications in the …

Cable has uphill road to telco entry.(cable television industry to provide local phone service)

A year of 'negotiation, regulation, litigation' could stand between cable and its provision of local phone service

The telecommunications act may now be the law of the land, but the cable industry is likely to pay millions of dollars in legal fees and spend at least a year in negotiations before seeing the first indications that the local telephone market is truly open to competition.

The industry's focus now shifts to the FCC, which has six months to write a complex set of rules designed to break up the local telephone monopoly for the first time in 100 years.

At the heart of the FCC rulemakings will be regulations that allow competitors to connect their …

SWITZER TAKES STAND IN HIS OWN DEFENSE.(SPORTS)

DALLAS -- Former Dallas Cowboys coach Barry Switzer testified that he was joking during an encounter with two men who claim he physically attacked them and made racial remarks. Randy Mayes and Stephon Bolton, both 36, are seeking $300,000 in punitive damages, and $600,000 for mental anguish over the October 1994 encounter in a hotel lobby.

Switzer denied the claims Thursday, and described himself as ``friendly, outgoing and …

French Football Results

Results from the second round of the French football league (home team listed first):

Saturday's Games

Valenciennes 3, Marseille 2

Brest 1, Auxerre 1

Lorient 1, Nice 2

Nancy 0, Rennes 3

Saint-Etienne 3, Sochaux 2

Arles-Avignon 0, Lens 1

Sunday's Games

Bordeaux 1, Toulouse 2

Caen 3, Lyon 2

Lille 0, Paris Saint-Germain …

BRENT'S BIG SURPRISE

Porn star talks Detroit debut, barebacking and the worst shoot ever

Good thing a picture is worth a thousand words. We barely got that many out of Brent Everett during a recent chat with the porn star, who punctuated every statement with a giddy schoolgirl laugh and seemed to know better ways to work his mouth. And if you've seen any of his gay adult films, you know he does.

Before flirting with the boys on May 21 at Ice Nightclub in Hamtramck, the 27- year- old porn star spoke with Between The Lines about his twin fantasy-come- true, bareback porn and growing out of his twink phase.

What's up, Brent?

It's been pretty crazy. I was shooting a new movie for …

Abengoa, GE to invest USD 180m in Mexican cogeneration plant.

(ADPnews) - Jun 22, 2010 - Spanish engineering company Abengoa (MCE:ABG) along with US industrial conglomerate General Electric (NYSE:GE) will inject USD 180 million (EUR 145.5m) in the development of a 300 MW cogeneration plant in Mexico.

In a press release, Abengoa explained yesterday that it will allocate USD 108 million to the plant development. GE, in turn, will earmark USD 72 million. The total value of the project is estimated at USD 640 million. On the other hand, a pool of …

RETIREES TO PAY PORTION OF BENEFITS.(CAPITAL REGION)

Byline: CHRIS STURGIS Staff writer

Cohoes Some city retirees will have to contribute to their health insurance and prescription drug benefits to help the city cope with rising costs.

The Common Council voted unanimously Tuesday to require retirees not covered by a current union contract to pay 25 percent of their health care premiums and a 20 percent co-pay for prescriptions.

``It's not a popular decision,'' Comptroller Michael Durocher said, but necessary because health care premiums have gone up 15 percent and prescriptions have increased by 84 percent since 1994.

The increased costs would not apply to workers whose unions had granted …

Olympic Ski Jumping Results

1. Noriaki Kasai, Japan, (142.5, 91.5, 52.0) 143.5.

2. Daiki Ito, Japan, (139.5, 86.1, 56.5) 142.6.

3. Matti Hautamaeki, Finland, (137.5, 82.5, 55.5) 138.0.

3. Antonin Hajek, Czech Republic, (137.5, 82.5, 55.5) 138.0.

3. Andreas Wank, Germany, (137.5, 82.5, 55.5) 138.0.

6. Johan Remen Evensen, Norway, (137.0, 81.6, 55.5) 137.1.

7. Anders Bardal, Norway, (136.5, 80.7, 56.0) 136.7.

8. Tom Hilde, Norway, (136.5, 80.7, 55.0) 135.7.

9. Harri Olli, Finland, (137.0, 81.6, 54.0) 135.6.

10. Emmanuel Chedal, France, (137.0, 81.6, 53.5) 135.1.

11. Jakub Janda, Czech Republic, …

FOX

By moving King of the Hill from Sunday to Tuesday, Fox hopes to create a strong Tuesday night prime time franchise at a time when NBC is moving its Tuesday hit, Frasier, to Thursday night and ABC's Home Improvement has been sagging in the ratings. While it still lags far behind NBC among 18-49-year-olds, Fox beat ABC …