Chronicle4

Passmore leads Marshall past Southern Miss 34-27

2012-03-15T05:49:00.000-07:00

Darius Passmore had eight catches for 136 yards and a touchdown, including a 75-yard score, to lead Marshall to a 34-27 victory over Southern Mississippi on Saturday.

The Thundering Herd (3-1, 2-0 Conference USA) broke a nine-game road losing streak. It was the first win for Marshall over Southern Miss (2-2, 0-1) in four meetings.

Marshall's Mark Cann was 16 of 25 for 219 yards and two scores.

The Thundering Herd took a 17-13 lead into halftime behind Cann's two touchdown passes.

He hooked up with Passmore on a 27-yard score in the first quarter and hit Cody Slate on a 16-yarder with 4:29 to play in the second quarter.

…

Set your clock for this sale!

2012-03-15T03:23:00.000-07:00

A "prize sale" is to be held in the crypt of the Holy TrinityChurch in Oakamoor.

Oil lamps, small clocks and other more practical items are to besold …

6 Men Charged in Plot to Attack Fort Dix

2012-03-15T00:59:00.000-07:00

FORT DIX, N.J. - Six foreign-born Muslims were arrested and accused Tuesday of plotting to attack Fort Dix and slaughter scores of U.S. soldiers - a scheme the FBI says was foiled when the men asked a store clerk to copy a video of them firing assault weapons and screaming about jihad.

The defendants, all men in their 20s from the former Yugoslavia and the Middle East, include a pizza deliveryman suspected of using his job to scout out the military base.

Their goal was "to kill as many American soldiers as possible" with mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and guns, prosecutors said.

"Today we dodged a bullet. In fact, when you look at the type of weapons that …

Italy beats Montenegro to lead World Cup group

2012-03-14T22:38:00.000-07:00

World Cup holder Italy beat Montenegro 2-0 to join fellow football powers Spain, Germany and the Netherlands in a strong position to qualify for the 2010 tournament in South Africa on Saturday.

Andrea Pirlo and Giampaolo Pazzini scored to give Italy the lead of its group after Ireland was held to a 1-1 draw by visiting Bulgaria.

Germany easily stayed four points clear at the top of its European qualifying group with a 4-0 win over Liechtenstein, while the Netherlands built an eight-point advantage by beating Scotland 3-0 in Amsterdam.

France won at Lithuania 1-0 to ease the pressure on coach Raymond Domenech, while European champion Spain beat …

US homebuilder confidence sinks for 3rd month

2012-03-14T20:18:00.000-07:00

Homebuilder confidence dropped for the third straight month in August as the struggling U.S. economy and a flood of cheap foreclosed properties kept people from buying new homes.

The National Association of Home Builders said Monday its monthly index of builders' sentiment about the housing market fell to 13, the lowest reading since March 2009. The index is adjusted for seasonal factors.

Readings below 50 indicate negative sentiment about the market. The last time the index was above 50 was in April 2006.

Builders say consumers are worried about the weak recovery and job market. Among those who are buying, many are opting for deeply discounted …

Managing Your Friend's Campaign? Think "Consigliore"

2012-03-14T17:58:00.000-07:00

Q: A good friend has asked me to manage her campaign for legislature next year. This will be the first campaign for both of us. Any idea of the role and time commitment something like this involves?

A: Friendship is a beautiful thing, so don't mess it up with a boss-employee relationship. And never mind that first-time candidates will benefit from professionals who've been around the track before.

Remain an unpaid consigliore. Help vet potential managers. Use your business background to professionalize the campaign's cash flow and reporting procedures. And, if appropriate, offer to help keep an eye on the candidate's business operations, so that she can focus on the …

Brazil's president meets with Fidel Castro during trip to offer Cuba credits

2012-03-14T15:37:00.000-07:00

Brazil's president met with ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro on Tuesday, a surprise ending to a visit during which he offered the communist government millions of dollars (euros) in credit and signed a deal to drill for oil in the Gulf of Mexico.

The meeting between the leftist leaders was private, according to a spokesman for President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva who declined to be named in line with department policy. The spokesman didn't say where the men met or what they spoke about.

Silva is Castro's friend, but it had been unclear if he would see the Cuban leader during the 24-hour trip, his second to Cuba since taking office in 2003. Brazilian leaders …

Abolish death penalty in Illinois

2012-03-14T13:17:00.000-07:00

You should be commended for your Dec. 1 editorial: "Put an end to death penalty."

The authorities in Illinois have grossly abused this vile practice as seen from the numerous cases in recent decades. The fact that many states have successfully abolished this practice in favor of permanent incarceration — life without parole — and that defendants in most homicide cases never receive the death penalty should give further proof that this practice should be abolished in Illinois.

As much as supporters of the death penalty claim that it is a deterrent to crime, it should be pointed out that this practice has been used as a means of terrorism to innocent citizens by overzealous …

Korea: Poor polyester fila. Woven fabric exports continue

2012-03-14T10:56:00.000-07:00

Although July 2002 exports of polyester filament woven fabrics slightly increased by 0.2% from July 2001, the weaving industry still has a cautious attitude.

Textile product exports in the first half of 2002 decreased to US$7,427 million, down 9.5% to the corresponding period of last year. Under this situation, a 12.1%-- increase in exports of textiles in July encouraged expectations to the second half.

However, exports of polyester filament woven fabrics have been continuing still severe conditions. Polyester filament woven fabrics are the prime export item of the textile industry. Exports of polyester filament woven fabrics in July 2002 increased by only 0.2% and exports …

Tired firefighters battle 330 Calif. wildfires

2012-03-14T08:36:00.000-07:00

Firefighters got a gift of a mild, mostly windless night and a forecast for similar conditions Sunday as they attempted to protect thousands of Santa Barbara County homes from a huge wildfire, one of more than 300 taxing their energy and resources around the state.

"The firefighters are stretched thin, they are exhausted," and some have gone days without sleep, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger as he visited a command post in the coastal region of Santa Barbara County, where nearly 2,700 homes were threatened by a four-day-old fire in the Los Padres National Forest. The blaze has blackened about 13 square miles.

Fires have burned more than 800 square miles …

Carers warned they may be missing out on help

2012-03-14T06:15:00.000-07:00

Thousands of carers in the Bath area could be missing out on thehelp available to them.

During National Carers' Week this week, the local branch of Age Concern is urging people to claim the benefits they are entitled to.

It is estimated that while one-in-eight adults in the UK is acarer, pounds740 million of carers' benefits are unclaimed eachyear.

Last year Age Concern B&NES helped local people claimpounds210,000 worth of benefits to which they were entitled.

Carers can claim up to pounds2,630 annually and although thecarer's allowance cannot be paid in addition to state pension,entitlement can mean extra top-ups to pension credit and housingand …

Lottery

2012-03-14T03:54:00.000-07:00

Here are the winning numbers drawn Thursday:

WEST VIRGINIA Daily 3: 341 Daily 4: 3236 Cash 25: 3-7-12-14-16-19

OHIO Day Pick 3: 288 Pick 4: 6019 Ten-Oh: 3-4-5-10-15-21-23-26-27-30-37-41-42-43-52-59-72-76-79-80

Evening Pick 3: 867 Pick 4: 7464 Ten-Oh: 4-6-7-8-17-20-23-24-25-29-31-37-38-50-59-60-70-71-73-79 Rolling Cash 5: 2-11-15-22-32 5

KENTUCKY Midday Pick 3: 002 Pick 4: 6644 Evening Pick 3: 953 Pick4: 0478

CDC helps Roxbury seniors rehab units

2012-03-14T01:01:00.000-07:00

After fire gutted the lower floors of her Dorchester home in 1986, Clarisa Martinez Alamo lost the income she had enjoyed from renting out the four bedrooms on those floors.

For years she could not get the funds to repair the damage, but now renovations are complete thanks to loans from the city and the Nuestra Communidad Development Corporation. Finally, Alamo has begun renting to tenants again.

The elderly woman says she could not have afforded the renovations without loans from the city and the NCDC, loans of $140.000 and $60,000 respectively.

"I don't have any savings," said Alamo. "I have worked in the United States very hard without a car."

The loans are part of a program recently launched by Nuestra to empower elderly low- and moderate-income homeowners who have vacant units. The NCDC's program encourages the seniors to renovate their units and rent them out.

By offering loans -- some of them at no interest -- to seniors, and by managing the rental properties for them, Nuestra hopes to entice seniors home-owners to put their vacant units back in the housing market.

Seniors are often apprehensive about renting out their uninhabited units or cannot afford the necessary renovations to do so, according to Ricardo Sanchez, NCDC director of home ownership services. According to Sanchez, the seniors may not want to deal with tenants that make too much noise, among other hassles of being a landlord.

"Through property management, we take away that headache from the property owners," he said.

According to a Nuestra press release, Nuestra will undertake a number of property-management tasks for its clients, including finding and selecting tenants, collecting rent and making small repairs. For these services. Nuestra plans to charge the property owners $350 a month for the management of a three-family house and $250 a month for managing a two-family building, according to Kevin Winn, NCDC director of lending and technical assistance.

The city has already agreed to lend $350,000 to Nuestra for the program, at zero percent interest for 30 years, according to a Nuestra press release. To that money, the NCDC aims to add $350,000 in loans.

With the combined $700,000, Nuestra plans to renovate around 40 houses, according to Winn.

With further funds, the NCDC aims to return up to 145 homes with 247 vacant units to the affordable housing market in the next four years, said Winn.

The recipients of program loans will sign an agreement to keep rents affordable for 10 years.

Renting to low-income tenants is nothing new for Alamo. Before her house caught fire, she says she rented out four bedrooms to tenants with Section 8 vouchers. But recently, the Boston Housing Authority determined that the bedrooms are too small for the BHA to subsidize rent on them individually. So Alamo had to combine them so they technically form just two units, according to Sanchez.

"My rent is too low," said Alamo. "Why don't they put in the other two bedrooms that nobody is going to use? They don't care."

The elderly woman had other criticisms of the way city officials have handled the renovation process. Alamo did not want the third floor to be re-done, said Sanchez.

"She'd invested money in the third floor," he said. "It looked in good condition, but the roof kept leaking. She wanted to leave the third floor as is, but the city insisted on doing a complete rehab of the building."

Furthermore, the house was broken into before any tenants had moved in yet, prompting Alamo to move into her daughter's house temporarily. But she had to move back in to avoid losing her insurance, Sanchez said.

After all she has been through, Alamo is finally starting to see some benefits of her new situation. Now that she has tenants, Alamo should start to see more money flowing in, said Sanchez.

"She'll be realizing $2,000 income on a monthly basis that she didn't have before," he said.

Photograph (Clarisa Martinez Alamo and Ricardo Sanchez)

Briefly

2012-03-13T22:09:00.000-07:00

BASKETBALL

Darvin Ham of the Milwaukee Bucks was arrested on what police saidwas suspicion of violence against his wife.

The 6-foot-7, 240-pound forward was cited on suspicion of domesticviolence-battery, a misdemeanor, at about midnight Monday at aMilwaukee home, Lt. John Andrews said. Andrews was unsure who madethe report and did not know the circumstances of what happened.

Ham paid a $500 cash bail and was released.

* Portland Trail Blazer forward Scottie Pippen, who missed 10games with a right knee contusion, was activated.

Pippen went on the injured list for the second time this seasonDec. 14. He has started just two games since Nov. 15.

* Center Chris Burgess, Utah's leading scorer and rebounder, willbe out at least a month and possibly for the rest of the basketballseason with an injury to his right foot.

BOXING

* Mike Tyson checked out of a Havana hotel early today, a dayafter witnesses said he tossed glass Christmas ornaments atjournalists trying to interview him.

There were no reports of injuries, arrests or serious damagefollowing the Tuesday evening dispute.

The former heavyweight champion reportedly was headed to theairport for a flight on Air Jamaica after checking out at dawn,workers at the Hotel Melia Habana said.

Tyson arrived at the oceanfront hotel Monday evening with twobodyguards and stayed in a suite priced at around $500 a night, thehotel workers said. Witnesses said that Tyson became angry when asmall group of reporters approached him in the lobby.

FOOTBALL

* Mike Hollis knows his time is almost up with the JacksonvilleJaguars, so the kicker isn't wary of speaking his mind about the wayCoach Tom Coughlin treats his players.

Coughlin's reputation as an unbending taskmaster prone to fineshas been long documented. But Hollis is one of the very few to speakcritically on the record about Coughlin. Most of the rest of theJaguars have been reluctant because they fear retribution from thecoach.

Hollis, who will become a free agent, said one problem is thatCoughlin isn't specific enough when he explains his long list ofrules.

SOCCER

* Brad Friedel had the big saves but Kasey Keller had the shutoutas American goalies faced off in England's top league for the firsttime.

In a match pitting the two contenders to man the nets for the U.S.World Cup team this summer, Keller and Tottenham scored a 1-0 winover Friedel and Blackburn in freezing temperatures.

TENNIS

* Francesa Schiavone and David Sanguinette beat their highlyfavored American opponents today to give Italy a winning 2-0 lead intheir round-robin match at the Hopman Cup tennis tournament at Perth,Australia.

Schiavone, who beat No. 5-ranked Kim Clijsters two days earlier,overcame a hamstring injury to upset Monica Seles 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 andgive Italy a 1-0 lead.

Sanguinette then beat Jan Michael Gambill 7-6 (1), 6-3. Seles andGambill came back to win the mixed doubles 6-1, 6-3 to make the finalmargin 2-1.

The top-seeded Americans and Italy both have 1-1 records in GroupA. The Americans likely will need to beat Belgium on Friday to makeSaturday's final.

* Top seed Venus Williams beat Switzerland's Patty Schnyder 6-0, 6-4 on a sweltering day at the Australian women's hardcourt tennischampionships today at Gold Coast.

* Unseeded Todd Martin upset second-seeded Pete Sampras 3-6, 6-3,6-4 in the first round of the Australian Men's Hardcourt Championshiptoday at Adelaide.

* Mary Pierce beat Barbara Schett 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) today in the HongKong Ladies Challenge, her first competitive match in over sevenmonths.

Pierce, sidelined by injuries for much of last year, showedflashes of brilliance as she won her first-round match in 96 minutes.

* Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic, on a break from militaryservice, struggled past Austria's Stefan Koubek 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 at the$1 million Qatar Open.

Ivanisevic strained his serving shoulder at the start of the firstset and sought medical attention.

In the day's only upset, third-seeded Albert Portas of Spain lostto Julian Knowle of Austria 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (7-0).

Fourth-seeded Jiri Novak of the Czech Republic beat Markus Hipflof Austria 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, and seventh-seeded Rainer Schuettler ofGermany ousted Jarkko Nieminen of Finland 6-3, 6-2.

* Argentina's Guillermo Canas, troubled by the economic andpolitical turmoil in his home country, beat Switzerland's GeorgeBastl 6-4, 6-2 in the first round of the $400,000 TATA Open in India.

Defending champion Michael Tabara of Czech Republic twisted hisankle late in the first set and lost to Dennis van Scheppingen of theNetherlands 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Third-seeded Fabrice Santoro of France rallied past Peter Wesselsof the Netherlands 7-6 (6), 6-3.

Fifth-seeded Max Mirnyi of Belarus and eighth-seeded KristianPless of Denmark lost in the first round. Mirnyi lost to ParadomSrichaphan of Thailand 6-3, 6-3 and Pless was beaten by Naom Okun ofIsrael 6-2, 6-4.

* Anna Kournikova won her opening match while top-seeded AngelesMontolio and defending champion Meilen Tu were eliminated at the ASBBank Classic in New Zealand.

Kournikova, coming back from a foot injury, beat Zimbabwe's CaraBlack 7-6 (6), 6-2.

Montolio of Spain was beaten by Alina Jidkova of Russia 6-3, 6-1.Tu, seeded sixth, lost 6-3, 6-2 to Selima Sfar of Tunisia.

In another upset, Kristina Brandi downed fourth-seeded ConchitaMartinez of Spain 7-6 (5), 6-3. Eighth-seeded Mariana Diaz Oliva ofArgentina lost to Silvija Talaja of Croatia 7-6 (5), 7-5.

* Kim Clijsters was bedeviled by unforced errors in losing hersingles match, but Belgium beat Italy 2-1 in the Hopman Cup in Perth,Australia.

Clijsters, at No. 5 the tournament's highest-ranked woman, wasbeaten by Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 6-4. But Belgium's Xavier Malissestopped Davide Sanguinetti 6-4, 7-5, and Clijsters and Malissedefeated Schiavone and Sanguinetti 6-3, 6-4 in the deciding mixeddoubles.

Spain beat Switzerland 3-0 for its second straight sweep.

GOLF REPORT

2012-03-13T19:18:00.000-07:00

WESTERN WATCH: Peter de Young, tournament director of the CentelWestern Open, today moves his office from Western Golf Associationheadquarters in Golf to Butler National Golf Club.

The move starts the final push for organizers of the June 7-10Western Open, who will learn whether the WGA's decision to take onnew dates in this U.S. Open year was a wise one.

The Western, Chicago's annual premier golf attraction, istraditionally on Fourth of July weekend and will return to thosedates in 1991. But de Young and the WGA didn't think they would workin the aftermath of the June 14-17 U.S. Open at Medinah.

"When the U.S. Golf Association announced (in 1986) thatMedinah had this year's Open, my immediate reaction was to go to myboard and get action," de Young said.

As de Young saw it, the WGA had three options: Don't play the Western in 1990. Move the tournament to another state for a year. Keep it at Butler, but get dates before the U.S. Open.

The board turned down the first option, considered the second -a move to Minneapolis would have been possible - and decided on thethird.

"Playing our tournament behind the U.S. Open in 1975 didn'twork out," said de Young, who wrote to PGA Tour commissioner DeaneBeman requesting the dates traditionally held by the WestchesterClassic. Beman agreed.

"We had these dates at least a year before they wereannounced," said de Young, in his 13th season with the Western."Deane knew that the good players would stay in Chicago for twoweeks. "What's happened is that we have probably the best field in ourhistory because the U.S. Open is at Medinah. But our advancedticket sales are down somewhat."

"Somewhat" means 15-20 percent, a figure that de Young calls"significant." He thinks part of it may be due to "a backlash,because people don't know we're not on the Fourth of July."

"We knew that people would see the ticket brochures and seethat our tournaments were on almost the same dates and that the U.S.Open might be a once-in-a-lifetime experience," de Young said.

He also hopes they will notice something else. Westerntickets are at least half the price of tickets at Medinah, whichalready has sold out its weekend rounds.

A ticket to the U.S. Open costs $40; the most expensive Westernticket is $20. Daily admissions, including weekend rounds, areselling for $18 now.

"The rivalry between us and Medinah is friendly, but we'reafter the same leisure dollars and we'll try to outsell andout-perform them," de Young said. "When all is said and done, we'llcompare with them.

"Medinah will have a great championship, but their problem isthat they don't run a major tournament every year. We're looking atthe same setup every year. We're more ready to handle spectatorsthan Medinah is. We're not a national tournament, but we have thesame players. Our value is there." NIU HOSTS TOURNEY: The first big event in the Chicago area will bethe fourth annual Northern Illinois University/Miller Lite MidwesternInvitational Friday and Saturday. The 54-hole tourney moves fromKishwaukee to remodeled Oak Club of Genoa with 18 schools competing.

Heading the field is defending champion Ohio State and KentState, the surprise of this season with victories in the Kentucky,Marshall and Akron tourneys on successive weekends. CARILLON SETS OPENING: Carillon, a 6,600-yard course in Plainfield,may be the first of several new courses to open in the Chicago areathis summer. The Ives/Ryan Group, a design firm, claims a record byconstructing the course in 95 work days. Construction began lastJune 1 and seeding was completed Oct. 15. A July 4 opening isplanned.

The course eventually will be private, but memberships for thisseason will be offered. They will be priced at $1,000 and availableby calling head professional Scott Pless at 1-800-543-5774.

Last year Illinois was fifth among the 50 states in new courseopenings. Illinois had 13, trailing Florida (50), Michigan (19) andNorth Carolina and South Carolina (14). NEW RULINGS: The U.S. Golf Association has made two more decisionsthat will have an impact on amateur players.

The USGA will eliminate the pre-Slope handicap system after thisyear and has increased the maximum dollar value of merchandise anamateur player may accept in a golf event to $500 from $400. BITS: The Illinois PGA will stage its fifth annual Apollo/SeniorMatch Play Championship Wednesday through Friday at Briarwood. The only event on this week's Chicago District Golf Associationcalendar is today's Northeastern University benefit at LakeBarrington Shores. Blackwolf Run, the ultra-tough course in Kohler, Wis., will soonopen a third nine and expects to have 36 holes playable bymid-summer. Greens fees are $62; cart rental is $12 per person. The exposure that Jumbo Ozaki's J's Professional Weapon driverreceived at the Masters has caused Bridgestone USA to announce itwill be distributing the club in the U.S. in four to six weeks. The Ladies PGA circuit concludes a three-week layoff when the SarahLee Classic starts Thursday in Nashville. Its Chicago members -Deedee Lasker (83rd on the money list with $11,377) and AllisonFinney (95th with $8,496) - played in eight of the first 10 stops andwill have an added Midwest tourney on Aug. 24-26 in Minneapolis. Itwill fill the open date preceding The Rail Classic in Springfield.

Lila Wolk, 82, camera store owner BY LON GRAHNKE

2012-03-13T16:23:00.000-07:00

Lila Phyllis Wolk, a lifelong Chicago resident, spent 57 yearsrunning the Wolk Camera store with her husband.

She died Wednesday at the Breakers of Edgewater, a retirementhome. She was 82.

Her husband, Michael Wolk, founded the company in 1929. Theirfirst store was on West Adams in the Loop. They expanded theirbusiness and established their main location at 133 N. Wabash.After her husband's death in 1986, Mrs. Wolk continued to runthe business until 1988."She was an extremely charitable woman who made contributions toany charity, large or small, that sent a request," her daughterLouise Witkin-Berg said."Sometimes she would get five requests in a day. She was thekindest, most giving, upbeat person. She was very positive, alwaysseeing the cup running over."My mother was always the center of the family on holidays. AtMiller Beach in Gary, Ind., she ran her own personal version of abed-and-breakfast, restaurant and resort for friends and family."Granddaughter Meredith Cohen said people close to Mrs. Wolkcalled her Gigi. Cohen said her grandmother had a favorite saying:"Faith to dream, spirit to live joyfully, peace to enfold you, andlove to fill your soul, now and forever."Mrs. Wolk was a member of Temple Sholom in Chicago and TempleBeth-El in Gary.Along with her daughter and granddaughter, Mrs. Wolk is survivedby a son, Ira Wolk; a brother, Morris Solomon, two othergrandchildren and a great-grandson.Services will be at 11 a.m. today ; at Piser Weinstein MenorahChapel, 9200 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. Burial will be in WestlawnCemetery, 7801 W. Montrose.

Report: Kurdish rebels release 8 Turkish soldiers in Iraq

2012-03-13T13:32:00.000-07:00

Kurdish rebels on Sunday released eight Turkish soldiers in northern Iraq two weeks after capturing them in an ambush inside Turkey, private NTV television reported, citing Iraqi Kurdish officials.

The release came before Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets U.S. President George W. Bush on Monday in Washington to discuss a possible cross-border offensive against the Kurdish rebel group.

Iraqi Kurdish officials confirmed that the soldiers were handed over to them and were in good health, NTV reported. The soldiers were expected to be sent to Turkey later Sunday.

The soldiers, accompanied by three Kurdish lawmakers from Turkey _ who traveled to northern Iraq on Saturday to try to win their release _ and Hussain Sinjari, the president of Tolerancy International, who has also been lobbying for their release, were on their way to the Iraqi city of Dohuk, pro-Kurdish Firat News Agency reported.

The U.S. ambassador to Turkey, Ross Wilson, also reportedly tried to secure the release of the soldiers, NTV said.

The soldiers were taken in an Oct. 21 ambush inside Turkish territory that also left 12 other soldiers dead. The ambush has been a key factor in the mounting pressure on Turkey's government to stage a cross-border offensive to fight Kurdish rebels based in northern Iraq.

The release of the soldiers, however, was not expected to affect Turkish plans. Turkey's military and civilian leadership have repeatedly stressed their determination to stage an incursion if the U.S. or Iraq do not crack down on rebel hideouts in northern Iraq.

The ambush on Oct. 21 near the village of Daglica in Turkey's mountainous southeast outraged an already frustrated public.

Demonstrations erupted across the country and opposition leaders called for an immediate strike against rebel bases in Iraq, despite appeals for restraint from Iraq, the U.S. and European leaders.

The U.S. is pressing hard to keep Turkey from staging a cross-border offensive against the rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, in remote mountains of northern Iraq. The U.S. designates the PKK as an international terrorist organization.

The Oct. 21 attack occurred four days after the Turkish Parliament authorized the government to deploy troops across the border in Iraq, amid growing anger in Turkey at perceived U.S. and Iraqi failure to live up to pledges to crack down on the PKK.

Turkey now says it wants to hear specifics about what Washington is prepared to do to counter the rebel group, or Turkey will launch an attack. Rebel attacks against Turkish positions during the last month have left 47 dead, including 35 soldiers, according to government and media reports.

Rebels periodically cross the border to stage attacks in their war for autonomy for Turkey's predominantly Kurdish southeast. Nearly 40,000 people have died in the conflict since the rebels launched their first armed attack against a military unit in 1984.

Edgar defends tax plan // Liquor, tobacco industries fume

2012-03-13T10:32:00.000-07:00

SPRINGFIELD Defending his call for higher liquor taxes, Gov.Edgar said Wednesday that legislators will have to choose betweendrinkers and the state's schools, needy and abused children and thementally ill.

"I think that would be a great tragedy if the General Assemblywould succumb to the pressure of the liquor lobby at the expense ofthese . . . much higher priorities," Edgar said in a speech to theIllinois State Chamber of Commerce.

In presenting a $28.6 billion budget for the fiscal yearstarting July 1, Edgar proposed tripling the state tax on beer andtable wine and boosting by 70 percent the levy on dessert wines,whiskey and other distilled spirits.

Edgar also requested a new 20 percent tax on the wholesale priceof cigars, pipe tobacco, snuff and chewing tobacco, now exempt fromthe cigarette tax.

The proposed tax increases are "very fair" ways to raiserevenues for the state's hard-pressed treasury, the governor said,but industry spokesmen blasted Edgar for targeting their customers.

"We're disappointed he's singled out drinkers of beer and otheralcoholic beverages to bear the brunt of his breaking his no-taxpledge," said William D. Olson, executive vice president of theIllinois Associated Beer Distributors. "A 228 percent increase onbeer is unconscionable."

The liquor tax increase would be "absolutely devastating to ourindustry and extremely costly to the consumer," said Anthony S.Ciaravino, the Midwestern counsel for the Wine Institute, whichincludes about 500 California wineries.

The tobacco industry is now "paying our fair share" under thecigarette tax, said Harry L. Kelley, of the Tobacco and CandyDistributors Association.

Edgar's proposal to tax other tobacco products "is a tax on thefarmers and the blue-collar guys," Kelley said.

Industry officials disputed Edgar's revenue estimate, sayinghigher taxes would mean less consumption and loss of sales in borderareas to nearby states with lower tax rates.

"I can't understand how the governor expects to gain $80 millionwhen wine consumption has been declining," Ciaravino said.

"I think the governor's going to be embarrassed," Kelley said."People will buy tobacco products where they can buy them thecheapest."

Anticipating the industry firestorm, Edgar contended that theliquor tax increase merely would bring the state's rates, among thelowest, to national averages and would begin to recover some of thecost to society of alcoholism-related problems.

"To give you a sense how low that tax is currently," he told thebusiness leaders, "with the tripling of the liquor tax, a consumerwould have to pay a penny and a half more for a can of beer."

But industry officials said most other states do not permitlocal governments to impose liquor levies, as Illinois does. As aresult, Olson said, beer drinkers in Chicago pay among the highesttaxes in the nation.

PARENTS WILL PAY IF KIDS MISS SCHOOL MOM, DAD MAY FACE COMMUNITY SERVICE IN CITY CRACKDOWN ON TRUANT STUDENTS

2012-03-13T07:04:00.000-07:00

Parents of students chronically absent from Chicago Public Schoolswould be required to attend parenting classes, undergo counseling orperform up to 30 days of community service, under an anti-truancycrackdown in the works by Mayor Daley's new school regime.

The plan to summon parents or guardians before administrativehearing officers resurrects a concept touted by former schools CEOPaul Vallas but never executed, despite a state law that made itpossible.

Marilyn Johnson, general counsel to the board, acknowledged thatthe law "has been on the books for years, we had a participatory rolein helping to craft it and it's a good thing for the system. We needto do it."

The start of a new school year under the newly appointed schoolteam of CEO Arne Duncan and board President Michael Scott is as gooda time as any to begin, with a pilot program in "one or two" schoolregions with the highest truancy rates, she said.

"All of us realize that we need to redouble our efforts to makesure we have kids in school. There's obviously a tremendous focus onstudent achievement. But students can't achieve if they're notthere," Johnson said.

Dragging parents before administrative hearing officers is a"punitive measure" that's part of the "zero-tolerance mind-setsweeping the nation," said Julie Woestehoff, executive director ofParents United for Responsible Education.

But it fails to address the underlying question of "whether kidsare motivated to be in school," Woestehoff said.

"That's where the school system ought to start. They need to putmore resources into the schools and make sure that every classroomhas a certified teacher every day, instead of a substitute with verylittle instruction going on," she said.

"There needs to be a lot of extracurricular activities for kids,which are often the only thing that brings a kid to school. Yet a lotof our schools don't have music or much in the way of drama, sportsor clubs that turn kids on. Everyone in the city thinks our highschools are a disaster. So, why do they expect kids will want to bethere?"

During the 1999-2000 school year, the average daily attendancerate for public schools across the state was 93.5 percent. Chicagorecorded a 90.8 percent rate.

The percentage of chronic truants--defined by state law as absentwithout valid cause for at least 18 days or 10 percent of the 180compulsory attendance days--was 2.3 percent statewide. It was 3.8percent in Chicago, or more than 16,500 students.

Reducing truancy and absenteeism has been a goal of every schooladministration for decades, in part because school funding levels aredetermined by attendance rates.

As much as $46 million could be at stake, if only Chicago matchedthe statewide attendance rate, officials said.

The Vallas regime was no exception.

In 1996, it unveiled a $6.6 million truancy crackdown thatincluded an automated calling system to dial the homes of truants, a24-hour hotline to turn them in and six police vans to sweep theneighborhoods of schools identified the previous day as having a jumpin absences.

All schools were required to report their daily attendance to thesystem's mainframe computer, and those with less than 95 percentdaily attendance were ordered to develop improvement plans. Off-dutypolice officers were hired to go to the homes of truants. Parentswere trained as attendance officers.

The only part of the crackdown that was never implemented wasadministrative adjudication--hauling parents before hearing officersto answer for a student's chronic absences.

That's expected to begin in October or November, using the 15hearing officers already in place at the central office to adjudicatethe cases of students recommended for expulsion, Johnson said.

"We're trying to do it in the manner where we don't go globallyand flop. That's why there's a pilot to see how effective it is andget the kinks out," Johnson said.

Students would start the school year with a clean slate. Parentsof those who accumulate 18 days of unexplained absences would getcertified notices of chronic truancy demanding that they appear atthe school to formulate a plan of corrective action.

If the first notice is ignored, a second would be sent, settingthe date for a hearing where the parent would be required to explainthe reasons a student was truant.

The hearing officer would then have 14 days to recommend a remedy,ranging from counseling and parenting classes to up to 30 days ofcommunity service.

Parents who ignore the punishment would have their names forwardedto the state's attorney's office for prosecution.

Contributing: Rosalind Rossi

US president discusses by phone upcoming Mideast trip with Jordan's king

2012-03-13T03:17:00.000-07:00

U.S. President George W. Bush discussed with Jordan's King Abdullah II developments in the Middle East and efforts to push forward the peace process ahead of his upcoming visit to the region, a Royal Palace statement said Friday.

In a telephone call to Abdullah, Bush briefed the monarch on the objectives of his trip to the Middle East, including to support the Palestinian and the Israeli sides in their efforts to reach a final compromise to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

The White House confirmed the telephone call took place, describing the conversation as covering the president's trip, the Israel-Palestinian issue as well as other bilateral issues.

Bush is expected to arrive in Israel Jan. 9 and will also visit the West Bank, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

The statement said Abdullah stressed on "the vital role that the U.S. is playing to help the Palestinians and the Israelis and push them to reach lasting solutions to the final status issues which would lead to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on all the Palestinian soil in the West bank and Gaza."

Bush's phone came one day after Abdullah met with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert who expressed willingness to move forward in negotiations with the Palestinians with the aim of reaching a final settlement to the conflict.

Abdullah also met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday as part of his effort to push the two sides to the negotiation table.

Abdullah expressed hope that the visit to the region by Bush would encourage the Palestinians and Israel to implement commitments they made at Annapolis.

Israelis and Palestinians relaunched peace talks at a U.S.-hosted Mideast conference in November, and both Olmert and Abbas have said they hope to reach a final peace agreement by the end of 2008.

Hits to third no longer err balls?

2012-03-13T00:15:00.000-07:00

Taking two and hitting to right:

Oops. Just when we seemed sure the White Sox had "E. Williams"at third this year instead of "E - Williams," Eddie Williams madetwo errors (in one inning) in the home opener Friday.

Are those who think Domingo Ramos could be the Cubs' everydayshortstop the same folks who thought Paul Noce had a bright future atsecond base? Don Zimmer deserves applause for resting the aching Shawon Dunstonand Vance Law in cold weather. Perhaps Zimmer has learned somethingsince 1978, when his Red Sox, who blew the AL East to the Yankees,had seven players with at least 500 at-bats and one with 497. (JimRice had 677.) Or does Zimmer finally have a bench that inspiresconfidence? Is it too early to apologize to Jim Frey and Larry Himes? We've already praised Frey for not trading Rick Sutcliffe for DaveWinfield, who since has had back surgery. Further proof the bestdeals are the ones you don't make: Buddy Bell, whom Sox manager JeffTorborg wanted for third base, just had knee surgery No. 7. Himescan be thankful Bell chose Texas. We can't help but recall Carlton Fisk's reaction to Sox interest inBell: "Sign him? With those knees?" When Fisk broke his hand again, who cringed more, Torborg or themarketing department? The more you hear him, doesn't new Sox announcer Gary Thorne sound alot like predecessor John Rooney? Run the TV and radiosimultaneously and decide. Never thought you'd see Steve Lyons become a regular, let alone atsecond base? Well, he also has become a regular on a Sunday nightsportscast. Lyons will appear on Ch. 9 during Sox homestands. When we laugh at Hawk Harrelson, shouldn't we remember he obtainedLyons for Tom Seaver, and Ivan Calderon for Scott Bradley? Miracles never cease: Mark Grace already has a homer at WrigleyField this season, and ex-Cub Rafael Palmeiro has a game-winning RBI,though that stat no longer is kept. As much as you would like to believe Jose Canseco isn't anythinglike Dave Kingman, his teammate on the 1986 Athletics, the evidencekeeps mounting. A letter in the April 14 edition of SportsCollectors Digest blasts Canseco for his card-show no-show inRochester. "I wonder how much Jose would cry if Oakland broke itsagreement and decided not to pay him his $1.6 million," promoter JimKelly writes. "What if they said, `Jose, nice season, but we'd rathergive you $40,000 instead. Tough luck.' I'm still waiting to hearfrom Jose himself. He needs to make this right with the city ofRochester." You're not the only one surprised the Dodgers gaveAlfredo Griffin a two-year, $2 million deal after he hit .199.Manager Tom Lasorda, though he likes Griffin, told a friend, "I can'tbelieve we let (Steve) Sax go (over a difference of $500,000) andsigned this guy." How corny is Dan Pasqua? In this era of megabucks players, he brokehis wrist running into a wall, of all things. Crazy guy. Did heforget he doesn't have a contract for next season? What kind of guy is Andre Dawson? Last Monday, when the Cubs wereoff, he spent 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. watching TV at Northwestern MemorialHospital with his buddy, broadcaster Kenny McReynolds, who wasrecovering from knee surgery. What's in a name? Not much, unfortunately. Many of today's playersseem ignorant, and arrogant, about personnel, past and present. MikeSchmidt said he never had heard of Mitch Williams. Orel Hershiserknew the Reds had a Benzinger, but called him "Tom" instead of"Todd."

It's a good thing Gene Mauch has retired. He often would praisea player by comparing him with a past star. Years ago, withMinnesota, Mauch said Twins center fielder Rick Sofield reminded himof Jimmie Hall. Informed of the compliment, Sofield replied, "Who'sJimmie Hall?"

Be thankful for Ozzie Guillen, one player who still reads boxscores ahead of the stock tables. For once, we won't say a word about Dallas Green. His record speaksfor itself.

HOME SWEET HOME

2012-03-12T21:18:00.000-07:00

The new Blue Meadows subdivision is just west of Maple Grove on the south side of Amity. I don't usually like the pictures of new homes in subdivisions because the houses seem to be massive monoliths. What's been built so far in this subdivision is different: The houses are not so wide and include features from different architectural styles: Craftsman, farmhouse, Spanish, etc.

This home is a single story and is painted salmon with white trim and stone accents. The front porch is supported by Craftsman columns. Inside, just to the left of the entry, is the first bedroom or den with two windows, one facing the porch and one facing the side. The room has two phone lines and is wired for cable, an amenity repeated throughout the house. All the ceilings in the house are 10 feet high. The carpet is dark tan and the windows all have double locks. The walls and ceiling are painted a light salmon, as is every room of the house. I immediately noticed the beautiful doors, each of which includes a beadboard panel. The frames of the doors are Craftsman style, and the baseboards are 6 inches high.

Across from the entryway is a powder room, and then large stone tile flooring leads down a hallway to the kitchen, which is also floored in tile (but unlike the hallway, the kitchen's floor is heated electronically and the homeowner can set the temperature and time for the heat to go on and off). The Kitchen cabinets are alder, and the appliances are stainless steel. The countertops are tile with decorative strips on the back splash. There is a window over the black sink, and an island in the middle of the kitchen. Next to another window is an area that could accommodate a small table.

The kitchen, dining room and living room are all open to each other. And it's hard to miss the dramatic, wainscoted dining room, floored in Brazilian cherry wood and featuring a beautiful chandelier. The living room's focal point is a large, stone gas fireplace with a raised hearth and a lighted niche above the mantel. The room also has a ceiling fan with a remote and French doors leading to the back patio. The patio extends to the back fence, and a small plot of grass is off to the side.

Back inside, another corridor leads to the bedroom wing. The master bedroom isn't huge but is generously sized and also has a ceiling fan. It features at least four windows looking out to the backyard and shares a view of the mountains with the living room. The walk-in closet with organizers is huge, the biggest I've every seen, in fact. The master bath includes more heated floor tile, a large soaking tub, a separate shower, double sinks and lots of beautiful tile and stone. The hall bathroom has a tub/shower combination and decorative tile back splashes on the sink. A third bedroom with a walk-in closet is next to the bathroom.

Back in the kitchen, a hallway leads to the two-car garage. Off that hallway is a rather large utility room. This house is plumbed for central vacuum, and there are automatic sprinklers outside in the front and back yards, and the front lawn is planted with bushes and a tree along the house. Below the second front window of the house is a charming flower box.

PROS: Even though many expensive materials were used to build the house-the tile floors, the lights, the countertops and back splashes, the fireplace, the doors, baseboards, etc.-this house is a good buy for its price. I like the high ceilings because they make smaller rooms look bigger and more elegant.

CONS: The front lawn is well sized, but the back yard is very small. The house is being marketed to people who don't have time for a big yard. Just beyond the six-foot fence is Amity Road, however, I did drive out to Amity and discovered that a 30-foot wide landscaped berm will separate the back fence from the road.

[Sidebar]

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$257,500

BUILDER: BILL CRAIG

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Final Cricket World Cup Leaders

2012-03-12T17:44:00.000-07:00

Most Runs

500_Tillakaratne Dilshan, Sri Lanka (9 matches)

482_Sachin Tendulkar, India (9)

465_Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lanka (9)

422_Jonathan Trott, England (7)

395_Upul Tharanga, Sri Lanka (9)

393_Gautam Gambhir, India (9)

380_Virender Sehwag, India (8)

362_Yuvraj Singh, India (9)

353_AB de Villiers, South Africa (5)

334_Andrew Strauss, England (7)

332_Brad Haddin, Australia (7)

324_Ross Taylor, New Zealand (8)

Most Wickets

21_Shahid Afridi, Pakistan (8)

21_Zaheer Khan, India (9)

18_Tim Southee, New Zealand (8)

15_Robin Peterson, South Africa (7)

15_Muttiah Muralitharan, Sri Lanka (9)

15_Yuvraj Singh, India (9)

14_Imran Tahir, South Africa (5)

14_Umar Gul, Pakistan (8)

13_Kemar Roach, West Indies (6)

13_Harvir Baidwan, Canada (6)

13_Brett Lee, Australia (7)

13_Lasith Malinga, Sri Lanka (7)

Centuries
(	denotes not out)

175_Virender Sehwag, India vs. Bangladesh

158_Andrew Strauss, England vs. India

144_Tillakaratne Dilshan, Sri Lanka vs. Zimbabwe

134_AB de Villiers, South Africa vs. Netherlands

133_Upul Tharanga, Sri Lanka vs. Zimbabwe

131*_Ross Taylor, New Zealand vs. Pakistan

120_Sachin Tendulkar, India vs. England

119_Ryan ten Doeschate, Netherlands vs. England

113_Kevin O'Brien, Ireland vs. England

113_Hashim Amla, South Africa vs. Netherlands

113_Yuvraj Singh, India vs. West Indies

111_Sachin Tendulkar, India vs. South Africa

111_Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lanka vs. New Zealand

108*_Tillakaratne Dilshan, Sri Lanka vs. England

107*_AB de Villiers, South Africa vs. West Indies

107_Devon Smith, West Indies vs. Ireland

106_Ryan ten Doeschate, Netherlands vs. Ireland

104_Ricky Ponting, Australia vs. India

103*_Mahela Jayawardene, Sri Lanka vs. India

102*_Upul Tharanga, Sri Lanka vs. England

101_Brendon McCullum, New Zealand vs. Canada

101_Paul Stirling, Ireland vs. Netherlands

100*_Virat Kohli, India vs. Bangladesh

100_Mahela Jayawardene, Sri Lanka vs. Canada

TV `playoff': Senior `Big 3' vs. PGA stars

2012-03-12T14:00:00.000-07:00

It will be more than a struggle among old friends and old rivalsJack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Lee Trevino in today's final round ofthe PGA Seniors Championship at Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

The three Hall of Famers, playing together in the final groupand the only ones in contention for this title, also wil be competingagainst their younger counterparts on the regular tour.

It's a unique network television confrontation that will testthe popularity of the old stars and the strength of the boomingSeniors Tour. "It's the best shot we'll ever have," Trevino said.

The Seniors event will be televised by NBC (3 p.m., Ch. 5). Atthe same time on CBS (Ch. 2), Greg Norman, Payne Stewart and Masterschamp Nick Faldo will tee off as front-runners in the PGA's HeritageClassic.

Ironically, a ball in the water enhanced the attraction of theSeniors event. Player, a two-time winner of this title, was on thebrink of making it a rout. He played the front side Saturday in aspectacular 29, then birdied the 10th and had an eight-shot lead onthe field. Only a rally by Nicklaus on the back nine and Player'sdouble bogey on the 14th, where he hit his tee shot into the water,left the issue in doubt.

Player, with a seven-under-par 65, completed three rounds at 208and was five in front of Nicklaus. Trevino was six behind theleader.

"I don't consider five shots a lead at all," said Player, whohad 12 one-putt greens. "It's nothing. I'll be very nervous(today)."

Nicklaus shot a third-round 67.

"Walking to the 12th green, I looked at a leaderboard and sawGary was running away with it," Nicklaus said. "I thought, `If Idon't get it in gear, the tournament is over.' So I got it in gear."

Trevino remained in contention with a 70. "We've got to putsome smoke on (Player) fast," Trevino said. "Jack and I have to get a couple of birdies early."

HERITAGE CLASSIC: Defending champion Payne Stewart, seeking tobecome the first golfer to win the event in consecutive years, shot afive-under 66 to take the third-round lead at Hilton Head Island,S.C.

Stewart, who shot a record 16-under-par 268 last year, was ateight-under 205. Greg Norman, who had a 67 that included ahole-in-one, was at 207 along with Masters champ Nick Faldo (70) andSteve Jones (66).

Davis Love III shot a 69-208 and was tied with second-roundco-leader Calvin Peete (72) and Loren Roberts (67).

Stewart birdied three holes on the front nine and then took thelead with a birdie on the par-4 12th. He upped his lead to twostrokes with a birdie on the par-3 14th before three-putting forbogey at No. 16. He sank a 15-foot putt for birdie on the 18th toregain his two-stroke advantage.

Norman bogeyed the first hole after hitting into the trees and abunker. He sank a 2-foot putt for birdie on No. 2 and a 6-footbirdie putt on No. 5 before his hole-in-one on No. 7, a 179-yardpar-3. He used a 7-iron for his ace.

CANNES: Scotland's Colin Montgomerie shot a course-recordnine-under 63 to take the lead after two rounds of the $510,000Cannes Open at Mougins, France.

Only half the 144-man field played the round after heavy raincaused a six-hour delay.

RYDER CUP: Dave Stockton was named captain of the 1991 U.S.Ryder Cup team despite pleas from players that Ray Floyd be retainedas the American leader.

PGA policy stipulates that captains do not serve successiveterms.

Stockton, 48, won the PGA Championship in 1970 and 1976 amonghis 11 tour victories. He played on winning American Ryder Cup teamsin 1971 and '77.

Russia identifies airport bomber as Caucasus man

2012-03-12T10:29:00.000-07:00

MOSCOW (AP) — The suicide bomber who killed 35 people at Moscow's busiest airport was deliberately targeting foreigners, investigators say, which would mark an ominous new tactic by separatist militants in southern Russia if he was recruited by an Islamist terror cell.

Federal investigators said Saturday they know the identity of the bomber, a 20-year-old native of the volatile Caucausus region, where Islamist insurgents have been battling for years for a breakaway state.

But the country's top investigative body stopped short of naming him, fearing that it would compromise ongoing attempts to identify and arrest the masterminds of the Domodedovo Airport attack on Jan. 24. The blast also wounded 180 people.

There has been no claim of responsibility, but security analysts suspect Islamist separatists of organizing the bombing because of its magnitude and method.

"It was no accident that the terrorist act was carried out in the international arrivals hall," federal investigators said in a statement. "The terrorist act was aimed first and foremost at foreign citizens."

The victims were mainly Russians, but also included one person each from Britain, Germany, Austria, Ukraine, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.

The violence stemming from the predominantly Muslim Caucasus region originates from two bloody separatist wars in Chechnya in the past 15 years. Federal forces wiped out the large-scale resistance, driving the insurgency into the mountains and into neighboring provinces. The rebels seek an independent Caucasus emirate that adheres to Shariah law.

Caucasus rebels have claimed responsibility for a number of deadly attacks over the years, including a double suicide bombing on the capital's subway system in March 2010 that killed 40 people. One of the subway stations hit was under the Federal Security Service headquarters in downtown Moscow. The service, the main successor to the feared Soviet KGB, is known by its Russian language acronym, the FSB.

This time, the terrorists are out to show that it's not just the Russian public who are defenseless, said Pavel Felgenhauer, an independent security analyst.

"There is always a message," he said. "If the message with the metro bombings was to show the FSB that they are not out of reach, then the message here is that foreigners should keep away from Russia, it's a dangerous place. The point was to scare off foreigners, not to maybe kill them but to hit Russia's image, (and) its economy as an investment destination."

"Looking at Medvedev's reaction, it seems that point got through," Felgenhauer said, referring to President Dmitry Medvedev, who postponed his trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos because of the blast. When he eventually arrived on Wednesday, Medvedev condemned the perpetrators and sternly defended Russia as an investment haven.

Rebels in the Caucausus mount regular attacks on police and security forces in the region, according to police reports. Human rights activists say their violence is provoked by a savage crackdown on peaceful civilians by authorities in the region, and hold Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov and his feared private army to blame. Kadyrov, a former rebel himself until he switched sides and was subsequently installed by the Kremlin as president, denies being behind disappearances, torture and extra-judicial killings that rights activists say plague the region.

The Caucasus hosts at least 100 ethnicities including Chechens, who resisted czarist conquest of the region for hundreds of years.

Since the blast at Domodedovo Airport, a half-dozen transport and police officials have been fired. Medvedev said after the blast that Domodedovo's security was in a "state of anarchy."

Russia's parliament has given preliminary approval to a law creating color-coded terrorist threat alerts, a measure rushed forward in the wake of the airport bombing. The proposed law is modeled on the U.S. system instituted after the Sept. 11 attacks, which Washington announced Thursday it would be abandoning by the end of April and replaced with a new plan to notify specific people about specific threats. Critics had complained the general color alerts were unhelpful. Russia's State Duma, or lower house, unanimously approved the bill Friday in the first of three required readings.

The explosion also called into question Russia's ability to safely host major international events such as the 2014 Winter Olympics and the 2018 World Cup, events designed to attract foreigners and their investment capital, to Russia.