Pa. officials honor longtime voters

PITTSBURGH - Christine McConnell cast her first ballot just 10years after women received the right to vote and more than fourdecades before the nation's voting age was lowered to 18.

She hasn't missed an election or a primary since 1930 - even whenshe objected to the county's shift from paper ballots to votingmachines.

McConnell is one of 9,100 Pennsylvanians honored with a place inthe state's "Voter Hall of Fame" for participating in at least 50consecutive elections.

The Committee for Study of the American Electorate estimates thatjust three of every 10 people between the ages of 18 and 24 vote inthe average election, a fact that baffles McConnell. She said …

Arbour to Coach 1,500th for Islanders

Al Arbour traded in his whistle for a sweater and a brown leather jacket. Too many years have passed for him to lead his team on the ice for practice, but not so many that he can't spend one more night behind the bench for the New York Islanders

Arbour, the Hall of Fame coach who guided the Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier-led Islanders to four straight Stanley Cup titles from 1980-83, has been given a gift by the team 13 years after he said goodbye for the second time.

On Saturday night he will step back into his familiar role as coach for one more game _ No. 1,500 with the franchise that he helped make famous.

Current Islanders coach Ted Nolan will …

Best Sellers-Audio

(Sales data compiled by Nielsen/SoundSan.)

1. Lasers, Lupe Fiasco. 1st & 15th/Atlantic/AG.

2. Give The Drummer Some, Travis Barker. Lasalle/Interscope/IGA.

3. Late Nights & Early Mornings, Marsha Ambrosius. J/RMG.

4. Pink Friday, Nicki Minaj. Young Money/Cash Money/Universal Motown/UMRG.

5. Loud, Rihanna. SRP/Def …

FOX HITS THE BULL'S EYE WITH COMMITTED ACTION OFFERING

FOX HITS THE BULL'S EYE WITH COMMITTED ACTION OFFERING

Quick: Name the best three action shows on TV. What's that? You couldn't even name two? Me neither.

Problem No. 1: There aren't enough pure action shows on the air today. The action shows that do make it to TV are almost always tinged with other genres: sci-fi in Fringe, drama in Sons of Anarchy, some of both in Lost, comedy in Chuck.

Problem No. 2: Contemporary television shows are episodic. Successive installments rely largely on viewers knowing what's already transpired. Miss a week and you might as well wait for the show to come out on DVD.

Finally, Fox has realized enough is enough, and that's where …

GOP Senators Revive Border Security Plan

WASHINGTON - With a comprehensive immigration reform bill in the dustbin, Senate Republicans sought Wednesday to win passage of its most popular piece, a $3 billion plan to beef up security along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The budget-busting GOP measure would be added - over White House opposition - to a pending bill to fund the budget for the Department of Homeland Security.

But Republican sponsors such as Judd Gregg of New Hampshire said securing U.S. borders is as important a priority as fighting terrorism and the war in Iraq.

The move comes in the wake of the collapse in the Senate of President Bush's immigration plan, a carefully negotiated compromise combining …

Australia reviews emergency calls after teen dies

Officials promised Friday to overhaul Australia's ambulance dispatch system after a coroner said it had failed a teenager who became lost while trekking in 2006 and called a emergency response number seven times before dying of thirst.

David Iredale, a 17-year-old student from one of Sydney's toniest high schools, died soon after making a final call from his mobile phone to plead for an ambulance during a trek in the rugged Blue Mountains west of the city, coroner Carl Milovanovich found.

After investigating Iredale's death, Milovanovich said the call system had failed the teenager because operators were too rigidly preoccupied with getting an address for …

Latin leaders talk of peace, poverty

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras Six Central American presidents concludedtheir summit with a treaty calling for efforts to work for peace andfight poverty and drug trafficking in the poverty-stricken region.

The leaders, in two days of talks, did not reach agreement on aplan to reduce their armies.

"First, Guatemala and El Salvador should achieve peace,"Honduran President Rafael Leonardo Callejas said. "While thesenations do not have peace, it is difficult to think about militaryreductions."

El Salvador hopes to end its 12-year civil war by Christmas, butGuatemala's president recently decided to slow talks to end hiscountry's conflict, in which the military has …

Bachmann's ex-NH staff: Campaign was rude, cruel

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann's former New Hampshire staffers say they were deceived, left out of the loop and treated as second-class citizens before they quit in frustration last week.

In a news release issued Sunday, the five staffers say they hold no ill will toward the Republican congresswoman from Minnesota, but they call her national campaign team rude, unprofessional, and even cruel. The …

Serbia: 2 people freeze to death

Police say that two people have frozen to death in central Serbia as the country endures extremely low temperatures and heavy snowfalls.

Bad weather also has hampered traffic throughout the Balkan republic whose roads have been covered with snow and ice.

Temperatures in Serbia have reached -14 degrees Celsius with strong winds reported …

`Dead' man has tale to tell

Two federal cases filed in Chicago paint two very differentportraits of Wail "Wally" Salem.

In a criminal case, Salem, 33, is listed as the key figurebehind one of the largest food-stamp fraud rings in Chicago history.

In a civil case, Salem is listed as dead and buried; his"widow," Amal Salem, produced a Palestinian death certificate in aneffort to collect $2.5 million in life insurance.

But Salem's story did not end in a Palestinian grave. Itstretches from Ramallah, West Bank, where he purportedly died ofcardiac arrest July 18, 1996, to Chicago, where Salem resurfaced morethan a year after his supposed burial.

Salem's trail also extends to …

Emboldened GOP wants to abolish state income taxes

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A year after Republicans swept into office across the country, many have trained their sights on what has long been a fiscal conservative's dream: the steep reduction or even outright elimination of state income taxes.

The idea has circulated among academics and think-tank researchers for years. But it's moving quietly into mainstream political discourse, despite the fact that such sweeping changes would almost certainly mean a total rewiring of tax systems at a time when most states are still struggling in the aftermath of the recession.

"I think there's going to be more action that way," especially as Republican governors release their budget plans, said …

Pakistanis attack Taliban over mosque bombing

Pakistani tribesmen seeking revenge for a deadly mosque bombing attacked militant strongholds for a second day Monday, while the country's Taliban leader faced rare denunciation from within insurgent ranks.

Capitalizing on the anti-Taliban sentiments, the military's top spokesman exhorted all Pakistanis to rise up against militants wherever they found them.

Pressure is increasing on militants who have held sway in parts of Pakistan's northwest, with the army already bearing down in an offensive on their one-time stronghold in the Swat Valley region. Talk has now turned to the possibility of another operation against al-Qaida and Taliban fighters in the …

ECB Expected to Keep Rate at 3.75 Pct.

DUBLIN, Ireland - The European Central Bank is expected to hold its key interest rate steady Thursday but set the stage for a likely quarter-point increase next month as it keeps a steady hand on the pulse of the euro zone.

The bank's governing council - assembling in Dublin for one of its biannual meetings away from its Frankfurt base - is expected to discuss the growing pace of economic growth in the 13-nation euro zone, whose 317 million residents generate more than 15 percent of the world's gross domestic product.

Analysts agree that the ECB will leave its benchmark rate unchanged at 3.75 percent, but only for this month.

A string of seven quarter-point rate increases since December 2005 has helped keep inflation in check. Despite the risk of sending the euro to uncomfortable highs and hurting exports, the ECB is expected to signal its intention to raise rates again.

In a poll of 51 financial institutions by Dow Jones Newswires, every analyst forecast that the bank would hold steady in Dublin but raise the rate to 4 percent by the summer.

Markets will be paying more attention to policy guidance from ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet. Those looking for any sign that interest rates have peaked are likely to be disappointed, economists say, with Trichet unlikely to give the all-clear on inflation.

The bank and its policy makers have warned repeatedly about "a number of medium- to long-term risks," as ECB Vice President Lucas Papademos noted last week.

In the Dow Jones survey, 28 of the analysts polled said they expect the rate to reach at least 4.25 percent by the end of the year.

Gilles Moec, a Bank of America analyst, said he expected the ECB to signal Thursday it will raise rates by a quarter-point in June. He said he expected Trichet to express the view that the bank needed to exercise "strong vigilance" against inflation, a well-understood cue for an imminent hike.

"If the euro-zone economy gains further momentum in late 2007 and early 2008 ... the ECB will probably raise rates further to 4.5 percent by mid-2008," said Holger Schmieding, Bank of America's chief economist for Europe.

However, the euro's rise versus the U.S. dollar has been worrying exporters, who make less money on goods and services sold in the United States. In Germany, Europe's largest economy, the March trade surplus widened more than expected to 18.4 billion euros ($24.9 billion) from 14.2 billion euros ($19.2 billion) in February, a move largely driven by euro strength.

The euro hit a record of $1.3682 on April 27 but has since fallen back below $1.36. Analysts say the euro could climb to new highs this summer.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Federal Reserve kept its federal funds rate unchanged at 5.25 percent for the eighth consecutive time. The Bank of England, which meets Thursday, is expected to raise its rate from 5.25 percent to 5.5 percent.

---

On the Net:

European Central Bank: http://www.ecb.int

Report: Doping investigator may talk to Hincapie

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that American cyclist George Hincapie has been contacted by the lead investigator of a federal probe into doping in professional cycling.

In a story published Saturday, the Journal reports a person familiar with the matter says Hincapie is "likely" to agree to talk to lead investigator Jeff Novitzky when he returns to the United States after the Tour de France. Novitzky is a special agent with the Food and Drug Administration.

Zia F. Modabber, Hincapie's attorney, confirmed to the newspaper that he had spoken with Novitzky.

The federal doping investigation was spurred by allegations made by Floyd Landis. He said the use of banned substances was common on the US Postal team when he rode with seven-time Tour winner Lance Armstrong and Hincapie.

2 dead as ethnic clash breaks out in Kyrgyzstan

Clashes between rival ethnic groups killed at least two people and hurt 50 on Wednesday, raising fears of a new cycle of violence as this Central Asian nation struggles to restore order after a bloody revolt last month.

Eyewitnesses in the southern town of Jalal-Abad said thousands of ethnic Kyrgyz attempted to storm a private university that serves as the focus of the minority Uzbek community. Local residents said gunfire broke out as crowds approached the building, which they said had been encircled by a cordon of special security forces.

Kyrgyzstan has been struggling to maintain stability in the weeks after President Kurmanbek Bakiyev was ousted from power amid deadly clashes between government forces and demonstrators that claimed 89 lives.

Tensions have long simmered between ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbek _ both Sunni Muslim groups _ in the former Soviet nation's restive south. In 1990, hundreds were killed in a violent land dispute between the two communities in towns across southern Kyrgyzstan, which borders Uzbekistan.

It was not clear who opened fire in Jalal-Abad, but Interior Ministry spokeswoman Gulsara Alieva said that nobody in the crowd appeared to be armed.

At least two people were killed and 50 injured, according to the Health Ministry. Some of the injured were being treated for gunshot wounds.

Witnesses said the crowd assembled in front of the university threw stones at the building and shouted demands for the hand-over of Uzbek community leader Kadyrjan Batyrov, whom they charge with inciting racial tension. Batyrov, a wealthy businessman, paid for the construction of the Peoples' Friendship University.

In the middle of the afternoon, privately owned Akipress news agency cited eyewitnesses as saying that about 1,500 ethnic Uzbeks, some of them wielding spears, were moving toward the central square, where a crowd of ethnic Kyrgyz was assembled. Soldiers barred the Uzbeks' movement toward the square, the agency reported.

Interim Prime Minister Roza Otunbayeva said every possible measure is being taken to defuse the situation.

"We have recently demonstrated that we are capable of securing the peace," she said at a government meeting in Bishkek, the capital. "Law enforcement agencies will do everything in their power in Jalal-Abad to make certain there are no incidents."

Supporters of Bakiyev, whose support base is in the Jalal-Abad region, accuse Batyrov of leading a mob late last week that burned down the deposed president's family home in the nearby village of Teyit.

Bakiyev fled the country last month for Belarus, where he is being offered refuge, but interim authorities say his family is still actively financing disturbances aimed at unseating the provisional leadership.

The torching of the Bakiyev home Friday evening marked the culmination of two days of violence in Jalal-Abad, which broke out when several hundred Bakiyev supporters, some with automatic rifles, holed up in the regional government building after capturing it a day earlier.

They were driven out by backers of the interim government, many of whom were ethnic Uzbeks. This led to local perceptions that the minority community was gaining political influence in the region.

__________

Associated Press writer Leila Saralayeva contributed to this report.

Peugeot-Citroen to built two plants to make small low-emission engines

French automaker PSA Peugeot-Citroen said Thursday it is developing a new family of low-emissions engines to be produced in France and Eastern Europe.

Europe's second-largest car manufacturer by volume said it is investing euro600 million ($946 million) in the two sites, which will produce small, three-cylinder engines under 1 liter of capacity. The motors will emit less than 100 grams of carbon dioxide per 100 kilometers.

In the eastern French town of Tremery, Peugeot-Citroen plans to create more than new 500 jobs at a new plant near an existing Peugeot engine facility. The new site should be operational by 2011, with a capacity of 600,000 motors per year.

Peugeot-Citroen is searching for a suitable site in eastern Europe for the second site. Chief Executive Christian Streiff told reporters in Paris that he is looking in Poland, Romania, Ukraine, and Turkey.

Investment will be split equally between the two plants.

Earlier Thursday, Peugeot-Citroen said revenues in the first quarter rose 2.3 percent as "spectacular" sales in Russia, Brazil and Argentina made up for a downturn in the European market.

The company said revenue in the three months to the end of March rose to euro15.2 billion (US$24.23 billion), from euro14.9 billion a year earlier.

Unit sales increased 6.1 percent to 876,400. In Western Europe, Peugeot-Citroen sold 591,100 vehicles _ 0.9 percent fewer than a year ago _ and its market share slipped to 14 percent from 14.2 percent.

In Russia, vehicle sales increased by 29.6 percent to 9,900, and by 36.4 percent in Brazil and Argentina to 59,000.

The car maker reaffirmed its worldwide sales target this year of 5 percent volume growth after new launches planned for the second quarter. Streiff has set a target of achieving 4 million vehicle sales by 2010, with the bulk of the growth coming from outside the mature European market.

___

On the Net: http://www.psa-peugeot-citroen.com

Martin's owner to step down

Ken Potter Sr. started his career in the snack food industry at the bottom of the barrel. He was 15 years old when EL-GE Potato Chip Co. in York hired him to do the grunt work a teenager usually has to do, everything from cleaning bathrooms to shoveling potatoes.

Nearly 50 years later, he will be going out on top. When Potter retires as president of Martin's Potato Chips Inc. Feb. 1 - the day before his 65th birthday - he will leave behind a company that is one of the major players in the American snack food industry.

He and his wife, Sandra, bought the Jackson Township, York Countybased company in 1971, when it was a one-employee operation with annual revenue of $80,000 to $90,000. Today, it's a company with international ties that sends chips to Air Force One.

"I never dreamed of this," Potter said. "I dreamed about owning five trucks on the road. Now I dream to sell (Martin's products) along the entire East Coast. I have to leave something for the boys to do."

Potter intends to transfer his stock to his three sons and to his controller, all of whom work as ex ecutives at the business. He plans to become the company's chairman and advise his successors, when needed

"Right after I retire, I will probably have a fit," Potter said, laughing. "But I'll get used to it. It's been 50 years, and it's time to smell the roses."

If smelling the roses means Potter stays out of his sons' way, that's a good thing, according to succession planners.

It is important for retiring owners of family-owned businesses to disengage themselves from the day-to-day operations of their companies, said Tim Brown, president and chief executive officer of Sageworth Trust Co. His private trust and investment management firm is owned by successful families in Central Pennsylvania including the Kinsleys in York County and the Highs in Lancaster County. Sageworth is based in Manheim Township, Lancaster County.

"The best transitions occur when the older generation stays just involved enough to pass along all their knowledge and experience, but allows the next generation to make all the key decisions," Brown said.

Some patriarchs and matriarchs mistakenly run their family businesses for too long, not allowing sufficient time to develop their next generation of business owners, Brown said. Potter was aware of that issue. He didn't want to make his sons wait too long, he said.

On Feb. 2, Potter plans to begin working at York College of Pennsylvania. He accepted a job as a consultant to the college's business program last month. (See, "College wants business starters," on page 3.) He intends to use his business connections to help the college's students land internships with area companies. He will lecture about entrepreneurship.

While Potter pursues his second career, his successors at Martin's intend to continue improving the company that their dad made a household name in Central Pennsylvania and beyond. Potter's successors are David Potter, 31, district manager in Lancaster; Kevin Potter, 40, vice president of sales and marketing; Ken "Butch" Potter Jr., 43, vice president of operations; and Steve Fitz, controller.

Their plans include looking for a new flavored snack to market, exploring healthier snacks, adding two or three managers and an undetermined number of employees. They also intend to improve the quality of products and service, and sell snacks in more grocery stores, convenience stores and vending machines, they said.

Martin's has hired an advertising agency to do public relations that will put a positive spin on the company's looming change in ownership, Ken Potter Sr. said. People get alarmed about change, he said. It will be business as usual because the company has spent years preparing for the change, Kevin Potter said.

Good planning is crucial to ensuring that business succession works, said Jack Greenwood, managing partner at Wienken & Associates, a financial planning firm in Camp Hill. Good planning also reassures customers and employees, he said.

"Two reasons why the majority of businesses don't succeed to the next generation is that there's been no apparent successor or a lack of planning," Greenwood said.

Potter said he has been looking to retire for the past three or four years and has been planning for the change during much of that time.

Reflecting on his nearly 50 years in the snack food industry, Potter recalled some of his proudest accomplishments.

In 1974, Martin's introduced its first kettle-cooked potato chips, the company's most popular product, and quickly began mass-marketing them in other states. The business increased the number of states in which it sells snacks from one - Pennsylvania - to five on the East Coast. In 1985, the manufacturer helped the Chinese government start a potato chip plant in China. Later, Martin's helped entrepreneurs in Australia start a plant there. Martin's bought a packaging machine that revolutionized how the company bagged snacks.

Potter also shared a couple of his fondest memories.

In the early years, he dressed as a clown named Muncho Martin the Clown to promote Martin's. He handed out balloons with the company's logo and chips to shoppers at grocery stores on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. His wife, Sandra, who worked as his company's business manager, helped.

"We created a riot in stores," Potter said. "People couldn't get enough of our chips. The promotion worked, and we had a lot of fun."

In the 1990s, when now-former President Bill Clinton visited downtown York to campaign at Central Market House, Potter tapped on the window of the limousine that Clinton and his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, were riding in. She lowered the window, and Potter held out a bag of his company's chips. "These are for the next president of the United States," he said. She thanked him and took the chips.

They were a hit with President Clinton. For the past six years, Potter has delivered Kettle Cook'd and Bar-B-Q chips to Air Force One.

"That's a kick," Potter said. "I will miss that."

Asked whether he is concerned about the growing awareness of obesity in America, Potter was matter-of-fact.

"I've been eating a pound of chips a day for almost 50 years and I weigh 165," Potter said. "It's not a fattening food. The sugar and cola kill your weight. That's why I drink bottled water.

Martin said his sales are growing every year and that only a minority of people are concerned about their weight.

"...Two percent of people are very thin. Are you going to worry about feeding 98 percent or 2 percent? I want that 98 percent."

Kevin Potter, who said his 10-year-old son is interested in working at Martin's, plans to prepare his boy for what he might be getting himself into.

"There's no such thing as a normal Thanksgiving dinner when four of the people are working at the same business," Kevin Potter said.

"We don't go five minutes without some discussion about the business."

Ken Potter Sr. wouldn't have it any other way.

"It's all about loving what you do," the patriarch of the family said. "It makes life simple."

WINTER OWNER'S MANUAL

HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR WINTER UPGRADES

Congratulations on the purchase of your new Winter. The standard basemodel Winter comes fully equipped with snow, ice, excuses for heavy meals and hot drinks, roaring fires and a shovel.* But being the discerning consumer you are, you have opted for the upgraded Winter package. This luxury addon includes dazzling views, frosty solitude, thrills, excitement, exhilaration, adventure and the desire to explore.**

While you have likely had some experience with prior Winter purchases, upgrades require additional training. As part of our commitment to customer service, we have included this Winter Owner's Manual as part of your purchase. Please use it as a guide to optimal utilization of your Winter.

*Occas/ona/ bouts of inversion, frostbite and cabin fever may occur. Mother Nature will not be held accountable for the negative impacts of these occurrences.

* * Mother Nature will not be held accountable for you getting yourself lost.

ALPINE SKIING

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF'YOUR DESCENT CONTROL SYSTEM

One of the most popular features on the upgraded Winter model is the doublemounted, hillside Descent Control Mechanism, sometimes referred to in the vernacular as "Alpine skiing" or just "skiing."

While many less luxurious Winter models offer some version of this feature, our owners appreciate more exclusive offerings. To achieve our high standards, we turned to the experts, like Jaker Merlini, the Professional Ski Patrol director at Bogus Basin Mountain Recreation Area, and April Russell, communications director at Brundage Mountain in McCaIl, since those who activate the Descent Control System often range far and wide to use it.

To help you take full advantage of the DCS, we offer the following guidance.

* Entering his 35th season, Merlini and his crew prefer the beautifully groomed conditions of the runs off the Pine Creek Chair during the day, after conditions have had the entire night to set up. He especially favors the Wildcat and Lower Nugget runs.

* Of course, those working the night shift appreciate the fine grooming of Nighthawk during a run from the top to the bottom.

* Those looking for an escape on a powder day can often fine some much soughtafter powder hiding between the Tiger and Liberty runs. Those willing to engage the manual transmission (also referred to as "hiking") can enjoy the freedom of the Emery Bowls.

* At Brundage, owners of the premium Winter package can find thrills on the Mexico run (just south of the 45th Parallel run). The area is for only the most exclusive owners, largely because the entrance to the run isn't obvious (and because it's not on the official trail map), with tight trees near the top. But once you're through, the trees open up, offering elusive powder shots.

* Those looking for more thrills can utilize the Winter upgrade GPS feature (ski instructors who serve as free guides on Saturday mornings) to find a run on the backside of the mountain called Naughty Girl. The unmarked run often offers fresh powder lines when everything else has been skied out, although it does require the use of the manual transmission to get back to the lift.*

* Warning: Excessive use of this feature can lead to shaking and vw'fnarawa/s as snow begins to melt. Mother Nature assumes no responsibility.

BACKCOUNTRY

'HOW TO USE YOUR OFF-ROAD FEATUKES'

Many owners of our most exclusive Winter upgrade package appreciate the ability to roam and to reach areas inaccessible to owners of the base Winter model. Many find our off-road capabilities help them achieve their goals beyond their wildest dreams.

As with all aspects of our premium Winter package, we consulted the experts to fine-tune our offerings. Among those experts was Marty Rood, owner of Payette Powder Guides, and Joe St. Onge, owner and chief of guiding operations for Sun Valley Trekking. To achieve maximum output from your off-road feature, take the following steps.

* Test Winter's capabilities in the Lick Creek Summit area outside of McCaIl. The area is closed to motorized use in the winter and offers more than 30,000 acres of hikein, ski-out terrain to explore. It's also where Rood operates a series of winter yurts.

* Push the limits of Winter at the area formerly known as Tamarack. While the lifts may not be running, those willing to use a snowmobile to get to the ridgeline can enjoy pristine skiing conditions.

* Try the Big Creek Summit area outside of Cascade for further exploration.

* For day touring, head to the Titus Ridge area at Galena Pass, where relatively easy access allows more time for testing your Winter abilities.

* When Winter calls you further off the beaten path, head to the Pioneer Mountains, which, although more challenging to access, offer dramatic vistas and an abundance of vertical relief with new mountaineering and adventure skiing options being discovered all the time.*

"Warning: due to the high level of user experience needed to MIy utilize the off-road capabilities of Winter, owners should invest in the avalanche training course upgrade. Mother Nature accepts no responsibility for her occasional habit of tossing a wall of thundering snow, ice and rock downhill.

NORDIC SKIING

USING MANUAL ACCELERATION MODE

Many premium Winter owners appreciate the quiet, peaceful interior of Winter, and enjoy this feature most while utilizing the Manual Acceleration Mode (also known as Nordic skiing, cross country skiing or even snowshoeing).

Due to the exclusive partnerships created by Winter's outstanding reputation, owners of the upgraded model can access an abundance of opportunities for using the MAM at any of the 16 Park N' Ski locations maintained by the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation.* The department works hard to increase the value of Winter with offerings that include groomed trails for skate skiers, dog-friendly parks and solitude for classic touring skiers.

We consulted Leo Hennessy, Park N' Ski coordinator for the state and one of the leaders of the Idaho Outdoors online recreation group, and longtime Nordic skier Dave Fotsch to help hone Winter's Manual Acceleration Mode.

* Head to the Banner Ridge area north of Idaho City where 22 miles of trails lead to Incredible views of the Sawtooths. The steep nature of the trail has led many to use the snowshoe feature, although more confident skiers can make the trip.

* The latest model of Winter has the additional feature of a new Park N' SkI area in the same vicinity. The Beaver Creek area will feature a new yurt, as well as open slopes and access to Stargazer Point. The feature is already popular with backcountry telemark skiers.

* More advanced Winter owners will also appreciate the Pilot Peak area near Mores Creek Summit. While the area is shared by snowmobiles (see later section) there are excellent opportunities for winter owners who know how to read a map.

* Experienced users can explore the Warm Lake area, where the snow is often steep and deep.

* For those owners who like to include their dogs in the enjoyment of their Winter purchase, Parks and Recreation has opened additional areas to dogs this winter. Now, more than half of the groomed trails in the Idaho City area will welcome canine companions. As before, all ungroomed trails will remain open to dogs. The Banner Ridge area will still be closed, though.

* Explore the lower loops at the Bogus Basin Nordic Center, which are rarely skied because the rolling terrain requires uphill climbs.

* Enjoy Ponderosa State Park, near McCaIl, where trails lead past alpine lakes and eventually lead uphill to end at a viewpoint overlooking Fayette Lake.

* For those who prefer less-explored country, try Bear Basin, an area that opened several years ago near Little Ski Hill in McCaIl. The rolling terrain provides just enough challenge for intermediate level Winter owners.

* Test the capacities of Winter by skiing out of a small wayside pullout just before drivers reach Stanley. Trails here offer wonderful views of the Sawtooths.

*To utilize the Park N' Ski upgrade to Winter, owners must also purchase a Park N' Ski pass for $7.50 for three days, or $25 for the season. For more details and maps of locations, please refer all queries to parksandrecreation.idaho.gov. Mother Nature assumes no responsibility for any tickets or towing of vehicles.

SNOWBOARDING

UTILIZING THE SINGLE-PLANE-BALANCE FEATURE

Some of our owners appreciate the thrill and challenge of activating the SinglePlane-Balance Feature (also widely known as "snowboarding"). The feature can be challenging at first, but for those who work to master it, it can open up new avenues to explore their Winter model.

The SPBF works far and wide, and while it was. once viewed as incompatible with some other Winter features, it is now widely accepted.

Our Winter consultants, April Russell of Brundage, Newt and Harold's manager Ben Woodard, and Boise snowboarder George Medek, 76, helped to hone the following program to take full advantage of the SPBF.

* Test the limits of the season in the Hidden Valley area of Brundage, where natural terrain features, including boulders, create a plethora of jumping opportunities.

* Test Winter's capacity by heading to the Trinity Lakes area, where snowmobiles help to access challenging steep and deep terrain with relatively few other Winter users.

* Brundage cat skiing takes Winter users to a backcountry filled with north-facing slopes.

* Owners willing to hike the hills of the hibernating Tamarack Resort can ski the slopes on land managed by the U.S. Forest Service.

* For adventures closer to home, enjoy the back side of Bogus Basin, where there are fewer crowds, longer runs and hidden pockets of snow.*

* For those who want quantity of runs over length, stay on the front side of Bogus, where the runs are slightly shorter.

*Some experts declined to disclose the full breadth of their knowledge to protect secret areas.

SNOWMOBILING

UNDERSTANDING 'YOUR ENGINE'S CAPABILITIES

Many Winter owners like to explore the raw power of their model, which is often done through a feature commonly referred to as "snowmobiling."

For Winter owners in Idaho, opportunities abound for testing the limits, due to another extension of Winter's partnership with the state Parks and Recreation Department,* which maintains numerous trails and organizes grooming and plowing.

Both Troy Elmore, Off Highway Vehicle Program manager, and Todd Wernex, trails specialist with the department, were consulted to help reach the full capabilities of Winter's power.

* Power testing is celebrated in numerous areas, including trails near Smith's ferry, Cascade, Warm Lake, Garden Valley, Idaho City, Pine, Featherville, Twin Falls, Fairfield and Stanley.

* Many who like to include their families in their enjoyment of their Winter model are advised to explore the Garden Valley area, where trails off the Middle Fork of the Payette River Road lead to outstanding views and the occasional hot springs.

* Those looking for more open riding can head to the Mores Creek Summit area near Idaho City, where, it's relatively easy to reach the backcountry and test Winter's capabilities in the deep powder.

* Those who are less experienced with Winter can head to McCaIl (recently named the No. 5 snowmobile destination in the country by Snow West magazine), where wide trails along Warren Wagon Road are easy riding and allow access to the Burgdorf hot springs.

* Near Brundage, more advanced Winter owners can access steeper, more challenging terrain from the Gordon E. Titus parking lot.**

*Grooming of trails and plowing of parking lots are paid for by yearly required registration of all snowmobiles in the state. Winter claims no responsibility for snow levels.

* *Due to the inherent dangers of testing Winter in the backcountry, Parks and Recreation is hosting a series of avalanche awareness classes through mid-February. Boise classes will be held on Tuesday, Nov. �6, and Friday, Dec. 3. Visit parksandrecreation.idaho.gov for a full schedule. Mother Nature assumes no responsibility for those who don't use their heads to ride in safe areas.

SNOW KITING

HOW TO USE YOUR TURBO FEATURE

Some premium Winter model owners seek out more unusual thrills, including hanging on to a massive kite while the wind pulls them across the snow-covered landscape.* While the Turbo feature (sometimes called "snowkiting") is not the most commonly used feature of Winter, it is one of the more attention grabbing.

To hone the feature, we sought the advice of Ryan Waite, owner of Idaho Kitesports.

* Head to the Fairfield area off Highway 20 (sometimes referred to as the Mecca of Idaho snowkiting), where the high elevation combined with a long, windy corridor of open prairie lined by mountain ranges creates the perfect conditions.

* Snowkiting is increasing in the McCaIl area at times when Payette Lake freezes over, although access is more challenging.

* Also growing in popularity is th� Island Park area in Eastern Idaho. Since the feature is still relatively new, suitable locations are being mapped all the time.**

* Mother Nature claims no responsibility if you end up in another state.

* * Because of the advanced nature of this feature, coaching vv/f/i a professional is highly recommended.

YURTS

WHEN TO COME IN FOR MAINTENANCE

Although your premium Winter model is largely self-sustaining, some regular maintenance is recommended in order to take full enjoyment in it. For those who prefer maintenance be done in season-sanctioned facilities, numerous garages (known in the industry as "yurts") can be found scattered across the state. To fit the lifestyle and expectations of discerning premium Winter owners, our garages are luxurious places filled with amenities like bunk beds, folding tables and wood-burning stoves.*

* Parks and Recreation maintains a series of yurts near Park N' Ski sites, as well as in state parks, allowing Winter owners to recharge while enjoying their investment. The yurts - easily accessible via nearby trails - are a popular feature of the premium Winter owners plan. In fact, they are so popular that most weekends are booked up to a year in advance, although many holidays or mid-week dates remain open for a relatively low cost.

* The Elkhorn yurt near Idaho City is more Isolated (requiring a three-mile trek) but offers outstanding views.

* Private yurts are also available through Payette Powder Guides and Sun Valley Trekking for those looking for some off-road experience.

* Galena Lodge between Sun Valley and Stanley offers three yurts near the historic lodge, which offer the additional up-grade of a catered dinner delivery.

*Mother Nature assumes no responsibility for you or your guests becoming overly accustomed to the luxurious experience of sleeping on bunk beds in a common room, then demanding the same kind of high-end experience when you get home.

Again, thank you for your purchase of fhe premium Winter model. We're sure you'll be thrilled to be an owner of such an auspicious season. Remember, Mother Nature takes no responsibility for providing any set amount of snow, nor does she promise a quota of bluebird days or white-knuckle drives. Still, enjoy making Winter your own with all the upgrades you can fit in.

30-year mortgages hit new low in 32 years of tracking

Rates for 30-year mortgages dipped to a new low this week,providing even more fuel for the mortgage refinancing boom.

In a nationwide survey released Thursday, Freddie Mac, themortgage company, reported that the average interest rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage dropped to 6.22 percent, the lowest level in32 years of record keeping. A year ago, 30-year mortgages averaged6.92 percent.

This week's rate surpassed the previous low of 6.31 percent setlast week. And last week's rate had bested the prior low of 6.34percent reached in late July.

Low mortgage rates are feeding a boom in mortgage refinancing.Savings or extra cash coming out of refinancing deals are helping tosupport consumer spending and offsetting some potentially negativefactors, such as the volatile stock market and eroding consumerconfidence, economists said.

Refinancing activity last week represented 68.8 percent ofmortgage loan applications, up from 68.4 percent the previous week,the Mortgage Bankers Association of America reported.

The average interest rate on 15-year mortgages, a popular optionfor refinancing, fell to 5.63 percent this week, the lowest levelsince Freddie Mac began tracking these rates in August 1991. Thatcompared with last week's rate of 5.69 percent. A year ago, 15-yearmortgages averaged 6.48 percent.

On one-year adjustable-rate mortgages, lenders were asking anaverage initial rate of 4.39 percent, up slightly from 4.37 percentthe previous week. Last year this time, one-year ARMs averaged 5.71percent.

These rates do not include add-on fees known as points. Thirty-year mortgages and one-year ARMs each carried an average 0.6 pointthis week, while 15-year mortgages carried an average 0.5 point.

Mortgage rates have been falling amid growing signs of a sluggisheconomic recovery and a roller-coaster stock market that has sentinvestors to the bond market, helping to push long-term rates down.

The economy grew by a pace of just 1.1 percent in the secondquarter of this year, down from a brisk 5 percent pace in the firstquarter. And key economic reports suggest that the second half ofthis year got off to a disappointing start.

Against this backdrop, the Federal Reserve on Tuesday decided tohold short-term interest rates steady, but opened the door to futurereductions.

"The Fed's acknowledgment of weakness in the economy and a flightto quality in the bond market caused fixed-rate mortgages to slidefurther," said Freddie Mac's chief economist, Frank Nothaft.

A separate report today showed that an index of homebuilderexpectations fell in August to the lowest level this year, a signthat the record pace of new home sales may not be sustainable. TheNational Association of Home Builders' housing market index declinedto 57 from 61 in July.

Haiti now must wait for presidential vote results

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haitians wearied by long years of poverty, corruption and natural disasters are settling in for a wait to find out who they have elected to lead efforts to rebuild the earthquake-devastated capital, improve education and create some optimism for the future.

The choice faced by voters in the presidential election Sunday was between Mirlande Manigat, a longtime political fixture as a former first lady and senator, and Michel "Sweet Micky" Martelly, a popular singer who has never held public office.

Preliminary results are not expected until March 31.

Across Haiti, people stood in long, but mostly orderly lines at polling stations, some shrugging off delays of three hours.

"A lot of governments come through to make change for themselves and their families," Jean-Claude Henry, a 43-year-old economist, said after voting at a school in the Delmas section of Port-au-Prince, the capital. "We want radical change for the population."

Voting was much calmer than the election's first round in November, which was marred by disorganization, voter intimidation and allegations of widespread fraud. Disputed preliminary results had government-backed candidate Jude Celestin edging out Martelly for a spot in the runoff, but Haiti's electoral council reviewed the count under international pressure and eliminated Celestin from the race.

Whoever wins will face enormous challenges in a country emerging from last year's earthquake, which the government estimates killed more than 300,000 people. A multibillion-dollar reconstruction effort has stalled, and some 800,000 people still live in the camps that sprang up around Port-au-Prince after the quake.

Compounding the misery is a cholera outbreak that has killed more than 4,700 people and is expected to surge again with the rainy season.

"There is a lot of frustration," said 28-year-old Jazon Didier, a computer scientist and Manigat supporter. "People want a change and a better life."

Martelly seemed to have captured the ardor of young jobless voters. Hundreds cheered him wildly like the pop star he is as he danced on the roof of an SUV after casting his ballot across the street from a tent camp for people who lost homes in the earthquake.

Manigat, who touted her academic credentials and told voters to call her mother, appealed to the country's educated middle class, a sliver of the population in a largely poor nation of 10 million people.

Two recently returned ghosts from Haiti's past — former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and ex-dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier — formed part of the backdrop to the election, but there was no evidence that either had any effect on it.

Aristide returned to Haiti on Friday after seven years of exile in South Africa. The U.S. and others in the international community worried the popular but divisive figure could destabilize the election, but although he complained upon his arrival that his party had been excluded, he stayed out of sight Sunday.

Duvalier, the infamous dictator known as "Baby Doc" who was forced from the country in 1986, made a surprise return in January. He remains in Haiti but has laid low as a judge investigates whether criminal charges should be filed against him.

Sunday's voting was mostly quiet, but two clashes between rival political factions in rural areas left two people dead from gunshot wounds, Haitian police chief Mario Andresol said. Haiti's electoral council, which kept polling stations open an extra hour because of delays opening some of them, reported only scattered problems.

Martelly and Manigat offered similar agendas. They promised to build homes, foster economic growth and make education universal in a country where only half the children attend school. And both want to restore the military, which was dissolved by Aristide in 1995 after a long history of abuses.

But the candidates' backgrounds could not have been more distinct: Manigat is a 70-year-old university administrator and former senator; Martelly is a 50-year-old master of Haitian compas music who has no college degree and a history of crude onstage antics.

"In the past, he wasn't a politician; he was an artist," said Beatrice Antonio, a 20-year-old Martelly supporter, eager to shrug off the past. "He's young and maybe he has different ideas."

It was precisely Martelly's lack of political background that appealed to 40-year-old truck driver Jean Robert Pierre.

"We don't need experience," said Pierre, who said in the past he was a supporter of Aristide, long a champion of the poor. "We need someone who can work."

Marlene Telusena, a 38-year-old nurse, wouldn't say who got her vote, but made it clear her priorities were in line with those of Manigat. Telusena said she wanted to see a change in the education system so more kids could attend school in Haiti and overseas.

"We need diligence and morality to return to Haiti, because the youth must be able to take this country seriously," Telusena said. "We need competent leadership to achieve real change. I don't want to reveal my vote, but it's going to someone who is moral, experienced, and who the international community would consider serious."

___

Associated Press writer Jacob Kushner contributed to this report.

Campaign: Michelle Obama never used word 'Whitey'

Democrat Barack Obama's campaign said Thursday that Michelle Obama never used the word "whitey" in a speech from the church pulpit as it launched a Web site to debunk rumors about him and his wife.

The rumor that Michelle Obama railed against "whitey" in a diatribe at Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ has circulated on conservative Republican blogs for weeks and was repeated by radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh. The rumor included claims of a videotape of the speech that would be used to bring down Obama's candidacy this fall.

"No such tape exists," the campaign responds on the site, http://www.fightthesmears.com. "Michelle Obama has not spoken from the pulpit at Trinity and has not used that word."

The site is a response to the realities of a brave new world, where information travels 24 hours a day on blogs and voters are increasingly turning to the Internet for information. It's a particular problem for Obama, a relative newcomer to national politics who is still unknown to many voters and has been the target of persistent misinformation campaigns online.

In another sign of the campaign moving into the general election race, the Democratic National Committee's spokeswoman said Thursday its political and field operations are relocating to Chicago, where Obama's campaign is based. While other departments will remain in Washington, it's an effort to streamline the campaign and party efforts in one strategy instead of the overlapping efforts of past presidential elections.

E-mails about Obama rank No. 2 on the list of "Hottest Urban Legends" on snopes.com, an Internet rumor-debunking site, behind e-mail greeting cards that could expose computers to viruses.

Michelle Obama has often been the target of conservative attacks, prompting Obama to demand his rivals "lay off my wife." Much of the criticism came from her comment that her husband's campaign has made her proud of her country "for the first time," a remark that inspired a Tennessee Republican Party Web video questioning her patriotism.

There also have been more insulting attacks, and not limited to the Internet.

Fox News Channel referred to Michelle Obama as "Obama's baby mama" in a graphic on Wednesday, using the slang description of a woman who has a baby outside of a romantic relationship or marriage. Fox anchor E.D. Hill also referred to it as a "terrorist fist jab" when the Obamas bumped knuckles on the night he clinched the nomination. Hill has apologized.

The Obamas recently resigned from Trinity, where the Rev. Jeremiah Wright was the longtime pastor. Wright came under fire for sermons in which he cursed America and accused the government of conspiring against blacks. Video of the sermons spread quickly on the Internet and threatened great damage to Obama's campaign.

Other false claims about the Illinois senator _ that he's secretly a Muslim who refuses to say the Pledge of Allegiance and is intent on destroying America _ spread widely during the primary campaign, and Obama made it a habit of telling audiences to respond to e-mail rumors to set the record straight.

Barack Obama bristled when he was asked about the "whitey" rumor on his campaign plane last week, saying it was nonsense that shouldn't be repeated in questioning by a mainstream reporter.

"It is a destructive aspect of our politics right now," Obama told his traveling press corps. "And simply because something appears in an e-mail, that should lend it no more credence than if you heard it on the corner. And you know, presumably the job of the press is to not go around and spread scurrilous rumors like this until there's actually anything, one iota of substance or evidence that would substantiate it."

At the same time, his campaign was preparing the debunking Web site in a recognition that refusing to address rumors only perpetuates them.

The site explains that Obama is "a committed Christian" who never attended a radical madrassa during his childhood in Indonesia. With chain e-mails falsely claiming Obama was sworn into the Senate on the Quran, the holy book of Islam, the Web site includes a photo of him taking his oath of office on the family bible.

It shows C-SPAN video of Obama leading the Pledge of Allegiance with his hand over his heart as he presided over the Senate on June 21, 2007. It encourages people to send e-mail to friends and "spread the truth."

"The Obama campaign isn't going to let dishonest smears spread across the Internet unanswered," said spokesman Tommy Vietor. "It's not enough to just know the truth, we have to be proactive and fight back."

___

On the Net:

http://www.fightthesmears.com

Boggs? Hawk will take Baines

Wade Boggs thought he was worth $1.85 million this year. TheBoston Red Sox and an arbitrator said he was worth $1.35 million.

But White Sox operations chief Ken Harrelson says Boggs isn'tworth Harold Baines.

"To me, there is no comparison," Harrelson said yesterday. "I'drather have Baines."

"Harold Baines is the best hitter in the American League," Soxmanager Tony LaRussa said.

Boggs hit .368 last year with 240 hits, eight home runs and 78RBI. Baines hit .309 with 198 hits, 22 home runs and 113 RBI.

"I'm not trying to demean Wade, but if a game is on the line inthe ninth inning and you have to have a hit, I'd take (George) Brett,Baines or (Don) Mattingly," Harrelson said. "But Wade's role isdifferent than the other guys'."

Last year Boggs hit .397 with runners in scoring position and.401 from the seventh inning on in close games.

As a minor leaguer, Boggs was told he never would make it as athird baseman because he couldn't hit with power.

Harrelson said Boggs could become a power hitter if the Red Soxneeded one. But Red Sox coach Joe Morgan, who was Boggs' manager inthe minors, isn't so sure.

"He's the best two-strike hitter I've ever seen," Morgan said."But because of the way he swings (to the opposite field), he'd haveto sacrifice a lot of hits for more power."

Spurs Smother LeBron to Take Game 1

SAN ANTONIO - One of the most anticipated debuts in NBA finals history was way, way off the mark. A LeBrick, if you will. LeBron James couldn't solve San Antonio's stifling defense and the pick-and-rolling Spurs, as fundamental and selfless as ever, outclassed Cleveland in an 85-76 win over the Cavaliers in Game 1 on Thursday night.

Tim Duncan had 24 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks, and Tony Parker added 27 points for the Spurs, who began their quest for a fourth championship since 1999 by putting on a basketball clinic for the Cavs, finals rookies, who have a ton of work to do if they have any intention of making this a competitive series.

With the eyes of Texas, a curious hoops nation and the world upon him, the 22-year-old James, who has rarely failed to rise to any occasion, flopped like never before on the game's grandest stage.

James shot just 4-of-16 from the field and finished with 14 points against the Spurs led by Bruce Bowen, San Antonio's secretary of defense, who got plenty of help from his teammates in grounding Cleveland's soaring superstar.

"It is going to be an incredible effort the entire series," Duncan said of keeping James in check. "I know he will come out stronger in the next game."

This was not the series opener James - or the NBA - had hoped for. His first foray into the finals was hyped in the days leading up to the game as many wondered if he could deliver the way Michael Jordan once did.

But James came nowhere nearing matching Jordan's first game in the finals when he scorched the Los Angeles Lakers for 36 points on June 2, 1991.

Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Sunday night in San Antonio. Games 3, 4 and 5 (if necessary) will be in Cleveland.

The Spurs, who lost twice to the Cavaliers during the regular season, seemed to be one step ahead of James all night. When he cut left, they cut him off. When he tried going right, they were right there. By the time James made his first outside jumper - a 3-pointer with 6:54 left - the Spurs had built a 74-59 lead.

The 31-year-old Duncan, labeled boring because of his lack of flash, did what he always does: dominate.

The Big Fundamental knocked down open jumpers, freed up teammates with crunching picks and generally had his way against Cleveland's frontline for San Antonio, which was lifted by its crowd's incessant chants of "Go, Spurs, Go."

"It felt like we played a month ago," Duncan said. "It was just good to get out there and get some of that rust off, kind of get back in the flow of things. Our shooters didn't shoot great, you could see that, but we played well all around the defensive end and we got it done."

James, who began 0-for-8 from the field, finally got his first basket with 7:15 left in the third quarter, blasting down the lane through a pack of Spurs to hit a scoop shot that brought the Cavs within 46-41.

But Bowen responded with a 3-pointer, Manu Ginobili hit another from long range and Duncan dished to Parker for a layup to make it 56-47. On the Spurs' next trip, Parker weaved his way inside and dropped in a layup, the ball sitting on the rim for several seconds before finally falling.

The Spurs eventually pushed their lead to 64-49 after three, and then opened the final period with 3-pointers by Robert Horry and Ginobili to open their biggest lead, 70-52 with 8:50 left.

Two 3-pointers by James and a few jumpers by rookie Daniel Gibson, who led the Cavaliers with 16 points, cleaned up the score but it wasn't nearly that close as Cleveland shot under 40 percent until a late barrage.

"They started to do a good job towards the end of the game," Duncan said. "They got a couple of layups and a couple of easy shots. We'll have to clean that up a little bit."

James left with 45 seconds to go, dejectedly slumping into his seat after a night he'd probably like to forget.

Before taking the floor for their first finals game in Cleveland's 37-year history, the Cavaliers huddled near the tunnel for a prayer. Then, James and his teammates repeated something they've done since the first day of training camp.

"One, two, three, championship," they shouted in unison.

But it became clear very early on that any climb to a title would be steep.

The Spurs, who hadn't played in a week since beating Utah in the Western Conference finals, showed no early rust. They started 7-of-9 from the field as Parker and Duncan combined for 14 of San Antonio's first 16 points as San Antonio opened a 20-15 lead after one.

Every time James took off for the basket, a Spurs defender - or two or three - was waiting for him. On one drive, he had his headband yanked off by Duncan, who got posterized on a dunk by James in the first meeting between the teams in November.

Seven months later, Duncan got even.

On the occasion of his fourth finals, the three-time finals MVP, arrived at the arena with a freshly shaved head - typically a sign that he's ready to step up his game. He has been reluctant to talk about his place in history or the Spurs' ascension to a dynasty level.

But if this game was any indication, San Antonio may soon have to be recognized as one of the league's great powers.

James, who first graced Sports Illustrated's cover when he was 17, entered the finals perhaps needing an NBA title to validate his greatness. There have been other elite players - Charles Barkley, John Stockton and George Gervin top the list - who never got a championship ring.

Does he feel he must win to be immortalized?

"That's not my room to say," James said. "When you look at guys who become greats, it's because of their athletic ability and their ability to do the things that they did as an individual. I don't get involved in individual things."

On Thursday, the Spurs didn't let him get involved at all.

Notes:@ Game 1 winners have gone on to win the series 17 of 23 times since 1984. ... American Idol winner Jordin Sparks sang the national anthem. ... The finals always bring out celebrities of all shapes and sizes as well as great former players including Julius Erving, Patrick Ewing, Clyde Drexler, Bob Lanier, David Robinson and Grant Hill. Erving spent time before the game chatting with actress Eva Longoria, Parker's fiancee. Later, when Erving was introduced to the crowd, Ewing bowed several times to salute "Dr. J." ... Horry is trying to win his seventh NBA title. "Big Shot Rob" won two with Houston (1994, 1995), three with the Los Angeles Lakers (2000-02) and one with San Antonio (2005).

Hooliganism raises security issue in Poland

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The latest incident of rampaging hooligans in Poland prompted officials on Wednesday to call for stricter measures to be implemented before the country hosts the 2012 European Championship.

The Polish Cup match between Legia Warsaw and Lech Poznan in Bydgoszcz ended in a riot Tuesday with police fighting hooligans who invaded the pitch and threw fire crackers, torn-out seats and metal objects.

Police used a water cannon on the hooligans, who caused about 40,000 zlotys ($13,000) in damages in a match won 5-4 on penalties by Legia.

In an email message to The Associated Press, UEFA said it is "aware of the incidents and will continue to work together with the various entities involved in security matters to develop and put in place all necessary measures."

The rioting has raised questions about security in the country ahead of Euro 2012, which Poland will co-host with Ukraine.

Poland Prime Minister Donald Tusk said his country had "many strict regulations" on stadium security and called on the authorities and match organizers to strictly adhere to them.

They should follow police guidance and close stadiums to fans if security could not be assured during matches, Tusk said.

He called for bans to be strictly enforced on hooligans and to punish anyone who brought dangerous objects into stadiums or covered their faces during disturbances.

On his part, Polish Football Federation President Grzegorz Lato blamed the law for giving football officials no means to bar hooligans from matches, and Bydgoszcz Mayor Rafal Bruski said the law and police inefficiency were to blame.

"We have no tools to fight pseudo fans," Lato told a news conference. "The police, the prosecutors and the courts have the tools. We have done all we could."

Lato said the rioting is a "scandal" and exposes the weakness of Poland's legislation.

He believes there should be no trouble in stadiums during Euro 2012 because most of the tickets will be sold to fans from various countries.

On Wednesday, the head of the police team responsible for fighting stadium hooliganism was suspended for writing to football authorities to ask them to issue a ticket to a man who is under a stadium ban and is known to have been violent.

Northwest mechanics closer to strike

Mechanics at Northwest Airlines may strike as early as Saturday,but big problems aren't expected here if a walkout occurs.

"We anticipate that passengers who are impacted by any strike thatcould take place could probably find service . . . from othercarriers," said Chicago Department of Aviation spokeswoman KristenCabanban.

More than 5,100 mechanics, airplane cleaners and custodiansrepresented by the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association havethreatened to strike as early as Saturday at the financially troubledairline, which is seeking $176 million in annual concessions from theunion -- a roughly 25 percent cut -- and to slash 2,500 jobs.

The airline has 24 round-trip daily flights out of O'Hare Airport,accounting for less than 2 percent of flights and passengers,according to the airline and the city.

At Midway Airport, Northwest has 15 daily round-trip flights,accounting for 2.4 percent of flight operations and 3.6 percent ofpassenger traffic, Cabanban said.

Northwest flies to Detroit, Memphis and Minneapolis from O'Hareand Midway. At O'Hare, American Airlines and United Airlines alsoservice those markets.

At Midway, no other airline provides service to Memphis, butSouthwest Airlines and ATA Airlines provide service to Detroit andMinneapolis, Cabanban said.

Northwest, the nation's fourth-largest airline with 1,500 dailydepartures, has 5,114 employees represented by AMFA, including 116 atO'Hare, said Northwest spokesman Scott Tennant.

He said the airline expects to be able to continue to fly its fullschedule if there is a strike. Northwest has roughly 1,500replacement mechanics and 300 to 350 managers trained to fill in if astrike occurs, he said.

Northwest has said it needs to reduce annual labor costs by $1.1billion as it works to avoid bankruptcy. It has won $300 million inwage and benefit cuts from pilots and managers and is in contracttalks with flight attendants and baggage handlers.

The airline resumed stalled talks with AMFA on Monday.

"It doesn't look like they're making great leaps in any areas,"AMFA spokesman Steve MacFarlane said Wednesday. "I'm not hopefulwe'll get a deal done."

An update posted on the union's Web site said: "While it appearswe are resolving language issues, we have not yet tentatively agreedto a complete article."

The wage and benefit cuts the airline is seeking aren't the mainstumbling blocks in talks, MacFarlane said.

"This isn't about money," he said. "This is about jobs, about ourjobs in the future . . . and about Northwest attempting to break theunion. Northwest has already eliminated 5,000 of our members' jobs.They want to eliminate another 2,500. That's 75 percent of our jobs.

". . .We're not opposed to giving concessions. We gave concessionsin 1983 and 1993."

US jobless benefit rolls fall, initial claims dip

The number of people on the unemployment insurance rolls fell slightly last week for the first time in 20 weeks, while the tally of new jobless claims also dipped, the government said Thursday.

The report provides a glimmer of good news for job seekers, though both drops were small and the figures remain significantly above the levels associated with a healthy economy.

The Labor Department said the tally of first-time claims for jobless benefits declined to a seasonally adjusted 621,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 625,000, nearly matching analysts' expectations.

The total jobless benefit rolls fell by 15,000 to 6.7 million, the first drop since early January. Continuing claims had set record highs every week since the week ending Jan. 24. The continuing claims data lag initial claims by one week.

Still, the number of initial claims remains stubbornly high, above the 605,000 level reached five weeks ago. That was the lowest level in 14 weeks.

The four-week average of claims, which smooths out fluctuations, rose by 4,000 to 631,250.

The report comes a day before the department is scheduled to release its unemployment report for May. Economists expect that report will show employers cut a net total of 520,000 jobs last month.

That's on top of 5.7 million jobs that have been lost since the recession began in December 2007.

The unemployment rate, meanwhile, will rise to 9.2 percent from 8.9 percent in April, analysts forecast.

Troubles in the automotive sector could cause unexpected fluctuations in the claims data. General Motors Corp. filed for bankruptcy protection Monday, joining Chrysler LLC, which filed April 30.

GM said earlier this week it will close nine factories and idle three others indefinitely as part of its restructuring. The closings, which will take place through the end of 2010, will cost 18,000 to 20,000 workers their jobs.

The company already planned to temporarily close 13 plants on a rolling basis this summer. Workers affected by the temporary shutdowns are eligible for unemployment benefits.

Chrysler, meanwhile, has temporarily idled all its U.S. factories after filing for bankruptcy protection, resulting in 27,000 layoffs. That decision caused claims to jump in the first week of May.

The shutdowns also could affect auto suppliers, which employ 3 million workers.

Initial claims are still below the peak for the current recession of 674,000 in late March. Many economists see the decline as a sign that layoffs outside the auto sector have peaked. But the unemployment insurance data remain significantly higher than a year ago, when initial claims were 370,000 and the total benefit rolls stood at 3 million.

Among the states, Illinois had the largest increase in claims, with 3,881, which it attributed to layoffs in the manufacturing and service industries. The next largest increases were in Iowa, South Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin. The state data lag initial claims by a week.

North Carolina had the largest drop in claims of 3,952, which it attributed to fewer layoffs in the construction, furniture and transportation industries. The next largest decreases were in Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee and Connecticut.

Clinton urges Russians to move past Cold War

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday challenged Russians to open up their political system and embrace diversity and dissent, saying Cold War-era thinking would limit their prosperity in the 21st century.

Clinton spoke to university students in Moscow and in Kazan, the capital of Russia's religiously and ethnically diverse republic of Tatarstan. The informal meetings, which wrapped up a five-day tour of Europe, were aimed at helping redefine U.S.-Russia relations.

Clinton appeared taken with oil-rich Tatarstan, where a mosque and church stand side by side inside the Kazan Kremlin. She talked with students about how their republic, with a moderate Muslim majority, could be a model for promoting religious tolerance.

"The level of religious tolerance and interfaith connection, the economic progress, the stability, is very impressive, but it also speaks to how we transfer these lessons," she said.

In Moscow, she stressed to the students that Russia's prosperity was dependent on its willingness to cultivate core freedoms, including the freedom to participate in the political process.

"Citizens must be empowered to help formulate the laws under which they live," she told about 2,000 students at Moscow State University. "They need to know that their investments of time, money and intellectual property will be safeguarded by the institutions of government."

Her message to the students appeared aimed in part at countering the fears of Russia's beleaguered liberal democrats that the U.S. would no longer seek to hold the Kremlin accountable for the rollback of democracy and violations of human rights in exchange for Russia's cooperation on Iran and Afghanistan.

"In an innovative society, people must be free to take unpopular positions, disagree with conventional wisdom, know they are safe to challenge abuses of authority," Clinton said.

"That's why attacks on journalists and human rights defenders here in Russia is such a great concern: because it is a threat to progress," she said, standing in front of the university auditorium's monumental Soviet mosaic topped by a red hammer and sickle.

Clinton told the students that one of the books that most affected her life was "The Brothers Karamazov" by Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky, in particular the parable of the Grand Inquisitor, which she saw as "an object lesson against servitude."

"I believe one of the greatest responsibilities we have as human beings is to open ourselves up to the possibility that we could be wrong," she said. "One of the greatest threats we face is from people who believe they are absolutely, certainly right about everything and they have the only truth and it was passed onto them by God."

Clinton returned to a favorite theme of President Barack Obama's _ the need to move past the Cold War.

"We have people in our government and you have people in your government who are still living in the past," she said. "They do not believe the United States and Russia can cooperate to this extent. They do not trust each other and we have to prove them wrong."

In closing, she expressed hope that Russians and Americans would come to feel like partners.

"I choose partnership and I choose to put aside being a child of the Cold War. I choose to move beyond the rhetoric and the propaganda that came from my government and yours," she said, telling them: "That's a choice every one of us can make every single day."

The students responded with polite applause.

The U.S. is seeking Russia's support for tough new sanctions if Iran fails to prove its nuclear program is peaceful. But Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dealt Clinton a setback Tuesday, saying Moscow believed such threats were "counterproductive" and that only negotiations should be pursued now.

In an interview that aired Wednesday on ABC's "Good Morning America," Clinton insisted she was still "very pleased by how supportive the Russians have been."

"I believe if sanctions become necessary, we will have support from Russia," she said.

Prior to the meeting with students, Clinton attended the unveiling of a statue of the American poet Walt Whitman on the university's campus.

In Kazan, Clinton was met at the airport by Tatarstan's longtime leader, Mintimer Shaimiyev, who took her on a tour of the Kazan Kremlin, including its Kul Sharif Mosque and Annunciation Cathedral.

"You are well known as someone who has fostered religious tolerance," she told Tatarstan's president. "It really is a wonderful example of what can be done if people work together."

Clinton returns to Washington late Wednesday.

Scientists Examine Cause of Bee Die-Off

LEWISBURG, Pa. - Scientists investigating a mysterious ailment that killed many of the nation's honeybees are concentrating on pesticides and a new pathogen as possible culprits, and some beekeepers are already trying to keep their colonies away from pesticide-exposed fields.

After months of study, researchers are finding it difficult to tie the die-off to any single factor, said Maryann Frazier, a senior extension associate in Penn State University's entomology department.

"Two things right now ... that are really keeping us focused are the pathogen and the role of pesticides," Frazier said.

Scientists from Penn State and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are …

BIRDS, SNAKES PLEASE LIBRARY CROWDS.(LOCAL/WISCONSIN)

Byline: Sandy Cullen Wisconsin State Journal

The snakes and raptors at two Madison libraries Saturday weren't confined to the pages of books.

At Hawthorne Branch Library on the East Side, a black rat snake did tricks for about 60 children and parents as part of herpetologist Tom Kessenich's Snakes Alive! presentation.

And at Lakeview Branch Library on the North Side, about 100 youngsters and adults got to know an Eastern screech owl, a red tail hawk, a peregrine falcon and a barn owl by name.

"Each of these birds has a story," said Dianne Moller, who rehabilitated each of them at her Hoo's Woods Raptor Center in Milton.

Tommy the screech owl was born with one deformed eye, Moller said, adding that his mother was probably exposed to a pesticide. Josie, a red tail hawk, lost her depth perception after contracting West Nile virus and was hit by a car and lost an eye.

Maggie, a peregrine falcon, developed an infection on her feet and lost partial use of a foot, and P.J., a white-faced barn owl, never developed the know-how to live in the wild because people tried to raise him when he was young.

Now, like Moller, they are educators, teaching youngsters and adults about the important the role raptors play in the balance of nature and the need to protect them and their threatened habitats. Peregrine falcons are an endangered species, and barn owls are extinct in Wisconsin.

"They're out and they're among us. We have a responsibility to learn as much as we can about them," said Mary Christison of Madison, who brought her son, Colin, 8, to the program.

"I learned the calls that they make and that sometimes they can't go back to the wild," said Dalton McGowan, 7, of Madison.

Audience members also learned other fun and fascinating facts. A screech owl's eyes make up 5 percent of its body weight, Moller said, adding that at the same ratio, people would have eyes the size of oranges.

Youngsters had to speak softly and keep a safe distance from the birds, which at time flapped their wings majestically. That wasn't the case at Kessenich's Snakes Alive! program, where anyone could touch a Northern pine snake - if they wanted.

"Snakes can't hear, but they can feel the love," Kessenich said, encouraging his audience to enthusiastically voice their desire to see a Northern water snake nestled inside the pillow case he held.

Programs such as these bring families into the library, where children and adults can immerse themselves in any subject, said Kessenich, who turned his lifelong hobby and passion into a business four years ago to foster an understanding and appreciation of reptiles and their diminishing habitats.

Kessenich attempted to dispel people's aversion to touching snakes because they are "slimy" by engaging youngsters and their parents in a round of Simon Says. Then he informed them that snakeskin is made of the same thing as their hair and fingernails, which they had just touched.

"Now who said herpetology isn't fun?" Kessenich asked before getting his black rat snake to do some tricks. First, he tied the snake's body in a knot.

"It looks like a pretzel," Kessenich said, pretending to take a bite as the snake demonstrated its Houdini-like escape.

Next, Kessenich dangled the snake by its tail and asked the audience to call out, "Up, Simba," prompting the snake to raise its head up the length of its body in a demonstration of its climbing capability.

Kessenich said he believes people have a primal curiosity, if not a connection, to snakes and other reptiles. "These things have been around a lot longer than we lived," he said.

When it comes to snakes, they also have a primal fear, said Kessenich, who attributes that to the biblical story of the Garden of Eden, which imbued snakes with a sense of evil and mysteriousness.

"I think that's changing," Kessenich said.

His entertaining program changed the way at least one person feels about snakes.

"My fear is gone," said Jill Stewart of Madison, whose 3-year-old daughter, Christina Timberlake, was among the youngsters eager to touch the nearly 7-foot-long Northern pine snake.

"It tickles," Christina said, laughing as the snake licked her with its tongue.

Joshua Feran of Waunakee said snakes are his favorite. "They're so cool," said Joshua, 7, who is impressed with their capability to camouflage and shed their skin.

Lisa Koenig of Madison said she would rather get her 6-year-old daughter, Daley, a snake than a Barbie doll.

Snakes Alive also offers a novel alternative for birthday gatherings. "Instead of going to Chuck E. Cheese, you can have snakes and things come to your house," Kessenich said. "It's called Snake and Cake."

Contact Sandy Cullen at scullen@madison.com or 252-6137.

CAPTION(S):

John Maniaci - State Journal

Seven-year-old Joshua Feran of Waunakee gets up close and personal with a 6 1/2-foot Northern pine snake held by herpetologist Tom Kessenich after his Snakes Alive! presentation Saturday at the Hawthorne Branch Library in Madison.

BIRDS, SNAKES PLEASE LIBRARY CROWDS.(LOCAL/WISCONSIN)

Byline: Sandy Cullen Wisconsin State Journal

The snakes and raptors at two Madison libraries Saturday weren't confined to the pages of books.

At Hawthorne Branch Library on the East Side, a black rat snake did tricks for about 60 children and parents as part of herpetologist Tom Kessenich's Snakes Alive! presentation.

And at Lakeview Branch Library on the North Side, about 100 youngsters and adults got to know an Eastern screech owl, a red tail hawk, a peregrine falcon and a barn owl by name.

"Each of these birds has a story," said Dianne Moller, who rehabilitated each of them at her Hoo's Woods Raptor Center in Milton.

Tommy the screech owl was born with one deformed eye, Moller said, adding that his mother was probably exposed to a pesticide. Josie, a red tail hawk, lost her depth perception after contracting West Nile virus and was hit by a car and lost an eye.

Maggie, a peregrine falcon, developed an infection on her feet and lost partial use of a foot, and P.J., a white-faced barn owl, never developed the know-how to live in the wild because people tried to raise him when he was young.

Now, like Moller, they are educators, teaching youngsters and adults about the important the role raptors play in the balance of nature and the need to protect them and their threatened habitats. Peregrine falcons are an endangered species, and barn owls are extinct in Wisconsin.

"They're out and they're among us. We have a responsibility to learn as much as we can about them," said Mary Christison of Madison, who brought her son, Colin, 8, to the program.

"I learned the calls that they make and that sometimes they can't go back to the wild," said Dalton McGowan, 7, of Madison.

Audience members also learned other fun and fascinating facts. A screech owl's eyes make up 5 percent of its body weight, Moller said, adding that at the same ratio, people would have eyes the size of oranges.

Youngsters had to speak softly and keep a safe distance from the birds, which at time flapped their wings majestically. That wasn't the case at Kessenich's Snakes Alive! program, where anyone could touch a Northern pine snake - if they wanted.

"Snakes can't hear, but they can feel the love," Kessenich said, encouraging his audience to enthusiastically voice their desire to see a Northern water snake nestled inside the pillow case he held.

Programs such as these bring families into the library, where children and adults can immerse themselves in any subject, said Kessenich, who turned his lifelong hobby and passion into a business four years ago to foster an understanding and appreciation of reptiles and their diminishing habitats.

Kessenich attempted to dispel people's aversion to touching snakes because they are "slimy" by engaging youngsters and their parents in a round of Simon Says. Then he informed them that snakeskin is made of the same thing as their hair and fingernails, which they had just touched.

"Now who said herpetology isn't fun?" Kessenich asked before getting his black rat snake to do some tricks. First, he tied the snake's body in a knot.

"It looks like a pretzel," Kessenich said, pretending to take a bite as the snake demonstrated its Houdini-like escape.

Next, Kessenich dangled the snake by its tail and asked the audience to call out, "Up, Simba," prompting the snake to raise its head up the length of its body in a demonstration of its climbing capability.

Kessenich said he believes people have a primal curiosity, if not a connection, to snakes and other reptiles. "These things have been around a lot longer than we lived," he said.

When it comes to snakes, they also have a primal fear, said Kessenich, who attributes that to the biblical story of the Garden of Eden, which imbued snakes with a sense of evil and mysteriousness.

"I think that's changing," Kessenich said.

His entertaining program changed the way at least one person feels about snakes.

"My fear is gone," said Jill Stewart of Madison, whose 3-year-old daughter, Christina Timberlake, was among the youngsters eager to touch the nearly 7-foot-long Northern pine snake.

"It tickles," Christina said, laughing as the snake licked her with its tongue.

Joshua Feran of Waunakee said snakes are his favorite. "They're so cool," said Joshua, 7, who is impressed with their capability to camouflage and shed their skin.

Lisa Koenig of Madison said she would rather get her 6-year-old daughter, Daley, a snake than a Barbie doll.

Snakes Alive also offers a novel alternative for birthday gatherings. "Instead of going to Chuck E. Cheese, you can have snakes and things come to your house," Kessenich said. "It's called Snake and Cake."

Contact Sandy Cullen at scullen@madison.com or 252-6137.

CAPTION(S):

John Maniaci - State Journal

Seven-year-old Joshua Feran of Waunakee gets up close and personal with a 6 1/2-foot Northern pine snake held by herpetologist Tom Kessenich after his Snakes Alive! presentation Saturday at the Hawthorne Branch Library in Madison.