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Forty UNDER 40: Brian Edward Shunk, 37

2012-03-15T06:45:00.000-07:00

Brian Edward Shunk was brought onboard by Pittsburgh's Trans Associates Engineering Consultants Inc. in May 1998 to begin a fulltime presence by the firm in the Harrisburg area. Since then, the office staff has grown from one person to six.

Trans Associates is a civil engineering firm specializing in transportation project development. The firm offers services as transportation planners, as well as designers. The firm's main office in Pittsburgh has 31 employees.

As the Harrisburg office manager and project manager for Trans Associates, Shunk is responsible for the development of the firm's traffic engineering and planning activities throughout Central …

Unusual four-legged creatures found at golf course

2012-03-15T04:19:00.000-07:00

The O'Brien County sheriff's office is looking for the owner of two unusual four-legged creatures found wandering on a golf course in Primghar. Two hinnies, a cross between a stallion and a female donkey, were found about two weeks ago.

Deputy Dean Fjeld said officials corralled the pair and took them a city pasture. So …

Garza throws eight innings as Cubs top Reds

2012-03-15T01:58:00.000-07:00

CHICAGO - Matt Garza pitched eight strong innings, Aramis Ramirezhad a tiebreaking two-run single, and the Chicago Cubs beat theCincinnati Reds 4-3 on Monday.

Garza (8-10) gave up six hits and three runs - one earned - whilestriking out eight and walking three to win for just the second timeat home since June 27. Carlos Marmol finished up for his 32nd save.

Ramirez had his two-run single in the fifth, walked twice andscored a run. Starlin Castro added a single, walk and two runs.

Dontrelle Willis (0-5) allowed six hits and four runs over seveninnings, striking out eight and walking five on a crisp day atWrigley Field. Drew Stubbs singled, walked and …

Fla. Firefighter Searched Burning Homes

2012-03-14T23:35:00.000-07:00

SANFORD, Fla. - Ryan Cooper was standing in his driveway when he saw the small plane crash into his neighborhood, setting two homes ablaze. Minutes later, the off-duty firefighter dashed into the houses in search of survivors.

The fast-moving blaze was being fed by hundreds of gallons of aviation fuel pouring from one floor to the next as Cooper groped through the smoke and flames without an air pack.

He rescued a 10-year-old boy, then went back for the father. He also tried to save neighbors in the burning house next door but couldn't find anyone before a police officer pulled him out for his own safety.

In one of the homes, "the conditions on the outside had …

International donors pledge aid toward creating Palestinian state

2012-03-14T21:14:00.000-07:00

Donors began committing funds from around the world Monday for the moribund Palestinian economy amid a renewed international push for a Palestinian state.

Mideast envoy Tony Blair called it not just a donors' conference but also a "state-building conference." The meeting's host, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, called it a turning point in Mideast peace efforts after Israeli-Palestinian negotiations resumed last week after seven stalled years.

"What we must do now is work together before the end of 2008 for the creation of an independent, democratic, viable Palestinian state," Sarkozy said in a speech to representatives from nearly 90 …

Davydenko ousted in 2nd round of Malaysian Open

2012-03-14T18:54:00.000-07:00

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Defending champion Nikolay Davydenko crashed out of the Malaysian Open in the second round on Wednesday, beaten by fellow Russian Igor Andreev.

Andreev won 7-6 (7-5), 5-7, 6-3 in 2 hours, 47 minutes in stifling heat for his first victory over Davydenko in seven years.

Davydenko, who got a bye in the first round, looked to be on course for a relatively straightforward victory when he led 5-1 in the first-set tiebreak, but Andreev found his range with his forehand and rattled off six points in a row to steal it.

Davydenko started the second set on fire, racing to a 5-1 lead, and although Andreev fought back to level it 5-5, Davydenko took the …

Helping HR Professionals Make Web Connections

2012-03-14T16:34:00.000-07:00

Generation X relies on social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace to keep up with their friends. Recruiters and human resources managers now have their own networkTalent Trader(R) - to connect and fill jobs nationwide.

Developed by Londonderry-based HireAbility, Talent Trader(R) is a member-only online professional network for recruiters that includes chat rooms, forums, candidate listings, and rankings for staffing agencies based on their placement history.

"It's what we think is the new generation of products of this type," says Craig Silverman, executive vice president of sales and marketing for HireAbility, a recruiting services and software company. "The staffing …

Taiwan's Modern Political History

2012-03-14T14:13:00.000-07:00

Major events in Taiwan's modern political history:

_October 1945: Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalists reclaim control of Taiwan for China, after 50 years of colonial rule by Japan.

_1949: Chiang and hundreds of thousands of Nationalist troops, officials and their families retreat to Taiwan after losing the Chinese civil war to Mao Zedong's Communists on the mainland. Martial law is imposed. Taipei becomes the seat of the government of the Republic of China.

_October 1971: As Nixon administration achieves detente with Mao's regime, Taiwan expelled from the United Nations and the world body's China seat goes to Beijing.

_April 1975: Chiang …

A little bacteria may be good for your health

2012-03-14T11:53:00.000-07:00

A man-made version of bacterial DNA allowed mice to fight off aform of inflammatory bowel disease, researchers report in a newstudy.

The findings give more support to the idea that a certain amountof bacterial exposure may be needed for animals and humans to remainhealthy.

"We've shown that synthetic bacterial DNA prompts the immunesystem to safely respond to the onset of inflammatory bowel disease,"said Dr. Eyal Raz, an associate professor of medicine at theUniversity of California-San Diego and senior author of the study inthe May issue of the journal Gastroenterology, published today.

"Previous studies have shown the beneficial effects of bacterialDNA in …

Report to identify takeover targets

2012-03-14T09:32:00.000-07:00

An upcoming Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council report could identify takeover targets for Health Management Associates and other forprofit hospital companies.

The report, due to be released in April, will examine the financial strength of general, acute-care hospitals statewide. Hospitals that show sustained losses might become acquisition targets for companies such as HMA, said Nancy Bell of the Hospital & Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania.

"There are only so many years that you can have continuing losses before you get into a bind," said Bell, vice president of health care finance and insurance for the Swatara Township, Dauphin County-based …

Zimbabwe leader, rival meet and sign deal on talks

2012-03-14T07:12:00.000-07:00

Zimbabwe's longtime president and his bitter opposition foe met Monday _ for the first time in a decade _ to sign an agreement paving the way for immediate talks on resolving the country's protracted political crisis.

President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai signed the breakthrough deal committing both sides to creating a "genuine viable, permanent and sustainable solution" within two weeks.

The talks will begin Thursday in Pretoria, the South African capital, according to an opposition official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

The deal _ which comes nearly three …

Ex-DePaul star:

2012-03-14T04:52:00.000-07:00

Kevin Holmes, a four-year basketball starter at DePaul in the 1980s, didn't hesitate when presented with a scheduling conflict last week.

Grover Cleveland High School in Reseda, Calif., planned to retire his jersey number Friday while his eldest son, Andre, would be waiting near Hillsdale College in Michigan to see when and if he's selected in the NFL draft.

''It's kind of unfortunate that it happened around the same time,'' Holmes said. ''But that [decision] was a no-brainer. This is a big time in my son's life, and I definitely have to be there for him. I'm an old guy. My window has closed. It's his time now.''

Andre Holmes didn't generate much of a buzz at …

On the air today

2012-03-14T02:10:00.000-07:00

9 a.m. NASCAR Nationwide: Zippo 200 pole qualify ESPN2

11 a.m. PGA Tour/WGC: Bridgestone Invitational Golf

11 a.m. NASCAR Sprint: Heluva Good! practice Speed

Noon CFL: Argonauts at Alouettes (tape delay) CSN

12:30 p.m. NASCAR Sprint: Heluva Good! final practice ESPN2

1 p.m. PGA Tour/WGC: Bridgestone Invitational Ch.2

2 p.m. NASCAR Nationwide: Zippo 200 ESPN2

2 p.m. Golf: U.S. Women's Amateur Champ. (delay) Golf

2:30 p.m. Harness racing: Hambletonian Ch.5

3 p.m. MLB: Red Sox at Yankees Fox-32/1000-AM

3:30 p.m. Horse racing: Arlington Million & Beverly D. ESPN

3:30 p.m. Volleyball: Hermosa Beach Open (women's final) Ch.5

5:30 p.m. PGA Tour: Reno-Tahoe Open Golf

6 p.m. NFL: Pro Football Hall of Fame Induction ESPN

6 p.m. Men's tennis: Legg Mason Classic ESPN2

6:05 p.m. MLB: Indians at White Sox Ch.9/670-AM

7:10 p.m. MLB: Cubs at Rockies CSN/720-AM

9 p.m. Women's tennis: L.A. Championships ESPN2

in town

� TODAY: Comcast Bears Family Day, presented by Chase and co-sponsored by the Sun-Times. Beginning at noon at Soldier Field, fans can watch the Bears practice and take part in various family activities. Tickets available at Ticketmaster outlets, by calling (800) 745-3000 and online at www.ticketmaster.com.

� TODAY: Long Island Lizards at Machine (Major League Lacrosse), 7 p.m., Toyota Park, Bridgeview. Go to chicagomachine.com.

� SUNDAY: Iowa Cubs vs. Las Vegas 51's (Class AAA), 1:20 p.m., Wrigley Field. Future stars will be on the field, entertainment will be featured, and ticket prices start at $5. Go to cubs.com.

Coping with Crisis: International Financial Institutions in the Interwar Period

2012-03-13T23:18:00.000-07:00

Coping with Crisis: International Financial Institutions in the Interwar Period. Edited by Makoto Kasuya. Oxford: Oxford University Press. xiv + 235 pp. Index, notes, figures, tables. Cloth, $70.00. ISBN 0-199-25931-3.

Some books should come emblazoned with a sticker reading "Caution: Conference Volume Ahead." In this case, your reviewer was fooled by the publisher's blurb, which promises a systematic analysis of how financial institutions coped with the turbulence of the 1920s and 1930s. "Leading international authorities," the back cover announces, "examine the circumstances and strategies of financial institutions in the UK, Germany, the US, France and Japan. They explain how various types of financial institution competed and cooperated in the 1920s, how they escaped the Great Depression (or why they could not), and how they adapted to the new business environment, namely the government regulations of the 19303."

These questions are of considerable interest. Despite the turbulence of the financial environment, banks and banking systems fared very differently in the 1920s and 1930s, depending on their circumstances, strategies, and management. Australian banks were singularly conservative in their lending policies and investment strategies; institutional memory of the bank failures of the 1890s evidently rendered them once burned, twice shy. Canadian banks were prevented from indulging in the worst financial excesses of the 1920s by restrictions on their ability to lend against real estate. U.S. banks were prevented from efficiently diversifying their portfolios by limits on interstate branching. In Germany, incestuous links with industry and heavy reliance on short-term foreign deposits brought the entire banking system crashing down. In Austria, loans to industry were encouraged by implicit government guarantees extended in return for the banks' complicity in the authorities' industrial policy. At the systemic level, the gold standard limited the capacity of central banks to act as lenders of last resort. In some cases, inadequate comprehension of the responsibilities of a last-resort lender prevented this institutional capacity from even being tested. Diplomatic disputes between France and Germany prevented the Bank for International Settlements from being effectively enlisted to contain the German banking crisis. In all these cases, the parallels with current concerns are obvious.

That we receive less than a systematic analysis of these issues is perhaps unsurprising when we learn that the volume is made up of the proceedings of the twenty-sixth International Conference on Business History, held in September 2000 in Japan. This is not to question the appropriateness of the venue. Japan having been in the grip of a banking crisis for a decade, the fragility of financial systems and the challenge to banks' business strategies posed by the collapse of an asset price bubble would have only served to point up the importance of these historical studies. Several chapters hint at the special sense of urgency that was no doubt evident at the conference. Still, that we get a hodgepodge of studies grouped under the headings "commercial banking," "universal banking," and "insurance and securities" is an unavoidable consequence of the format.

A more useful way of categorizing the contributions may be as economic and business history. The economic historians give priority to the macroeconomic and regulatory environment as a determinant of bank behavior and treat individual management strategies as interesting complications. Thus, Michael Collins and Mae Baker explain British banks' preference for short-term lending, which persisted in the face of intense moral suasion to lengthen the tenor of their commitments, not as a strategic insight of particular managers but as a response to the broader information and contracting environment. Eugene White shows that the trend in the other direction in the United States, toward more long-term lending, was not so much a change in management strategy as a consequence of the regulatory innovations of the New Deal. The business historians, in contrast, see individual banks and their managers as prime movers and the macroeconomic and regulatory environment as leaving considerable room for distinctive management strategies. Thus, Shingi Ogura explains changes in the lending policies of Mitsui Bank in terms of management's loosening ties with the House of Mitsui.

The most successful attempt to straddle these two perspectives is the chapter by Eric Bussiere. Using Paribas as a window on the broader class of French banques d'affaires, Bussiere shows how the choices made by its management reflected not only the broad economic and political context of the time-such as the inflation of the 1920s, which eroded its equity base, and legal restrictions on the export of long-term capital-but also the influence of several of its top executives, such as the Belgian H. Urban, who helped to lead the bank toward the model of universal banking as it was practiced in Belgium.

More straddling is clearly called for. Bank history is a flourishing subfield of business history, in part because banks keep copious records, even if they are not always prepared to make them available to independent scholars. Many banks have the resources to commission official histories. Recent scandals remind us that managing directors and executives are not automatons; they play an autonomous role in determining whether banks indulge in the excesses of periods of irrational exuberance, like the late 1920s and late 1990s, and in guiding their banks successfully through the changes necessary for adapting to the exigencies of growing competition. That said, it is not possible to understand why management responded as it did without reference to the broader macroeconomic and regulatory framework. In Japan, for example, management was constrained by tight regulations imposed as early as 1928 in response to an earlier wave of bank runs. In Britain, the stability of the banks was ensured by the mildness of the post-1929 slump, reflecting in part the country's early departure from the gold standard. Compared to these factors, one can argue that individual management strategies were of only second-order importance. In future scholarship, it would be useful to see the analysis of management strategies and macroeconomic factors-in other words, business history and economic history-integrated more tightly.

[Author Affiliation]

Barry Eichengreen is George C. Pardee and Helen N. Pardee Professor of Economics and Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. His most recent books are Financial Crises and What to Do about Them (2002) and Capital Flows and Crises (2003).

Eurozone leaders boost bailout fund lending capacity to 440 billion euros

2012-03-13T20:26:00.000-07:00

BRUSSELS (AP) — Eurozone leaders boost bailout fund lending capacity to 440 billion euros.

Miller lifts Sabres to 3-1 win

2012-03-13T17:34:00.000-07:00

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Ryan Miller made 35 saves to help the Buffalo Sabres beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1 on Friday night.

Jordan Leopold, Thomas Vanek and Patrick Kaleta scored for Buffalo. The Sabres improved to 9-12-3, snapping a two-game losing streak and beating Toronto for the 16th time in their last 19 meetings.

Miller returned from a two-game absence because of a minor groin injury, and improved to 23-8-0 lifetime against the Maple Leafs.

Jonas Gustavsson made 25 saves for Toronto, 8-10-3 overall and winless in its last seven road games.

Phil Kessel spoiled Miller's shutout bid with 3:27 left when he scored a short-handed goal after a giveaway by Leopold.

With Buffalo up 2-0 after the first period, Miller single-handedly preserved the two-goal advantage through the second period. He turned aside all 15 shots the Maple Leafs sent his way in the middle frame, while the Sabres were held without a shot for a 16-minute span in the period.

Buffalo struck first with a pair of power-play goals 1:45 apart in the first period to take a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes.

Leopold opened the scoring with his sixth of the season, ripping a slap shot from the middle of the blue line past Gustavsson at 6:05 of the opening period. It was Buffalo's first shot of the game.

Vanek then gave the Sabres a two-goal edge while Buffalo was up two men, potting his ninth of the year with a slap shot from the top of the left circle.

Kaleta upped Buffalo's lead to 3-0 with a short-handed goal with 9:02 left in the third period. The Sabres' tough guy backhanded in a rebound for his third of the season after Gustavsson stopped Paul Gaustad's slap shot from the left circle.

NOTES: Sabres C Tim Connolly missed his second straight game because of a groin injury. ... Buffalo finished its four-game homestand with a 2-2-0 mark. ... Toronto RW Mike Brown was scratched after taking a shot in the midsection during Wednesday's practice. ... The Sabres have scored on their first shot in two of their last three games. ... Buffalo came in with the 28th ranked power-play unit at home after converting on only five of its 46 man-advantage opportunities (10.9 percent).

World steel output down 21 pct in first 6 months

2012-03-13T14:41:00.000-07:00

World steel output plunged 21.3 percent in the first six months of 2009 from a year ago, the main steel industry group said Monday.

Chinese and Indian steel makers were the only major producers to increase output in the first half, the World Steel Association said. China, up 1.2 percent, makes more steel than any other nation. India expanded its steel production by 1.3 percent.

North American output almost halved while European output was down 43.2 percent. Asian steel makers _ which make nearly two thirds of world steel _ were down far less, by 7.8 percent.

The group said the pace of this contraction slowed down in June, when world output fell 16 percent from the same month last year.

Global steel output fell last year after climbing for six years on higher demand for the metal that supports buildings and is turned into cars and machinery.

The downturn comes after steel makers built up massive stocks, expecting that demand from emerging economies would surge despite recession in richer nations. Many of them, including the world's largest, ArcelorMittal, are now laying off workers and trimming steel output.

The association represents 18 of the world's largest steel companies which jointly make 85 percent of global steel.

Roadside Bomb Kills 7 Iraqi Police

2012-03-13T11:42:00.000-07:00

BAGHDAD - A roadside bomb exploded near a police patrol, killing at least seven officers in a Shiite area south of Baghdad that has seen fierce clashes between rival militia factions.

To the north, a suicide bomber driving an explosives-laden truck struck a checkpoint manned by Kurdish forces in a volatile province where U.S. commanders have decided to begin the drawdown of American forces, marking a turning point in the mission.

The attack in a mountainous area near the Iranian border killed at least one Kurdish soldier and wounding more than 10 others, a spokesman for the Kurdish forces said.

The spokesman, Jabbar Yawir, said the dead and wounded men were part of a brigade that arrived in the region last month as part of a U.S.-Iraqi security crackdown that began in February.

Several U.S. officials told The Associated Press that in December, the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division will not be replaced when it returns from Diyala to its home base at Fort Hood, Texas. Instead, soldiers from another brigade in Salahuddin province next door will expand into Diyala, thereby broadening its area of responsibility.

In this way, the number of Army ground combat brigades in Iraq will fall from 20 to 19, reflecting President Bush's bid to begin reducing the American military force and shifting its role away from fighting the insurgency toward more support functions like training and advising Iraqi security forces.

Iraqi forces are frequently targeted by extremists on both sides of the sectarian divide trying to deal a blow to U.S.-led efforts to enable the national troops to take over security so American forces can go home.

Police officials in Diyala province, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to release the information, said two Kurdish soldiers had been killed and 12 wounded in the 8:30 a.m. attack near Jalula, 80 miles northeast of Baghdad.

Nobody claimed responsibility for the attack against the Kurdish troops, but the suicide bombing bore the hallmarks of al-Qaida in Iraq, which has staged several attacks recently after promising an offensive to coincide with the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which ended this week.

Wednesday's deadliest attack occurred before dawn just east of Diwaniyah, 80 miles south of Baghdad, when a three-vehicle police convoy was struck by a roadside bomb. Authorities said seven policemen, including the patrol leader, were killed.

The area around Diwaniyah has seen recent clashes among rival Shiite groups, along with violence against U.S.-led forces. Suspected militia fighters fired mortars at two military bases and shot at a Polish helicopter south of Baghdad on Monday, prompting a gunbattle that left as five Iraqi civilians dead and scores wounded, including two Polish soldiers.

U.S. commanders have said that the increase in troops ordered by Bush in January - and the increased operations that followed - have left al-Qaida fractured and pushed militants into remote parts of the north and south of the country. Additional operations have been going after those pockets of fighters.

Officials have cited a drop in suicide bombings from more than 60 in January to some 30 a month since July, along with a decrease in the flow of foreign fighters across the borders. But they acknowledge they have been unable to stop the car bombings and suicide attacks usually blamed on the group and said they still face a tough fight.

Iraqis have enjoyed periods of relative calm in the past, particularly after the killing last year of al-Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, but the group has proven resilient in finding new recruits and tactics to maintain the violence.

U.S. troops captured 15 suspected militants in operations targeted al-Qaida on Wednesday in Tikrit, Ramadi, Baqouba and Mosul. Those captured were accused of helping smuggle foreign fighters and weapons into Iraq, including five with alleged connections to Syrian-based extremists.

In other violence Wednesday, a bomb exploded near a residential building in the predominantly Shiite neighborhood of Zafaraniyah, killing two civilians and wounding two others, police said.

Gunmen also kidnapped four shepherds, including a 15-year-old boy, south of Baghdad, according to police.

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Associated Press writer Robert Burns in Washington contributed to this report.

Brownback Won't Block Vote on Judge

2012-03-13T08:34:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON - Republican presidential candidate Sam Brownback grilled a judge who attended a same-sex union ceremony in 2002, but said he would no longer block her nomination.

Brownback, a Kansas senator who opposes gay marriage, last year held up the nomination of Janet T. Neff to be a federal District Court judge in Michigan.

The Senate Judiciary Committee had cleared Neff for the post, but Brownback had questions about her role in the same-sex ceremony, which surfaced because of a wedding announcement in The New York Times.

The senator said in December he would stop blocking her nomination if he could question her and get a roll-call vote on the nomination by the full Senate.

Brownback questioned her during a hearing Thursday. Neff said the ceremony, held in September 2002 in Massachusetts, was for the daughter of close family friends and her partner. Neff said she gave a homily, but did not preside over the service.

"But the ceremony itself, you would classify as what you would call a commitment ceremony?" Brownback asked.

"That is, I think, what it was called at the time," Neff said.

"And was it a marriage ceremony?" Brownback asked.

"It was not," Neff said.

Michigan has a state constitutional ban on gay marriage that prohibits recognition of civil unions or same-sex partnerships.

Asked whether she believes there is a constitutional right for same-sex couples to marry, Neff said she could not answer, because the matter is pending in state and federal courts.

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PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (AP) - Presidential hopeful Bill Richardson asked members of the nation's largest firefighters' union Thursday to compare his labor record to his Democratic rivals' rhetoric.

"I've done it. I don't just say I'm for it: I've done it," the New Mexico governor said at an International Association of Fire Fighters convention.

"There are a lot of candidates who will come up and take a picture with you and make you promises, but when it's time to deliver, maybe they'll be with you. ... I'll always be with you," he said.

In 2003, Richardson signed a law requiring the state, cities, counties and school boards to negotiate with unionized workers. The law replaced one that had lapsed several years earlier.

"Those were dark, dark ages for us," said Emily Kane, president of the New Mexico Firefighters Association. After Richardson signed the law, wages for firefighters increased "to the point people are fighting to get into the departments," she said.

"When he takes office in 2009, my loss is going to be your gain," she told her peers from around the country.

Richardson said he also supported unions during his 15 years in Congress and as Energy Secretary, when he proposed a health care compensation package for union workers who built nuclear weapons. He said that as president, he would help firefighters by ensuring they have the equipment, training and protected pensions they deserve, and he also would appoint someone with a labor background as labor secretary.

"I want you to look in my eye: I will fight for you," he said.

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WASHINGTON (AP) - Part with his four beloved World Series rings? Not a chance, says Rudy Giuliani, presidential hopeful and lifelong New York Yankees fan.

"I do not intend to sell them. There is nothing anybody could offer me for them that I would take for them," the former New York City mayor told reporters Wednesday in Huntsville, Ala.

The Republican defended his ownership of the commemorative jewelry after The Village Voice reported that he has four diamond-and-gold rings - one for every world championship the Yankees won while he was mayor. Giuliani's name is inscribed in the 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000 rings.

The newspaper raised questions about special treatment for Giuliani and the price that he paid for the items typically limited to the players and members of the organization.

"I paid for all of them. I got them all after I was mayor. I have checks totaling about $14,000 to $16,000, I don't remember, paying for them all. I paid precisely what anybody else would pay," he said.

Giuliani said he had no plans to sell them, "which is the only thing that would implicate the idea that they might be worth more money."

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COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Long-shot Republican presidential candidate John Cox on Thursday asked a federal court to stop next week's GOP presidential debate unless he can take part, claiming in a lawsuit that the South Carolina GOP and Fox News Channel rigged their selection process to exclude him.

Ten candidates were invited to the May 15 debate sponsored by the South Carolina Republican Party and Fox. The 10 participated in last week's debate in California.

At issue is the standard the two organizations used to decide who could participate in the debate: requiring a candidate to earn at least 1 percent of support in state and national polls leading up to the early May deadline for registering in the state's primary. Cox's lawsuit claims his name was not used in the lone state poll that was used to gauge voter support.

Cox, a Chicago businessman, claims in the lawsuit that his rights will be violated and asks to be declared eligible for the debate.

The state party and Fox News had no immediate comment.

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Associated Press Writers Holly Ramer in Portsmouth, N.H., and Liz Sidoti in Washington contributed to this report.

Lucci gets 17th chance to win Emmy

2012-03-13T04:41:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK Perennial Emmy loser Susan Lucci and fellow soapveteran Genie Francis were among the nominees Wednesday for DaytimeEmmy Awards.

Lucci, who plays nasty Erica Kane on ABC's "All My Children,"has been nominated 16 times and has never won.

She is competing against Jensen Buchanan of NBC's "AnotherWorld," Francis of ABC's "General Hospital" and Jess Walton of CBS'"The Young & The Restless" for outstanding lead actress in a dramaseries."All My Children," NBC's "Days of Our Lives," "General Hospital"and "The Young & the Restless" were nominated for outstanding dramaseries.Oprah Winfrey, whose Chicago-based program has won the"Outstanding Talk Show" category for two years in a row, has a chanceto increase her streak. She'll compete against the now-defunct"Donahue," NBC's "Leeza," the syndicated "Live With Regis & KathieLee" and the syndicated "Rosie O'Donnell Show."O'Donnell also was nominated for outstanding talk show host,along with Winfrey, Leeza Gibbons, Montel Williams and the team ofRegis Philbin and Kathie Lee Gifford."The Young & the Restless" was responsible for 20 of CBS's 57nominations. "General Hospital" had 18 of ABC's 41 nominations, andthe children's program "Sesame Street" had 13. PBS had 50nominations, syndicated shows accounted for 45, and NBC had 25nominations, which were announced at a ceremony at the Rainbow Room.The 24th annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be given out during atwo-hour ABC special on May 21.The winners are selected by members of the National Academy ofTelevision Arts & Sciences and the Academy of Television Arts &Sciences.

Focusing on Clusters

2012-03-13T01:27:00.000-07:00

Work-force development professionals think they have found a new way to increase the quality of life by improving the work force and the economy. They have identified industry clusters.

Two workforce investment boards that represent Central Pennsylvania, as well as the Labor & Industry Department of Pennsylvania and the U.S. Labor Department, chose the industry clusters. They were selected because they employ a lot of people, they could create high-wage, high-demand jobs, and they provide competitive advantages and growth opportunities.

Central Pennsylvania's two WIBs are working to strengthen eight industries, with health care and construction a focus of both groups. The eight industries, which also include food processing and biotechnology, have the greatest potential for job growth in 2005, the WIBs' leaders said.

About a year ago, the Southcentral (Pennsylvania) Workforce Investment Board decided to focus on health care, construction and manufacturing, said Bob Garraty the board's executive director. The WIB covers eight counties, including Cumberland, Dauphin, Lebanon and York.

The WIB has attracted more hospital workers than the number of available training slots in WIB classrooms, Garraty said. A committee has been formed to solve that problem. Nurses and certified nurses' aides are in high demand.

The construction industry is on the upswing, he said. Several construction companies are recruiting for jobs that pay well and offer strong benefits. The challenge is to convince people to consider pursuing careers in that field.

"Before, a dad (who worked in the construction industry) had his son go into an apprenticeship (at a construction company)," Garraty said. "Now, dad sends his son to college."

The economy will determine whether Central Pennsylvania's construction industry booms next year, said Terrence McDonough, executive director of Harrisburg-based Keystone Contractors Association.

"If the economy takes off, Pennsylvania will spend money to build buildings, bridges and highways. if they are built, then maybe someone will say they want to build hotels or Wal-Marts," McDonough said.

The manufacturing industry's food-packaging sector is strong, Garraty said. It could grow if it worked more closely with community colleges, he said. Community colleges can set up new work-force training programs for companies that innovate, he said.

Although the manufacturing industry is shedding jobs, it is becoming more productive, said Scott Sheely, executive director of the Lancaster County Workforce Investment Board. "In manufacturing, everyone has this perception that everything has gone to hell..." Sheely said. A recent study by the U.S. Department of Labor indicated that is not true, he said.

The study compared output and employment in goods-producing industries in 2002 with projections for 2012. The study predicted output growth of 22.8 percent and employment growth of 3.7 percent. Much of the reason for that difference is because manufacturers are investing in technology that does the work of many employees, Sheely said.

"In manufacturing, you won't see a lot of growth, but you'll see more technology," Sheely said. "In biotechnology, we're seeing a lot of growth...

"I keep complaining that people think of Lancaster County as a low-skill, no-skill, low-tech, no-tech place. The Brookings report leaves the image that we're plodding along, producing the same things as the last 25 years. Some of that's true, but we're also making new things."

The Brookings Institution, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, released a report in December that detailed Pennsylvania's many issues with demographics, economics, sprawl and abandonment. One example of new things Lancaster County manufacturers are making is upscale, finished cabinets, Sheely said.

The Lancaster County WIB has chosen to prioritize growth in the following clusters: health care, construction, food processing, biotechnology, communications, metals and metal fabricating, and automotive.

The Southcentral WIB is trying to work more closely with county economicdevelopment corporations to better meet their work-force development needs, Garraty said.

For example, he is helping Mike Ross, president of the Franklin County Area Economic Development Corp., find skilled workers for new companies in the county.

About 30,000 people leave York, Adams and Franklin counties each day to work in Maryland, Garraty said.

They might be doing so because southcentral Pennsylvania lacks high-skilled jobs, he added.

Richard R. Bacha, assistant professor of business administration at Penn State York, said computer and health-care jobs are hot. Independent consultants who focus on technology and possess general business knowledge are faring well, he said. A few years ago, technology consultants just knew about computers, he said.

The education industry has a lot of potential for growth, Bacha said. Numerous secondary and higher-education teaching jobs are open because of an increasing number of students and retiring teachers. "Of course, that makes me happy," Bacha said.

AT A GLANCE WIBs

* The federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998 created local Workforce Investment Areas (WIAs). They are responsible for allocating and distributing training money from the government for local employers and work-force development initiatives.

* Pennsylvania has 23 WIAs. They are controlled by 22 Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs). (Pittsburgh and the rest of Allegheny County came together for administrative reasons.)

* Two workforce investment boards represent Central Pennsylvania: the Southcentral Workforce Investment Board and the Lancaster County Workforce Investment Board. The Southcentral WIB covers eight counties: Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Juniata, Lebanon, Perry and York.

SOURCE: PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF LABOR & INDUSTRY

US court gives government victory against ACORN

2012-03-12T22:29:00.000-07:00

A federal appeals court on Wednesday handed the government a victory by temporarily blocking a judge's finding that Congress shouldn't have halted federal funding to the activist group ACORN.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan issued the order a day after the government lawyer argued the stay of the ruling was necessary.

The government had argued that it was necessary to block the ruling to ensure that federal agencies were not required to commit funds that have not been appropriated by Congress.

ACORN, or the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, describes itself as an advocate for low-income and minority home buyers and residents.

Critics of the group say it has engaged in voter registration fraud and embezzlement and has violated the tax-exempt status of some of its affiliates by engaging in partisan political activities.

A series of secretly taped videos filmed at ACORN offices around the country ahead of the 2008 presidential election caught employees giving bad advice, sparking a national scandal and helping drive the organization to near ruin.

A lawyer for ACORN said Wednesday it may appeal the decision to the Supreme Court because the cutoff of funds is crippling ACORN and jeopardizing housing for poor people.

A lawyer for the government declined to comment.

Griffey becomes American Public Diplomacy Envoy

2012-03-12T19:37:00.000-07:00

Ken Griffey Jr. has joined a new team.

The star outfielder became the newest American Public Diplomacy Envoy, introduced Tuesday by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Griffey is set to make his first baseball-related trip for the State Department to Panama in January. In his role, he'll represent the "values of the United States, not the government of the United States," Rice said.

"When Ken Griffey travels overseas, one of his greatest objectives will be to talk to young people and to spark their interest in America and in our culture," she said.

Griffey said he was eager to get going.

"When Dr. Rice called and said that she would like me to do this, I didn't really have to think about it," he said.

"After a certain age, you pretty much set your ways. But if we can reach out to young children about our culture and also about our pastime, which is baseball _ not those other sports like football," he said, drawing laughs in a State Department ceremony.

Griffey, who turns 39 this week, is sixth on the career home run list with 611. He played for Cincinnati and the Chicago White Sox last season, and later filed for free agency.

Griffey joined former baseball star Cal Ripken Jr., figure skater Michelle Kwan and actress Fran Drescher as envoys.

On the same day Griffey was introduced in the role, a baseball clinic Ripken was to give for kids in Nicaragua was canceled by its sponsors because protests surrounding local election results were causing travel problems.

Ripken became an envoy for the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in 2007.

Hawks Keep Up Pace in Playoff Chase

2012-03-12T15:37:00.000-07:00

Joe Johnson scored 28 points, Josh Childress added 20 and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Milwaukee Bucks 115-96 on Wednesday night to maintain the eighth and final playoff position in the Eastern Conference.

The Hawks also escaped a major scare when X-rays on point guard Mike Bibby's left thumb were negative. Bibby left the game in the fourth quarter and didn't return, but trainer Wally Blase said he had a strain and would be listed as day-to-day.

The Hawks, winners in five of seven, remained a half-game ahead of ninth-place New Jersey, a winner over Indiana on Wednesday night.

Johnson's 3-pointer at the shot-clock buzzer made it 45-43 midway through the second to give Atlanta its first lead since 4-2.

The Bucks, 6-29 on the road, never came within double figures of the lead after Marvin Williams' 20-footer made it 96-84 early in the fourth.

Andrew Bogut led the Bucks with 27 points and nine rebounds, but the 7-foot center left the game after Williams accidentally hit him in the face midway through the fourth. Williams' right arm appeared to hit Bogut's nose on an inbound pass from the baseline. Bogut lay underneath the basket briefly before walking to the bench with a bloody nose.

Michael Redd finished with 20 points for Milwaukee, which has lost seven straight on the road. The Bucks' leading scorer with a 23.3 average, Redd had 19 in the first quarter, but he was just 0-for-3 in the final three periods.

Notes:@ The Hawks, who have 11 games remaining in the regular season, aren't sure if Bibby will be able to play when Chicago visits Philips Arena on Friday. ... Johnson was 11-for-17 from the field, and Childress went 7-for-11. ... Atlanta is 5-11 against the Central Division, 5-3 at home. ... Milwaukee dropped to 8-8 against the Southeast. ... Bucks reserve F Bobby Simmons didn't dress because of the flu.

Ex-Sailor Charged in N. Chicago Slaying

2012-03-12T11:57:00.000-07:00

A former sailor was charged Wednesday with the murder of a21-year-old North Chicago college student after detectives trackedher family's stolen auto to the suspect's mother's home in Georgia.

Mario Tennison, 23, of Zion, admitted strangling acquaintanceAnna Beverly with a telephone cord in her home Monday, said NorthChicago Police Chief Ernest Fisher.

Beverly was found by her father, Andy J. Beverly, when hereturned home from work. He said Wednesday that his daughter metTennison at a U-Haul Co. facility in Waukegan when she inquired aboutrenting a truck to return for her senior year at Northern IllinoisUniversity.

"He had stopped by our house a couple of times" and met othermembers of the family, the father said. Family members thoughtTennison, who was discharged from the Navy in June, was still in theNavy, the father added.

Detectives said Tennison was married, but he apparently didn'ttell Beverly or her family that. Beverly and Tennison had not beendating, detectives said.

Beverly's body was fully clothed and she had not been sexuallyassaulted, police said. There was no sign of forced entry to herhome. Detectives said they were still seeking a motive.

Although her family's auto and personal property were stolen,detectives said they were unsure if the thefts occurred after thekilling.

Lake County State's Attorney Michael J. Waller said Tennison wascharged in a warrant that set bond at $750,000. He is expected towaive extradition at a hearing today in Decatur, Ga., and then bereturned to North Chicago.

Waller praised North Chicago police for conducting "a very goodinvestigation. They followed up on the leads they had."

North Chicago detective Lt. Walter Holderbaum and DetectiveCurtis Brame flew to Georgia Wednesday after Lithonia, Ga., policearrested Tennison at the home of his mother.

Holderbaum said detectives zeroed in on Tennison when they"couldn't account for" him after compiling a list of the victim'sacquaintances.

The Beverly family's 1993 Chevrolet Caprice was also missing,and when police determined Tennison's mother lived in Georgia, theyasked Lithonia police to check to see if the car was at her home,Holderbaum said.

When officers arrived and spotted the car, Tennison ran from thehouse but failed to escape. Tennison has no known criminal record.