social

Pope marks start of 2010, calls for respect

2012-03-15T07:24:00.000-07:00

Pope Benedict XVI has called for the respect of all people without discrimination and the protection of children from war and violence during a Mass marking the start of 2010.

Benedict said in the homily Friday that peace begins by recognizing in each other's faces that men are brothers and not rivals or enemies. He said people should be taught the value of respect for all from …

THE TICKER // NATION

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

SEC challenges Motorola's numbers WASHINGTON - The Securities andExchange Commission challenged Motorola Inc.'s accounting for its1995 sale of Motorola mobile radio businesses to NextelCommunications Inc., according to a proxy statement Motorola filedwith the SEC. Under the SEC's method, Motorola would have recorded anet gain of $429 million during the third quarter, thereby boosting1995 earnings before income taxes to $3.21 billion from $2.78billion. A Motorola official declined comment.Magellan unloads last bonds NEW YORK - Fidelity's Magellan, thenation's largest mutual fund, has shed the last vestiges of its bondholdings and now has nearly all of its assets in stocks. …

Indonesian leader slams WikiLeaks graft charges

2012-03-15T02:38:00.000-07:00

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is describing as character assassination leaked U.S. diplomatic cables reportedly accusing him of bribery, intimidation and self-enrichment.

Yudhoyono was responding Monday to recent reports by Australian newspapers The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age based on U.S. diplomatic …

BP, scientists try to make sense of well puzzle

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

Engineers kept vigil Saturday over the massive cap holding back oil from BP's busted Gulf well, their eyes glued to monitors in a faraway control room that displayed pressure readings, temperature gauges and underwater images.

Their round-the-clock work deciphering a puzzle of data from undersea robots and instruments at the wellhead is helping BP and the government determine whether the cap is holding tight as the end of a critical 48-hour testing window approaches. Signs so far have been promising but inconclusive.

Saturday afternoon will mark two full days since BP stopped the oil from leaking into the Gulf and entered into the pressure-testing phase. At …

Webb stages comeback to capture her first major

2012-03-14T21:54:00.000-07:00

Karrie Webb, the top player in women's golf, found the missingpiece to a magnificent season - her first major championship. Webbstaged a dramatic comeback on the back nine Sunday for a 6-under-par66 to win the du Maurier Classic in Priddis, Alberta.

Starting the final round five strokes back, Webb followed crucialpar saves with birdies on three of the last four holes to finish at11-under 277 for a two-stroke victory over Laura Davies.

"There's no more pressure from anyone," said the 24-year-oldAussie, who won for the sixth time this year. "I don't have toanswer questions about winning a major."

Juli Inkster's bid to win her third straight major and a berth …

Industry partners undertake DRP measurement study

2012-03-14T19:34:00.000-07:00

In a coordinated effort to improve the DRP process for both body shop owners and insurance companies, industry leaders Square One Systems, Inc., Coyote Vision Group (CVG), BASF, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Sherwin Williams and 3M are partnering with Carlew and Associates LLC to undertake an extensive DRP research effort across North America.

The study, tided "Commitment to DRP Excellence," will include up to 400 collision repair owners throughout North America and their experiences with the complex and often confusing DRP process. The goal of the initiative is to define best practices and to improve the DRP process. CVG, along with invited national vendor co-sponsors, will submit their …

Senate committee approves Holder

2012-03-14T17:13:00.000-07:00

Senate Republicans, who acted like lions in challenging Eric Holder, turned into lambs Wednesday as they joined Democrats in recommending President Barack Obama's choice for attorney general.

The Judiciary Committee voted 17-2 to endorse Holder, with two Republicans opposing the nomination _ John Cornyn of Texas and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma. The Senate could vote as early as Thursday to confirm Holder as the first African-American to lead the Justice Department.

Committee Republicans and Democrats described Holder as experienced, independent, tough on crime and opposed to torture. Holder has served as a federal prosecutor, judge, U.S. attorney for the District of …

APPOINTMENTS

2012-03-14T14:53:00.000-07:00

John F.O. Bilson joined the Chicago Corp. as senior vicepresident/international economist. Ann Jackson has been appointed vice president of J. Walter ThompsonU.S.A.

Richard Franke, president and chief executive officer of JohnNuveen & Co., was elected to the board of trustees of the Universityof Chicago. John S. Rosenbaum has been named vice president and nationaldirector/structured settlements for North American Co. for Life andHealth Insurance. Richard H. McDonald was appointed vice president/transportation forthe Chicago and North Western Transportation Co. J. Robb McPherson has been promoted to senior vicepresident/management supervisor at BBDO Chicago. …

Consumer Confidence Drops in September

2012-03-14T12:33:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK - Worries about jobs and the overall economy flared in September, driving a key barometer of consumer sentiment to its lowest level in nearly two years, a private research group said Tuesday.

The New York-based Conference Board said its Consumer Confidence Index fell to 99.8, an almost 6-point drop from the revised 105.6 in August. The reading was below the 104.5 that analysts had expected.

It marked its lowest level since a 98.3 reading in November 2005, when gas and oil prices soared after hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the Gulf Coast.

"Weaker business conditions combined with a less favorable job market continue to cast a cloud over consumers …

Boeing relying on exports for military planes

2012-03-14T10:12:00.000-07:00

Boeing's defense business plans to compensate for an expected weakening of U.S. military sales through a sharp rise in international exports, the company's president said Sunday.

"We're seeing a flattening of the (U.S.) defense budget, but we see a lot of opportunities for us internationally," said Jim Albaugh, president and CEO of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems (IDS).

Boeing IDS already has moved aggressively into the international marketplace, and brought foreign sales up from 5 percent five years ago to a current export business worth $5 billion, or 16 percent of its sales.

"We think we can easily grow that to about 20 …

School Lawyers Advise Against Repairs Suit

2012-03-14T07:52:00.000-07:00

Chicago Board of Education attorneys have concluded that anylawsuit seeking to recoup $365,000 spent on repairs at a buildinglinked to Board President D. Sharon Grant would be tough to win andprobably fruitless.

The legal opinion is contained in the same April 15 report inwhich School Board attorneys cleared Grant of any impropriety in herlimited dealings with 5151 W. Madison, a building her mother'scompany rented from the board.

Board member Florence Cox raised the issue of the full reportduring Wednesday's board meeting when she asked whether the "intent"of the report was to "nullify" the board's decision last month toseek $365,000 in restitution for work at …

Santorum, Romney, Paul leading caucus vote

2012-03-14T05:31:00.000-07:00

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Texas congressman Ron Paul, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum are waging a tense, three-way struggle for supremacy in Iowa's Republican presidential caucuses.

Returns from nearly one-third of the state's 1,774 precincts show the three men bunched together, separated by only a few dozen votes and jockeying back and …

ARTS EXTRA

2012-03-14T02:59:00.000-07:00

GOVERNOR'S ARTS AWARDS RECIPIENTS ANNOUNCED

Um, remember a couple of months ago when we were bitching about the fact that then-Governor Dirk Kempthorne called off the biennial Governor's Arts Awards (Arts News, 'Governor Kempthorne on Arts Awards: Let's Call the Whole Thing Off, ' April 19), and our grudging acknowledgment of then-Lieutenant Governor James Risch for putting them back on (Arts News, On-Again Off-Again Governor's Arts Awards Back On, May 24), as the ICA press release from the Idaho Commission on the Arts put it, "at the urging of numerous other Idahoans"?

So after all the hubbub, the awards continued as they have since being established in 1970. This year's panel of out-of-state jurors has made its recommendations, and from those, the commissioners at the Idaho Commission on the Arts made their recommendations to Gov. Risch. The recipients of the awards and the accompanying silver medallions are as follows: Excellence in the Arts: The Log Cabin Literary Center and artists Kerry Moosman and Charles Gill and musician Chuck Smith: Excellence in Folk & Traditional Arts: Biotzetik Basque Choir: Support of the Arts: Boise Weekly (!) and Steve Gibbs of the Coeur d'Alene gallery The Precious Metals Company; Support of Arts Education: Cathy Sher and Ruth Wright: Excellence in Arts Administation: Patty Miller; Lifetime Achievement: architect Charles Hummel.

We at BW couldn't be prouder, or more surprised-and we don't even feel bad that our raising a ruckus about the whole affair has directly resulted in our receiving a really cool honor. (The fact that Bruce Willis garnered one of these last time around should in no way cheapen the thrill, right?)

The awards will be presented by Gov. Risch on Saturday, October 7, at 7 p.m., at the Egyptian Theatre, 700 W. Main St. For more information, visit the Idaho Commision on the Arts at www.arts.idaho.gov.

Big shoulders and open arms // In this city, the heart of a nation beats

2012-03-14T00:07:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Chicago, Democrats. We are you and you are us.

So much of what you are as Americans, Chicago is as well. Somuch of what you love and do not love about this nation, you willfind in Chicago in full.

If you came to save America, you came to save Chicago. You willfind America's reflection in our city's soaring skyscapers, in thebeauty of our lake, in the fading eyes of our dying young men.

Chicago is an American city. Perhaps the most American of allcities. Norman Mailer, reeling from the 1968 Democratic convention,once famously proclaimed Chicago "perhaps the last of the greatAmerican cities." And his words still ring true. The life-forcethat built the nation courses through Chicago like the river beneaththe Michigan Avenue bridge.

Like America as a whole, Chicago is a place of immigrants andchildren of immigrants, all races and religions, committed to adoctrine intensely American: Hard work brings personal betterment andhuman progress. Chicago is the meeting ground, as it was for thePotawatomi. Chicago is the land of new beginnings, as it was for theFrench voyageurs and New England speculators and bored Midwesternfarmers.

On Argyle Street today, a man from Vietnam runs an import shop.In west suburban Maywood, a woman from India works as a doctor. Insouthwest suburban Chicago Ridge, a man from Ireland worksconstruction.

"What I like about Chicago is, if you work hard you can getsomeplace," said Chai Roongseang, who runs a Thai restaurant, theNoodle Garden, in north suburban Evanston. Chai and his wife,Jintana, have taken off exactly two days in 1 1/2 years.

Studs Terkel, a conscience of our city, likes to call Chicago "acity of hands" - as in factory hand, dockhand. New York is a city ofpaper; Los Angeles, a city of celluloid. Chicago is a city of hands.

But the old hands are doing new jobs, and the callouses arefading. Chicago's economy, like the nation's, is shifting uneasilyfrom manufacturing jobs to service jobs. Mills close while hotelsboom. In Chicago today, the single most powerful union is not theiron workers or the electricians, but probably the Service EmployeesInternational.

Earlier this year, Jay Leno brought his "Tonight Show" toChicago and reveled in all our blue-collar cliches. He trotted outthe usual suspects - beef sandwiches, deep-dish pizza and da coach.But Chicago is as much a Starbucks caffe latte as a Mr. Beefsandwich, as much corporate Michael Jordan as combative Mike Ditka.

At your convention, somebody will lament the loss in America of"good-paying jobs," the kind of jobs men and women can raise a familyon. And if you need proof, you'll find it in Chicago. The guyselling you a hot dog at the United Center might have worked in afoundry two decades ago, earning three times the pay.

Somebody else will talk about America's "declining sense ofcommunity," and you will find that in Chicago as well.

Chicago is a mirror of America, a reflection deep and wide. Youwill talk at your convention about crime in the United States, andyou will find that here. You will talk about racial strife, and youwill find that here. You will talk about failed schools, and youwill find that here.

But you will find something else as well.

You will find the America you believe in, your very reason forbeing here.

Chicago is a town thrown up on a swamp in a burst of furiousenterprise. It is a town rebuilt after a great fire on a scale fargrander than before, showcasing the genius of Daniel Burnham, LouisSullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright and - somewhat later - Mies van derRohe.

It is a town of flat prairie plainness, but also strikingphysical beauty. Our lakefront is our Rocky Mountains, our NiagaraFalls.

Chicago is a town of enormous on-the-make energy, but alsoreformist spirit - a backlash, no doubt, to all the greed. That mobof protesters outside the convention? They follow in the footstepsof our local rebel giants: social worker Jane Addams, attorneyClarence Darrow and community organizer Saul Alinsky.

At the '68 convention, Mayor Richard J. Daley complained of"outside agitators," but we grow plenty of our own. Chicago is inthe middle of the country and in the middle of the fight.

So welcome, Democrats. This is America. Hope you feel at home.

Yankees unveil monument to George Steinbrenner

2012-03-13T21:15:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK (AP) — George Steinbrenner is now truly the biggest of the Yankees greats — as measured in Monument Park.

The colorful and combative owner was honored with the largest tribute in the team's storied area of remembrance behind the center-field fence. His 7-by-5-foot, 760-pound monument of bronze atop a granite base was unveiled during a solemn ceremony Monday night attended by many of the stars he had feuded with and fawned over during his 37½-year tenure.

"It's big," Derek Jeter said. "Probably just how The Boss wanted it. The biggest one out there."

Jeter was asked whether Steinbrenner would have liked that.

"No question," the Yankees captain answered. "It probably was his idea."

Former manager Joe Torre came to Steinbrenner's $1.6 billion new Yankee Stadium for the first time, as did former captain Don Mattingly, and Torre reconciled with general manager Brian Cashman. Steinbrenner's daughters had tears in their eyes and his widow Joan unveiled the monument after being accompanied from home plate in a golf cart by baseball commissioner Bud Selig.

"Do I think George should be in the Hall of Fame? Of course I do," Selig said. "He changed the sport in a lot of ways."

Steinbrenner died July 13 at age 80 after several years of declining health. The tribute came before the first-place Yankees opened a key series with an 8-6 win over second-place Tampa Bay, the team of his adopted hometown.

New York's tribute to Steinbrenner, titled "The Boss," is behind a quintet of 2-by-3-foot monuments honoring manager Miller Huggins (unveiled in 1932), Lou Gehrig (1941), Babe Ruth (1949), Mickey Mantle (1996) and Joe DiMaggio (1999). The other monument, to the victims and rescue workers of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, is on the left-field side of the area.

"A true visionary who changed the game of baseball forever," the monument reads. "He was considered the most influential owner in all of sports. In 37 years as principal owner, the Yankees posted a major league-best .566 winning percentage, while winning 11 American League pennants and seven World Series titles, becoming the most recognizable sports brand in the world.

"A devoted sportsman, he was vice president of the United States Olympic Committee, a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame's board of directors and a member of the NCAA Foundation board of trustees. A great philanthropist whose charitable efforts were mostly performed without fanfare, he followed a personal motto of the greatest form of charity is anonymity."

The entire team, led by Alex Rodriguez and manager Joe Girardi, walked from the dugout and up steps in center field, with Torre and Mattingly among those trailing in business attire.

"It was definitely one of those pretty cool moments to be a part of," Andy Pettitte said. "Another special moment for this franchise, and another special moment here in this new ballpark."

They were joined by Hall of Famers Yogi Berra and Reggie Jackson, Steinbrenner's two sons and two daughters.

After the monument was unveiled, David Wells walked by and touched it. Mariano Rivera leaned forward, looked ahead and contemplated.

With a crowd looking on that included Donald Trump, Torre received the loudest cheers as he was shown three times on the giant videoboard, and Mattingly — who will succeed Torre next season as Los Angeles Dodgers manager — got the second-loudest applause.

"George is responsible for really the best years of my life professionally," said Torre, who managed the Yankees to four of their seven World Series titles under Steinbrenner. "Did we get along all the time? No. But it never lasted very long that we, you know, disagreed."

Mattingly recalled how Steinbrenner dispatched a plane to Indiana for him when the first baseman's back ailed. General manager Brian Cashman remembered how Steinbrenner's mere presence upped the tension at old Yankee Stadium.

"Before text messages, Internet, cell phones and things of that nature, you didn't know what his travel schedule was. He liked to surprise people all the time," Cashman said. "You'd walk into that facility, and you could feel within two steps into the lobby that The Boss was here. Some people say in the parking lot you could feel it."

Without Steinbrenner, the Yankees' culture has changed.

"He was the ticket director, the marketing manager, the general manager, the manager in the dugout, the stadium operations guy," Cashman said. "He ran everything, and he told everybody what to do. He was the department head of it all. And now you need I can't tell you how many people to replace him."

Medtronic paid $850,000 to author of bogus study

2012-03-13T18:24:00.000-07:00

Medical device maker Medtronic paid about $850,000 over nearly 10 years to a former Army surgeon accused of forging signatures and falsifying data for a study touting the benefits of one of the company's implants.

Medtronic, the world's largest device firm, previously declined to release details of its financial arrangements with Dr. Timothy Kuklo, who authored a paper on Medtronic's Infuse implant that later had to be retracted from publication.

The Army found that Kuklo, now a university professor, forged the signatures of four colleagues and made up data overstating the benefits of Medtronic's implant on leg injuries of soldiers at Walter Reed Medical Center.

Medtronic reiterated on Thursday that it had no involvement with Kuklo's discredited medical journal article.

The Minneapolis-based company said it paid Kuklo $850,000 in direct and indirect payments between 2001 and May 2009, when it placed the surgeon's consulting arrangements on hold. Most of that amount was for training activities or consulting, though he was also reimbursed for airfare and other travel expenses.

The company's disclosure comes after a series of probing letters from Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, a longtime critic of the drug and device industry's influence over physicians.

"We are making Dr. Kuklo's compensation information public on a one-time basis in the interest of transparency in this unique case," said Marybeth Thorsgard, a company spokeswoman.

The company said Kuklo worked for the company training other physicians to use Medtronic's products between 2000 and 2006. In August 2006 he became a consultant for the company on product development issues.

The Department of Defense permits military physicians to receive payments for training and consulting, provided they disclose the information on conflict of interest forms.

Kuklo retired from the Army in 2007 and is now a professor of orthopedic surgery at Washington University in St. Louis. He is currently on a leave of absence, according to university officials.

Last November the Department of Justice subpoenaed documents from Medtronic as part of a probe into whether the company encouraged doctors to use the Infuse spinal graft for unapproved purposes. Grassley is conducting a similar inquiry.

While doctors are allowed to use drugs and devices for nonapproved uses, companies are not allowed to market the techniques.

Infuse is a man-made version of a human protein that spurs bone growth. The Food and Drug Administration approved the system to fuse parts of the spine together during lower-back surgery as well as for oral and dental procedures.

However, serious complications have been reported when doctors use the graft for alternate uses, such as neck surgeries. The FDA has said that use can lead to problems swallowing, breathing and speaking, which in some cases required additional surgeries.

FIXING MCDI: A Troubled Training Center Looks to the Future

2012-03-13T15:30:00.000-07:00

The agency's clients, to a large degree, are troubled in many cases poor, undereducated, and not skilled enough to succeed in the job market. Some are homeless, and others face social issues from drugs to pregnancy.

For more than 30 years, the Mass. Career Development Institute (MCDI) has helped such residents of Springfield by educating and training them to be productive members of the workforce.

But now, the agency itself is troubled - and the decisions being made today by city leadership will have an impact on how effective MCDI can be in the next decade and beyond.

The sheer reach of the organization has never been in doubt. Since its inception in 1970, MCDI has helped more than 25,000 people obtain the skills they need to enter or reenter the workforce - and today, at a time when training needs can change rapidly, an agency of this type remains a crucial element in the local economy, according to Springfield Mayor Charles Ryan.

However, the mayor is also aware of how a number of setbacks have tarnished the reputation of this quasi-public agency, and he is actively developing a strategy for its future structure, leadership, and direction.

"It's very important, certainly, and we would like to see it restored to where it was years ago," Ryan said. "It has absolutely played a big role."

Trouble Brewing

That role came under the spotlight last spring when Gerald Phillips, then-MCDI executive director, was indicted on federal charges of wire fraud and federal program fraud, and was accused of directing MCDI money for personal benefit by billing the Springfield School Department for hours worked by "no-show" employees.

In addition, Phillips was charged with threatening a witness, an MCDI student who claimed to receive her noshow job in return for sexual favors to Phillips.

"The use of positions of responsibility and power for personal gain, as alleged in the indictment, is an unconscionable breach of the public trust," said U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan at the time of the indictments. "Such conduct undermines confidence that their government institutions are being run honestly."

The case is still pending, and Phillips was transferred to a position in MCDI's Holyoke office, leaving Barry Metayer, the agency's longtime grant writer, in charge of the main office's daily operations.

"Our staff continues to do a great job. The day-to-day business we do has not been affected," Metayer said, adding that the primary impact of last year's scandals was psychological. "It has definitely affected the morale of the staff, but they continue to do their jobs."

Still, the current setup leaves much to be desired, he said, as MCDI has no official director, and his new responsibilities have kept Metayer from the grant-writing work that has become more crucial as federal and state funding have lessened over the past decade. The agency receives no direct city funding, and has been a victim, along with many other organizations across the Commonwealth, of recent cuts in state aid.

"Most grants are performance-based to some degree, based on job placements and enrollments," he said. For that reason, the most important aspect of running MCDI is making sure the programs it offers match up to the realities of the marketplace.

"I think we need to take a look at our programs and constantly upgrade them according to the needs of the local labor market," he continued. "We've had to change our programs and sometimes cut back, and in order to survive and grow over the next 30 years, we'll need to change as the times change, so we can provide real job opportunities for our graduates."

Those programs remain wide-ranging, however. A course in office systems technology, for instance, includes skill development in typing, business writing, business math, record-keeping, electronic communication, filing, word processing, and spreadsheets. The roster also includes courses in computer technology, certified nurse's aide training, and metal fabrication, among many others.

However, the greatest need for MCDI's constituency is adult basic education, including English as a second language and GED studies. And even those who have a high-school education often lack the "soft skills" necessary to hold down jobs including attendance, attitude, and communication with co-workers and customers - so MCDI provides training in that area as well. Meanwhile, the agency also runs an alternative high school and middle school, as well as operating a welfare-to-work endeavor.

In addition, MCDI satellite offices in Holyoke and Westfield provide many of the same training and education services the 105,000-square-foot headquarters in Springfield does. "It's a comprehensive menu of services all under one roof," Metayer said. "You don't have to go to three or four places to get all this."

Meeting Needs

The agency has struck up a partnership with Springfield Technical Community College for students at MCDI to earn college credits, but Metayer knows that most people in these training programs will not attend college. And that fact can create a sense of hopelessness in the community which the institute seeks to combat.

"In this population, many people have no other option," he said. "People who work with us get real opportunities for employment-, without us, I don't think the same opportunities would exist.

"The perception is that all the jobs that become available are high-tech," he added. "But the reality is, there are hundreds and hundreds of jobs that don't require college degrees. We can help people get into those jobs."

For some, the needs are even more dire.

The McKinney Program, funded with state and federal money, provides training, education, and transitional housing for homeless individuals and families.

In addition, MCDI partners with Human Resources Unlimited, Mental Health Associates, and the Marriott Corp. to provide basic education, life skills training, and culinary arts training to 18 homeless, mentally ill individuals at a time. MCDI also provides 15 meals per week for homeless people at the Worthington Street shelter in Springfield.

An arm of the Springfield School Department until 19%, MCDI retains its quasipublic status, and staffers are city employees. The agency has also cultivated relationships with the area's two one-stop career centers.

"They refer people to CareerPoint and FutureWorks," said William Ward, director of the Regional Employment Board of Hampden County. "The career centers are different from MCDI; they're more involved in the direct placement of individuals looking for jobs - getting job orders from companies and matching up job seekers with job orders.

"For people who come in looking for a job but may not have the skills, the career centers might refer them to MCDI," he continued, explaining the sometimes symbiotic relationship between the different organizations.

With those partnerships in play, it's easy to see why the region's leaders are interested in maintaining the health of both types of programs. The question for MCDI remains, how should the organization be structured in order to continue its mission most effectively? And that's the question that Ryan has before him - and is actively seeking to answer.

"They need to take a good, hard look at all the programs and where they fit in the marketplace today," Ward said. "They need to determine what MCDI's niche is and where it wants to compete for customers."

For his part, Ryan is tight-lipped on the direction of those discussions, although he said he will know more toward the end of April. "We're working hard to evaluate the whole thing, and we're meeting with many people, but at this point, we can't make any decisions yet," the mayor said. "But the analysis is going on right now."

Closer Look

It is rare for an agency such as MCDI to be so closely intertwined with a city's payroll, and that organizational structure is part of what Ryan is currently examining.

"The city has made a major commitment to this center," Ward said. "And it must always be re-asking, 'to what level should the city be involved in this?'"

Whatever decision Ryan and other city leaders come up with, they express a commitment to the health of an agency that trains and educates some 1,800 people per year. The recent Phillips scandal was a setback for sure, both in public perception and internal morale, but Metayer is confident that MCDI will emerge from the negative headlines with a more certain direction, leadership structure and fuiture.

"We have the space to expand as we determine what we should be doing to enhance economic development efforts," he said.

And through all the change the agency has been through, that's a mission that has not changed in 30 years.

A Girl's Place Is in the Gym

2012-03-13T12:33:00.000-07:00

I play many sports. My favorite is volleyball. Coincidentally,I just finished a successful history project about Title IX, which ispart of the 1972 Educational Amendment to the Civil Rights Act of1964. Title IX assures girls the same opportunities in sports thatboys have.

At the beginning of my project, I had only a vague idea of whatTitle IX was about. I didn't really understand the true meaning andits effect on me.

I learned quickly. When I told my social studies teacher (amale) what my project was, he just gave me a blank stare as if to say"Title what?" I was surprised to receive the same response from thegirls at my school and club volleyball teams.In her April 4 Personal View, Barbara Butcher put this subjectin a different perspective. After I read the article, I talked to mymom about the opportunities she had as young girl.I found out that she too never had a chance to play any sportsexcept those she learned while her father was teaching her brother toplay. Even if she had wanted to play, the opportunity wasn't there.I believe sports competition helped me develop a mental andphysical awareness that I would not have been able to achieve at myage otherwise.During sports competition, I am challenged to think critically,make decisions and execute physical skills.I now do these same things in everyday life. This give me moreself-confidence and also helps me work successfully with differentpeople in varied situations.A few weeks ago I was competing at a volleyball tournament whenI noticed that some boys had come into the gym to watch. I laughedwhen I saw this. It used to be that girls would come and cheer forthe boys. These boys came and really cheered for us girls.So now, this female athlete would like to give three cheers forthose women who came before us and unfortunately never had theopportunity to play sports.Three cheers also for those women who cried out that theopportunity to compete in sports was not equal with men, but was muchneeded.Finally, three cheers for those women who fought to create theopportunities that Title IX allows.Although I enjoy the immediate benefits of Title IX,opportunities for women in sports still aren't equal to the men'sprograms. However, I believe we are getting close.Carlee Bator is 13 years old and in the eighth grade at MarkSheridan Math and Science Academy.

China Sticking to One-Child Policy

2012-03-13T09:32:00.000-07:00

BEIJING - China will not loosen its one-child policy, despite a top family planning official's acknowledgment Tuesday that it was partly to blame for a worsening problem of too many boy babies and not enough girls in the world's most populous nation.

In 2005, some 118 boys were born in China for every 100 girls. In some regions, the figure has hit 130 boys for every 100 girls; the average for industrialized countries is between 104 and 107 boys for every 100 girls.

Zhang Weiqing, minister of the National Population and Family Planning Commission, said the government is committed to solving gender imbalance within 10 to 15 years with education campaigns, punishments for sex-selective abortions and rewards - like retirement pensions - for parents who have girls.

"This problem is a reality of country life in China," said Zhang. "We have a 2,000-year feudal history that considered men superior to women, that gave boys the right to carry on the family name and allowed men to be emperors while women could not."

He called gender imbalance "a very serious challenge for China."

Bates Gill of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington said pension benefits would help, but other financial incentives like school fees for girls, would also need to be included. He also thought the effects of such projects would take several years before families learned they could trust the government to deliver on their promises.

Zhang said China's basic policy - in effect since the late 1970s - was reviewed and renewed without change last month. The policy limits urban couples to one child and rural families to two to control the population and conserve natural resources. Beijing says it has helped prevent 400 million births and has aided the nation's rapid economic development.

Dropping restrictions on childbearing now would risk a population surge as a baby boomer generation born in the early 1980s becomes ready to start families, Zhang said. Another factor in the government's decision is that many migrant workers living in cities have been evading restrictions and having two or more children, he said.

China has about 1.3 billion people - 20 percent of the global total. The government has pledged to keep the population under 1.36 billion by 2010 and under 1.45 billion by 2020, Zhang said.

Susan Greenhalgh, professor of anthropology at the University of California Irvine, said her research shows Chinese "couples' childbearing preferences have changed" since imposition of the one-child policy, and many now say they would only choose to have one child.

The policy and easy availability of sonogram technology to determine fetal gender have prompted many families to abort girls, and other couples give up girls for adoption abroad so they can try for a son.

The United States is the No. 1 destination for Chinese children adopted abroad. China recently imposed new restrictions on foreign adoptions, barring applicants who are unmarried, obese, over 50 or who take certain medications.

Heather Terry, spokeswoman for Great Wall China Adoptions, said the new restrictions show China is committed to ensuring "only the best" for the girls given up for adoption.

China is "approaching (adoption), the way they approached their population problem: We need to tighten up a bit to get this under control," said Terry, whose agency is one of the largest in the U.S. that organizes adoptions from China.

Greenhalgh said that though sex selection was a problem in the past, "people's gender preferences are shifting where girls are at least as desirable as sons."

City-dwellers, most of whom will receive pensions upon retirement, depend less on their children for financial support, Greenhalgh said, so they are happy to have girls, whom they often consider better providers of emotional care late in life.

While popularly referred to as China's "one-child policy," the rule limits only 36 percent of the population to having one child, said Wang Guoqing, the family planning commission's vice director.

Most people, or 53 percent, are allowed to have a second child if their first is a girl. Poor farmers with a two-child limit account for nearly 10 percent of the population, while ethnic minorities - who are allowed to have two or more children - make up 1.6 percent of the total.

The complex policy reflects the greatly varied economic and social realities in different regions of China, Zhang said.

He said the government has begun studying the impact of a generation of "only children" - since the late 1970s, nearly 100 million children have been born who will never have siblings.

"China's only boys and girls are certainly not as scary as some people say, like those who call them 'little emperors' or 'little titans' who can't tolerate authority," Zhang said.

"The majority of them have had a healthy childhood," he said. "You can see for yourself. Young people today are very energetic and creative." In addition, he said, they are likely to be better educated than children from bigger families, because parents need not divide their resources among many children.

"They are much better off than I was, being one of four kids," said Zhang, 62. "I envy them."

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AP Writer Sarah DiLorenzo contributed to this report from New York.

Snyder's home run powers D'Backs past Pirates 4-3

2012-03-13T05:49:00.000-07:00

Chris Snyder hit a home run to lead off the ninth inning, giving the Arizona Diamondbacks a 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday night.

The Arizona catcher hit a 1-1 pitch into the left-field seats off reliever John Grabow (4-2) for his sixth home run of the season. The Diamondbacks, who blew a 3-0 lead, beat Pittsburgh for the second straight night.

Snyder's home run made a winner of Juan Cruz (2-0), who pitched an inning of scoreless relief. Brandon Lyon allowed two baserunners in the ninth inning, but picked up his 14th save.

The Diamondbacks scored three runs in the first off Pirates starter Tom Gorzelanny. Chris Burke, who was hitting leadoff for the first time this season, drew a walk and was sacrificed to second by Stephen Drew. Orlando Hudson followed with a four-pitch walk.

Conor Jackson singled to score Burke, Chris Young's double brought home Hudson, and Mark Reynolds hit a sacrifice fly that scored Jackson.

After the rocky start, Gorzelanny shut down Arizona the rest of the way. The left-hander went seven innings for his longest outing since May 10 and allowed three runs and five hits. He struck out one and walked three.

The Pirates made it 3-1 in the third against Arizona starter Dan Haren. Adam LaRoche started the inning with a walk and, with two outs, scored from second on Nate McLouth's double.

Jason Bay led off the fourth with a home run to make it 3-2. Bay, who finished 1-for-4, has now hit safely in 16 of his past 18 games. His blast came a half-inning after he made a running catch near the left-field wall to rob Snyder of a possible run-scoring hit with Young on second base.

McLouth hit a home run into the right-field seats with two outs in the fifth to tie the game at 3. His 14th homer of the season set a career high. McLouth went 2-for-4.

Haren pitched seven innings and allowed three runs and five hits. The right-hander struck out six and walked one.

Arizona wasted a leadoff double from Haren in the seventh. Haren moved to third on a ground ball to the shortstop by Burke. But Drew popped out to first base, and Hudson grounded out to third to end the inning.

Pittsburgh also had a scoring chance in the seventh. LaRoche doubled with one out. But Jack Wilson struck out, and pinch-hitter Xavier Nady flied out to left field.

Young had a pair of doubles for Arizona.

Notes:@ Arizona has outscored its opponents 51-24 in the first inning. ... LaRoche, who came into Saturday night's game hitting .210, was dropped to seventh in the batting order. He finished 1-for-3 with a double and a walk. ... Pittsburgh manager John Russell said Ian Snell was OK, the day after the Pirates starter was hit in the back and left elbow by Chad Tracy's line drive. ... Pirates third baseman Doug Mientkiewicz was charged with two errors. ... The Pirates recognized several members of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who advanced to their first Stanley Cup final since 1992 before losing in six games to the Detroit Red Wings.

Norway rallies to beat Iceland 2-1 in qualifier

2012-03-13T02:19:00.000-07:00

REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) — Norway forward Mohammed Abdellaoue's first international goal Friday gave his team a 2-1 come from behind win over Iceland in qualifying for the 2012 European Championship.

The Hannover striker split two defenders at the top of the box before coolly sliding the ball past goalkeeper Gunnleifur Gunnleifsson in a wet and windy match.

Heidar Helguson gave Iceland the lead in the 38th minute, tapping in a low cross from Gylfi Thor Sigurdsson.

Norway leveled in the 59th minute, when captain Brede Hangeland used his height to out-jump Gunnleifsson and head in a corner from AS Roma defender John Arne Riise.

Cop gets 2 years for sex in squad car

2012-03-12T23:19:00.000-07:00

Calling the misconduct by Delatwan Haynes "stunning," Lake County Circuit Court Judge Christopher Stride handed down a two-year prison sentence for the former Waukegan police officer Friday.

"You sullied the reputation of not only yourself, but also the reputation of the Waukegan Police Department," Stride told Haynes. "The misconduct is stunning. You violated the rules and regulations that come with being a police officer, and violated public trust."

In March, Haynes -- who left the force in January 2008 -- was found not guilty of nine of 12 counts he faced, including five counts of sex assault.

But he was found guilty of official misconduct stemming from using a Waukegan squad car for a sexual encounter and filing a false report as to his location that evening.

Haynes was accused of raping a woman while he was on duty in January 2008.

The accuser, who admitted at trial that she is a heroin and cocaine addict and that she was high on the evening in question, also has filed a $40 million civil lawsuit against the City of Waukegan.

Photo: Delatwan Haynes ;

China orders review of local government finances

2012-03-12T20:25:00.000-07:00

China's Cabinet ordered a review Thursday of investment agencies run by local governments amid warnings that Chinese banks might face problems if they cannot repay multibillion-dollar borrowing.

The order was the highest-profile expression of government concern following warnings by the World Bank and others about heavy debt at such agencies, which invested in real estate and infrastructure as part of Beijing's stimulus.

"We must strengthen management of local financing platform companies in order to maintain economically sustainable healthy development and social stability," said a Cabinet statement issued after a meeting led by Premier Wen Jiabao.

Local authorities must "deal with the issue of debt repayment and financing for projects that already are under construction," the statement said. It gave no details of the size of debts or possible losses.

Chinese banks are seen as the world's healthiest after avoiding the mortgage-related turmoil that battered Western institutions. But analysts warn the stimulus-driven lending boom might leave lenders with a mountain of bad loans.

Chinese media say local government investment agencies owe 6 trillion yuan ($880 billion) to state banks. An American researcher, Victor Shih of Northwestern University, estimates total local government borrowing in 2004-09 at 12 trillion yuan ($1.6 trillion).

The World Bank and China's central bank say banks could face losses if the agencies, known as "finance platforms," cannot repay their debts.

Local government finance platforms accounted for a "very high proportion" of last year's bank lending, a deputy central bank governor, Su Ning, said in March during the annual meeting of the national legislature. State banks lent a record 9.6 trillion yuan ($1.4 trillion) in 2009 under orders to support the stimulus.

"This could have potential risks," Su said in March.

Beijing spent some $400 billion over the past decade clearing away non-performing loans at state banks, which were long expected to lend to prop up government companies without regard to whether they could repay their debts.

That recapitalization was part of an effort to turn Chinese banks into profit-driven institutions that judged borrowers on commercial grounds. But after the global crisis struck in 2008, banks were ordered to relax lending standards and flood the economy with credit to support the stimulus.

The World Bank warned in a March report that the financing platforms' growing debts was one of a series of "macro economic risks" stemming from the stimulus.

Shih, the American researcher, says China has nearly 4,000 local government financing vehicles, which has obscured the scale of total government debt.

China's central government paid for only one-quarter of its 4 trillion yuan ($586 billion) stimulus plan. The rest came from state companies and borrowing by lower-level governments from state banks.

"The banking system in China will bear the brunt of the fallout, necessitating a massive bailout from China's budget and foreign exchange reserve," Shih said in a lecture in March at a Beijing business school.

___

Associated Press researcher Bonnie Cao contributed to this report.

Kit boost for U10s

2012-03-12T16:30:00.000-07:00

SIMON Lewis of Nisa Local in Pontyates has bought matchdaytracksuits for Carmarthen Quins Under-10s.

Simon is pictured presenting the tracksuits to Chris Edwards(coach). Also pictured are Wyn Thomas (coach) and Rhodri Wilkins ofEvans and Wilkins, who supplied and embroidered the tracksuits.Players, from back left, are Aled Beynon, Tom Johnson, Josh Edwards,Owain Williams, Ioan Tillman, Callum Mattick, Eddie James, TomWindsor and James Edwards. In the front are Mason Evans, SteffanThomas, Ethan Wilds, Morgan Thomas, Iwan Millward, Jack Lewis, ArchiMorgan and Steffan Phillips.

Germany, Russia tie in preliminary round

2012-03-12T12:49:00.000-07:00

Vasily Filipov scored in the last minute to snatch a tie for Russia against world champion Germany 26-26 in the preliminary round of the handball World Championships.

Nine minutes before the end of the Group C match, Germany _ who took the title at the 2007 world championship at home _ was leading 25-20 and dominating the match.

But then Russia scored four goals in a row to reach 25-24. Germany's Pascal Hens then scored to make it 26-24, only to see Russia's Vitaly Ivanov and Filipov tie the match up. Hens, who scored nine goals in the match.

Olympic champion France beat Romania 31-21 in Group A. Romania is a four-time world champion, but those wins date from the 1960's, and France was visibly stronger and always in the lead.

The world's best player, France's Nikola Karabatic, scored seven goals, the same as his teammate, Michael Guigou.

Spain, Olympic bronze medalist from Beijing and 2005 world champion, also advanced by easily defeating Kuwait 47-17 in Group B.

Serbia improved its chances of moving into the second round in Group D by defeating Egypt 30-22. Norway and Denmark are favorites in the group, while the third placed team also advances to the second round. Serbia now has a good chance to take that spot unless Egypt beats either Norway or Denmark.

Norway beat Saudi Arabia 39-23 and Denmark defeated Brazil 40-27.

Poland, who took silver at the world championship in Germany, defeated Algeria, 39-22, in Group C.

Sweden beat Cuba 41-14.