evolution

China officials head to Sudan for kidnapping case

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

China sent officials to Sudan on Thursday to help find at least one missing Chinese worker from a group kidnapped from oil fields near the western region of Darfur, state media reported.

Officials from the Foreign Ministry, Commerce Ministry and the China National Petroleum Corporation will hold talks with the Sudanese government on efforts to rescue the remaining worker still missing, said the official Xinhua News Agency.

Nine workers were kidnapped Oct. 18, and there is conflicting information on what has happened with the rest. Four workers were killed, four others have been rescued and one is missing, Xinhua said.

Reports from Sudan have said …

Mount net four in comeback ; Football

2012-03-15T04:50:00.000-07:00

MOUNTNESSING ........4 WESTHAMIANS .........3 (ProKit UK EssexOlympian League Premier Division) THE old cliche 'a game of twohalves' was invented for this game, after Mount trailed 3-0 at half-time, but turned it round for a fantastic win.

Mount were two down inside 20 minutes with both goals coming fromlong balls which weren't dealt with.

The third came on 35 minutes with the whole of Mount's back fourwaiting for the offside …

Death Sentence Upheld in Libyan Case

2012-03-15T02:28:00.000-07:00

TRIPOLI, Libya - Libya's Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the death sentences of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor convicted of infecting more than 400 children with the AIDS virus. But the verdict may not be the final word in the case.

Libya's Supreme Judicial Council, which is headed by the minister of justice, could approve or reject the convictions or set lighter sentences.

"The court has accepted the appeal in principal but rejects its content, therefore the court decided to uphold the verdict against them," Judge Fathi Dahan told the courtroom.

The five nurses and the Palestinian doctor were not present in the court for the appeal hearing. …

Mickelson plans to return in time for US Open

2012-03-15T00:05:00.000-07:00

Phil Mickelson plans a brief return to the PGA Tour in time to play in the U.S. Open.

The world's No. 2 player suspended his schedule indefinitely upon announcing two weeks ago that his wife, Amy, has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Recent tests have given them hope the cancer has been caught early, with more tests over the next month.

Mickelson intends to return next week at the St. Jude Championship in Memphis, Tenn., then play the following week in the U.S. Open at Bethpage Black, according to a person informed of the plans.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because Mickelson had not announced his decision.

"We …

N.Y. jury convicts two in fuel tank plot

2012-03-14T21:45:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK - Two men were convicted Monday of plotting to blow upjet fuel tanks at John F. Kennedy International Airport, a plan thatauthorities said was meant to outdo the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks andavenge perceived U.S. oppression of Muslims around the world.

Russell Defreitas, a former JFK cargo handler, and Abdul Kadir,once a member of Guyana's parliament, were convicted of multipleconspiracy charges. Kadir was acquitted of one charge, surveillanceof mass …

Chicago Chapter of Top Ladies of Distinction to host their 2007 Beautillion

2012-03-14T19:24:00.000-07:00

Twenty-two youths are involved in the Top Ladies of Distinction 2007 Beatuillion

The affair promises to be an elegant, exceptional one at the Doubletree hotel, 5000 W. 127th Street in southwest suburban Alsip.

The evening begins Sunday, with a reception at 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m. Admission to the elegant affair is $65.

Serving as event chair is Lady Harriett D. Eiland with co-chairs Lady Odessey Roberts and Lady Fredricka Hobson. Lady Oteal Wyatt-Gilmore is president of the Chicago Chapter.

This year's senior beaux are Jarve Dashawn Alexander, Darryl Phillip Brown Jr., Dominic Lowell-Frenchaun Hardy, Chester A. Wrice Jr. and …

EU aid official calls on member nations to meet pledges to boost aid spending

2012-03-14T17:04:00.000-07:00

The European Union's aid chief warned EU nations on Wednesday to increase their assistance to poor countries to meet promises to halve extreme poverty around the world by 2015.

Development Commissioner Louis Michel said the EU's credibility as the world's largest aid donor was at stake with only a half dozen years remaining to meet a United Nations goal to fight poverty and boost education and health care for the world's poorest.

Michel presented plans to better coordinate the 27 national policies and various EU-wide aid programs.

"We know what we must do: increase our aid spending to meet targets and then make every euro count," Michel …

Launch of new flight to Norway

2012-03-14T14:43:00.000-07:00

An Airline has launched its first international flight fromAberdeen.

Eastern Airways has launched flights from the city to Stavangerin Norway.

The carrier, which already flies to 10 destinations across Britainfrom the airport, is operating two flights every weekday and istargeting both business and …

Retrograde replacement of the thoracic aorta under circulatory arrest and retrograde cerebral perfusion

2012-03-14T12:23:00.000-07:00

Raymond Cartier, MD;* Yves Leclerc, MD;* Norman Searle, MD;^ Chantal Lachapelle, MSc;^^ Andreanne Dumas, PhD;(secs) Gilles Hudon, MD(para)

Single-stage replacement of the ascending, transverse and descending thoracic aorta remains a noteworthy surgical intervention associated with significant morbidity. Aside from the surgical aspects, brain preservation during the circulatory arrest period, which is generally needed to perform the procedure, is a constant preoccupation for the surgeon. A 43-year-old man had an extensive thoracic aneurysm 4 years after an initial type A aortic dissection involving the entire thoracic aorta. The Cooley technique of retrograde replacement of the …

Sri Lanka Military: New fighting kills 22

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

Sri Lankan troops launched attacks on Tamil Tiger bunkers that killed 18 guerrillas and four soldiers, despite a rebel cease-fire, the military said Monday.

The rebels said last week they would halt attacks for 10 days starting last Saturday as a goodwill gesture in honor of a summit of South Asian leaders to be held in Colombo.

However, the group said it would retain the right to defend itself if the government pressed ahead with its offensive against their de facto state in the north.

Sri Lankan officials gave conflicting responses to the cease-fire declaration, with some military officials saying halting the offensive now, after several …

Why economies fail ; False Economy does a skillful job in exploring the sagas of countries to figure out why some succeed and others don't. Yet, it doesn't quite get it right.

2012-03-14T07:42:00.000-07:00

Alan Beattie's new book provides a whirlwind tour across thelandscape of economic history to figure out why some countries arepoor and others rich. "Countries do not get rich by accident. Theymake choices that determine the path their economies take, he says.Beattie, a world trade editor at the Financial Times, begins hisdizzy voyage by comparing the US with Argentina two countries thatwere relatively at par with each other at the turn of the 20thcentury.

Both had massive, fertile tracts of land, were opening up toimmigration and fed much of Europe with their beef. However,Argentina pampered its elite landowners while severely restrictingland ownership. Juan Peron, in …

Leading the way: Education/Nonprofit

2012-03-14T05:22:00.000-07:00

Easter Seals New Hampshire

Larry J. Gammon

President and CEO

Continuing its history of innovation and leadership, Easter Seals NH received national attention in 2004 when it announced plans to develop a comprehensive diagnostic and treatment center for children and adults with autism.

According to Larry J. Gammon, president and CEO of Easter Seals NH, the incidence of autism in children is increasing 17 percent annually, prompting the organization to find a way to gather the needed resources in one place to help NH families contending with the disability. That included collaborating with Pro-Con Construction in Hooksett, which granted the funds to establish the …

BHP Billiton shares surge on report that Chinese companies seek a stake in the miner

2012-03-14T02:47:00.000-07:00

The Australia-listed shares of BHP Billiton Ltd. hit an intraday trading record of 50 Australian dollars (US$46.74; euro30.21) amid further speculation about Chinese interest in a stake in the company.

Chines companies had pitched a partnership to an Australian investment fund with the aim of taking a 9 percent stake in the mining giant, according to The Australian newspaper. It did not name the fund or the Chinese companies.

A BHP Billiton spokeswoman, Samantha Evans, said the company had no comment on the report.

BHP shares closed 1.5 percent higher at A$48.70, after having gained more than 4 percent to touch A$50.

The newspaper report said the rumored deal would see the Chinese take 4.5 percent of BHP Billiton, while the remaining 4.5 percent would be split between the Australian fund and a global private equity investor.

It is just the latest of recent rumors of unnamed Chinese entities seeking to build a stake in the mining giant.

Any move by a Chinese company to take a stake in BHP Billiton would be a dramatic escalation in China's investment in the Australian mining sector. Aluminum Corp. of China bought a 9 percent stake in Rio Tinto in February, and Sinosteel Corp. in late April saw its bid worth US$1.3 billion approved by the Australian board of iron ore miner Midwest Corp. Ltd.

Some industry experts remain skeptical that a Chinese company will take a stake in BHP Billiton any time soon, citing concern about the pace of Chinese investments overseas, particularly in crucial sectors. A number of them say the Australian government has slowed the approval of Chinese investments through the Foreign Investment Review Board.

BHP Billiton Chief Executive Marius Kloppers said last week that he had "no doubt" that the Chinese would one day "show up on our register."

BHP Billiton is attempting a hostile takeover of Rio Tinto and is offering 3.4 of its own shares for each Rio Tinto share. That values Rio at more than US$175 billion. There has been recent speculation in London that BHP would soon raise its bid to 3.8 shares for each Rio share.

Both BHP and Rio are listed on the Sydney and London stock exchanges.

Rio's Australia shares rose 1.9 percent Friday to A$155.35.

MacArthur Scores 2 in Buffalo's 4-1 Win

2012-03-13T23:55:00.000-07:00

Clarke MacArthur scored twice and Ryan Miller made 36 saves to give the Buffalo Sabres a 4-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Friday night.

Daniel Paille and Drew Stafford also scored for the Sabres, who snapped a season-long tying three-game losing streak.

Buffalo won for only the second time in its past six games after coming into the game having scored only five goals in its past five games.

Michael Ryder scored for Montreal, which lost for the second time in three games. The Canadiens wrapped up their four-game road trip with a 2-2 record, and lost for the first time in three games against the Sabres this season.

Montreal goalie Cristobal Huet, making his fifth start in the past seven games, finished with 24 saves.

The Sabres took the lead in regulation for the first time in 487 minutes, 59 minutes when MacArthur banged home a rebound past Huet 8 minutes into the game.

Buffalo pushed the lead to 2-0 when Paille deflected defenseman Nolan Pratt's shot from the left point at 12:19.

Stafford made it 3-0 a few minutes later after Thomas Vanek's pass from the right circle ricocheted off Stafford's skate and into the net. After a brief video review, the goal was upheld.

Montreal cut the deficit to 3-1 on Ryder's third of the season 2 minutes into the second, but Buffalo regained its three-goal cushion on MacArthur's second of the game at 6:45.

Miller, making his sixth consecutive start, helped preserve the lead by making 18 saves in the second period. He was also helped when Guillaume Latendresse hit the post on a quick wrist shot midway through the period.

Notes:@ Vanek had two assists to snap a five-game pointless streak. ... Buffalo began a three-game homestand. ... These two teams will meet a total of three times over nine days. ... Canadiens coach Guy Carbonneau coached his 100th game with Montreal. ... The Sabres don't play again until Wednesday when they host league-leading Ottawa. ... Huet played his 14th game against Buffalo, the most against any opponent he's faced.

Aragones criticizes Spain tactics after WCup loss

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

Former Spain coach Luis Aragones has criticized the team's tactics after a 1-0 World Cup defeat to Switzerland, adding that a lack of conviction from the start didn't help.

Aragones, who led Spain to its European Championship triumph in 2008, has called the Group H loss "a tough blow" for one of the tournament favorites.

Aragones says Spain "didn't go for the game from the opening second" with a lack of penetration off the ball.

Aragones did not agree with successor Vicente del Bosque's decision to play both Xabi Alonso and Sergio Busquets in midfield, saying late Wednesday "the better team didn't win, just the better organized one."

Spain next plays Honduras, which also has no points after losing to Chile on Monday.

Feely's field goal in OT gives Jets win over Pats

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

The New York Jets stand alone atop the tight AFC East standings _ barely.

Jay Feely kicked a 34-yard field goal on the first series of overtime after New England tied the game on Matt Cassel's pass to Randy Moss with one second left in regulation and the Jets survived a Tom Brady-like comeback with a 34-31 victory Thursday night.

The win broke a tie for the division lead between the teams and gave the Jets (7-3) sole possession of first place for the first time since Nov. 19, 2001, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Patriots (6-4) have won the AFC East the last five seasons and six of the last seven.

"It's a great, great feeling for us," Jets coach Eric Mangini said. "Everybody understands that this game was extremely important, and it's important because it allows us to make the next game (against Tennessee) extremely important. It's a really positive step for our team."

The Jets, who led 24-6 in the first half, extended their winning streak to four with their sixth victory in seven games and are 1 1/2 games ahead of Buffalo and Miami in the division.

The loss wasted a brilliant performance by Cassel, whose first pro start after Brady's season-ending knee injury in the opener came in a 19-10 win over the Jets. Cassel completed 30 of 51 passes for 400 yards, all career highs, and three touchdowns. He ran eight times for 62 yards.

"It's not enough," Cassel said.

The Patriots got the tying touchdown on Cassel's 16-yard pass on fourth down. Moss' diving sideline catch was reviewed when he was pushed out of bounds by cornerback Ty Law, but the touchdown stood.

New England had marched to Moss' touchdown from its 38-yard line with no timeouts and 1:04 left

Stephen Gostkowski's extra point tied it and erased a 31-24 lead the Jets had taken on Thomas Jones' 1-yard touchdown run with 3:10 left.

Brett Favre made his 263rd consecutive regular-season start, an NFL record, and went 26-of-33 for 258 yards and directed the only drive of overtime, covering 64 yards on 14 plays in 7:50. His 16-yard pass to Laveranues Coles brought the ball to the Patriots' 24-yard line, Jones' 6-yard run moved it to the 18 and Feely connected for his second field goal of the game.

"We talked during the week about the need to reload and finish the game," Mangini said, "and we did that."

The Jets scored on their first three series, plus a 92-yard kickoff return by Leon Washington, four days after scoring on all seven of their first-half possessions in a 47-3 rout of the St. Louis Rams.

Washington also scored on a 7-yard pass play before the Patriots cut the lead to 7-3 on their first series on the first of Gostkowski's three field goals, a 42-yarder.

Feely kicked a 22-yarder for the Jets before Gostkowski connected again, from 31 yards to cap a 12-play drive.

New York needed just one play _ Washington's return _ to score on the ensuing kickoff. It was his first kickoff return for a touchdown this season after he tied a team record last year with three.

And when Favre threw a 15-yard scoring pass to Jerricho Cotchery, the Jets led 24-6 with 4:57 left in the first half and the outlook was very bleak for the Patriots.

"We dug ourselves a hole," New England coach Bill Belichick said. "We made some plays to get back in there."

Cassel threw a 19-yard scoring pass to Jabar Gaffney with 15 seconds left in the half and a 10-yarder to Benjamin Watson on the final play from scrimmage of the third quarter. Then New England made it 24-21 on Cassel's 2-point conversion pass to Gaffney.

"Anytime you can come back from a 24-6 deficit, it's a building block," Cassel said. "That was great for the team."

The Patriots tied it on Gostkowski's 47-yard field goal with 10:16 left in the fourth quarter.

Notes:@ The Jets beat the Patriots for only the second time in 13 games. ... New England's Wes Welker extended his record of catching at least six passes in a game to start the season to 10 games. ... The Patriots outgained the Jets 511 yards to 375. That's the fourth-highest total in New England history. The two highest _ 597 and 529 yards _ also were against the Jets.

Last few days for woolies

2012-03-13T15:18:00.000-07:00

Bath's Woolworths store closes down for good on Monday.

The branch at Moorland Road will be in the last batch of storesto close after the chain went into administration at the end ofNovember.

By today, most of the shelves were now completely bare and everyitem still on sale has had more than 50 per cent taken off itsprice.

Only a handful of customers were still searching the shelves witha view to bag a bargain but most left empty handed.

There were a few shelves full of children's school clothes and ahandful of CDs being sold at half price and the shop is also sellingits fixtures and fittings such as shelves for pounds50.

Teenage boy drowns after playing with raft

2012-03-13T12:20:00.000-07:00

Police today recovered the body of a 15-year-old boy who drownedafter playing on a makeshift raft.

The teenager was playing with four friends just before midnightwhen they all fell into the pond off Senator Road in St Helens,Merseyside.

The boy's companions managed to escape from the freezing water toraise the alarm but he could not be saved. His body was recovered byMerseyside Police's underwater search team.

A force spokesman said the boy's family have been informed andformal identification was expected to take place today.

Today, two police officers stood guard at the spot, known locallyas the Clegg, where the children are thought to have entered thewater.

F1 teams fail to reach deal with Mosley

2012-03-13T09:19:00.000-07:00

Formula One teams and the sports administrators have failed to resolve the dispute over a proposed budget cap.

Team owners met FIA president Max Mosley and F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone at a London Heathrow hotel on Friday but emerged without a deal.

Mosley called the meeting friendly but said the teams had gone away to come up with a counter proposal. He said "we are prepared to listen to what they have to say."

Mosley also said Ferrari have filed an injunction in a French court to block the proposed budget cap.

Several teams, including Ferrari, have threatened to withdraw from next year's championship if the budget cap is introduced.

Caption Only [Photo: HE LOVES L.A.: After pushing for trade to Bulls all...]

2012-03-13T05:32:00.000-07:00

Caption text only.

Clemens Denied No. 350 As Orioles Win

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

BALTIMORE - Roger Clemens will get another opportunity to earn his 350th win. His run of consecutive starts with a strikeout, however, is history. The 44-year-old Clemens was denied the landmark victory by the Baltimore Orioles, who used a four-run sixth inning and an overpowering pitching performance by Erik Bedard to beat the New York Yankees 4-0 Wednesday night.

Clemens (1-3) was trying to become the eighth pitcher with 350 career wins. He blanked Baltimore through five innings, but his bid fell apart under a barrage of hits in the sixth, including a three-run homer by Aubrey Huff.

Clemens' run of 200 consecutive starts with at least one strikeout also ended. It was the third-longest run by an active major leaguer, behind Pedro Martinez (293) and Javier Vasquez (237).

Clemens is second on the career strikeout list with 4,626, trailing only Nolan Ryan (5,714).

In his fourth start since joining the Yankees on June 9, the right-hander allowed four runs, seven hits and three walks in six innings. He has a 5.32 ERA.

Clemens was outdone by Bedard (6-4), who gave up two hits and a walk in seven brilliant innings. The left-hander struck out eight and did not allow a runner past first base.

Jamie Walker allowed a single in the eighth and Chad Bradford yielded two singles in the ninth. Bradford bounced to back to strike out Jorge Posada and retire Bobby Abreu on a groundout to first to end the game.

Clemens allowed only three hits through the first five innings, but after throwing two pitches in the sixth he was visited at the mound by Yankees trainer Steve Donohue. The cause of the discomfort was not apparent, but Clemens continued on.

He was not, however, effective.

Chris Gomez singled and Nick Markakis drew a walk before Ramon Hernandez singled in the game's first run. Huff then ended his career-long home run drought at 143 at-bats, driving a 1-1 pitch into the left-field seats.

Huff's first homer since May 9 all but guaranteed the Yankees their fourth straight loss and seventh in eight games.

It also denied Yankees manager Joe Torre his 2,010th win, which would have placed him alone in ninth place on the career list.

Before the game, Clemens, Torre and Yankees were all in agreement: If the Rocket earned his milestone victory, everyone in the clubhouse would benefit.

"If somebody else gets a base hit - say it's his 2,000th hit - that doesn't necessarily mean (we're) going to win," Torre said. "We can all pull for the same thing tonight, based on the fact that we need a win and Roger would like one."

It didn't happen.

Bedard struck out the first four batters before yielding a second-inning single to Posada. Clemens gave up a one-out single in the first inning, then got Markakis to hit into a double play.

In the second, Melvin Mora hit a comebacker off Clemens' leg, but the pitcher quickly retrieved the ball and made the throw to first.

Neither team placed a runner in scoring position until the Baltimore fourth, when Brian Roberts singled and stole second with one out. He advanced on a groundout by Markakis, and Clemens walked Hernandez before retiring Huff on a grounder to shortstop.

The Orioles threatened again in the fifth. After Jay Gibbons drew a two-out walk and took third on a double by Corey Patterson, Clemens went to 3-2 on Roberts before the leadoff hitter tapped a weak grounder to second.

Notes:@ The Orioles recalled SS Brandon Fahey from Triple-A Norfolk and optioned OF Jon Knott to the same club. Fahey entered in the ninth as a defensive replacement. ... New York is 1-4 against Baltimore this season.

Report: Aldi founders top list of richest Germans

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

The founders of the Aldi discount grocery store chain top Germany's Manager Magazin 2009 list of the country's most wealthy, released Tuesday.

The business magazine report said Aldi's Karl Albrecht, 89, is the richest person in the country with wealth estimated at euro17.35 billion ($26 billion). His brother Theo Albrecht, 87, is worth nearly euro17 billion.

The Manager Magazin report said the number of German individuals or families with at least one billion euros in capital fell to 99 from 122 in 2008.

Some of the biggest decliners were the Porsches and the Schaefflers. The Porsche family lost 71 percent of its wealth attempting to take over much larger rival Volkswagen AG, according to the report.

Maria-Elisabeth Schaeffler of the car parts company of the same name, lost 92 percent of her wealth taking over rival car parts maker Continental AG, Manager Magazin said.

___

On the Net:

http://www.manager-magazin.de

RAIN SLOWS DOWN ON WEEKENDS IN SOUTHEAST

2012-03-12T20:13:00.000-07:00

The effect of work-week pollution on weekly weather patterns has been a topic of research for some time. Providing new evidence that bolsters a pollution-precipitation connection, recent rainfall data recorded from space indicate that summertime storms in the southeastern United States shed more rainfall midweek than on weekends.

The findings, from NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite (TRMM), are from a study led by Thomas Bell, an atmospheric scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. He and his colleagues reported their results in a January issue of the Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres.

What they found was that midweek storms tend to be stronger with more rain and span a larger area across the Southeast than on weekends, which were dryer and calmer. To identify any kind of significant weekly rainfall trend, Bell looked at the big picture from Earth's orbit. The data from TRMM were used to estimate daily summertime rainfall averages from 1998 to 2005 across the entire Southeast.

The researchers found that, on average, it rains more between Tuesday and Thursday than from Saturday through Monday. Newly analyzed satellite data show that summer 2007 echoes the midweek trend with peak rainfall occurring late on Thursdays. However, midweek increases in rainfall are more significant in the afternoon, when the conditions for summertime storms are in place. Bell noted that afternoon rainfall peaks on Tuesday, with 1.8 times more rainfall than on Saturday, which experiences the least amount of afternoon rain.

The team used ground-based data from rain gauges, along with vertical wind speed and cloud height measurements, to help confirm the weekly trend in rainfall observed from space.

"If two things happen at the same time, it doesn't mean one caused the other," Bell comments, on the correlation of pollution and amount of rainfall. "But it's well known that particulate matter has the potential to affect how clouds behave, and this kind of evidence makes the argument stronger for a link between pollution and heavier rainfall."

Researchers know clouds are "seeded" by particulate matter. [But] some researchers think increased pollution thwarts rainfall by dispersing the same amount of water over more of these cloud condensation nuclei, preventing the smaller droplets from growing large enough to fall as rain. When conditions are ripe for big storms, however, updrafts carry the smaller, pollution-seeded raindrops high into the atmosphere where they condense and freeze. "It's the freezing process that gives the storm an extra kick, causing it to grow larger and climb higher into the atmosphere," Bell says. That extra kick results in heavier rain.

The trend doesn't mean that it will always rain on weekday afternoons during summertime in the Southeast. Rather, "it's a tendency," says Bell. With the help of satellites, new insights into pollution's effect on weather may one day help improve the accuracy of rainfall forecasts, which Bell says, "probably underpredict rain during the week and overpredict rain on weekends." (SOURCE: AGU)

[Sidebar]

ECHOES

"Metrorail condemns the behavior of commuters following delays caused by the storm, which it had no control over."

-THOKOZANI ZITHASHE, South African Press Association spokeswoman on angry commuters setting fire to two trains in Pretoria, South Africa, after severe storms delayed services. The storm brought trains to a standstill after the system broke down and the backup system was struck by lightning. Commuters became impatient and torched four train coaches. (SOURCE: Reuters)

IN THE NEWS

2012-03-12T16:17:00.000-07:00

Joe Bunge, Naperville Central: The football coach, who led histeam to the 1999 Class 6A state title, will throw out the first pitchat the Cubs-Brewers game May 9. Redhawks running back Ryan Cliffordwas asked to sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the seventh-inning stretch.

Terry Spulak, Nazareth: He was named the girls basketball coach atthe school in La Grange Park. Spulak had been a varsity assistant atthe school for six years and coached the freshmen for five years. Hereplaces Dan Hull, who returned to Triton to coach the women'sbasketball team.

More landlord complaints Complaints about [...] ; news in brief

2012-03-12T12:37:00.000-07:00

More landlord complaints Complaints about damp rental propertiesspiked by 40%, while accusations of landlord harassment increased by25%, according to the homelessness charity Shelter. Overall, therewas a 23% increase in landlord complaints over the past year.Shelter's chief executive Campbell Robb says: "It's frightening tosee that complaints about bad landlords are increasing at such arate, at the very time that renting a home is fast becoming the onlyoption for thousands of families across this country. It appearsthat rogue landlords are cashing in on this growing market."