Rosemont files suit over casino settlement

The Village of Rosemont filed a lawsuit Monday in an attempt tokill the recent settlement between the Illinois Gaming Board andEmerald Casino. The suit, filed in Cook County Circuit Court, claimsthat there is no provision under the state's gaming laws allowing thestate to force a transfer of Emerald's riverboat license to thehighest bidder, as mandated in the settlement. Illinois gamingofficials have maintained that the deal is legal because,technically, Emerald is selling its license, not the state.

Court upholds open hearing

A federal appeals court in Detroit on Monday upheld a lower courtruling that a deportation hearing must be open to the public for aman accused …

Contest to lure businesses downtown

A day spa, a cosmetics and perfume shop, or maybe an ethnic bread bakery.

One of these concepts may survive a contest to reward an entrepreneur with $65,000 in goods and services toward opening a shop in downtown Harrisburg.

The contest is another way the city's downtown revitalization groups have been trying to build up retail activity. In 2001, the groups poured $450,000 into developing the retail corridor, Shops on 3rd. This year, the city and the Downtown Improvement

District Authority moved the outdoor street fair, which was called PNC First Fridays, to Saturdays to encourage people to come downtown and shop on weekends.

Attracting retailers into the city …

Wednesday's Olympic Track Results

1. Usain Bolt, Jamaica, 19.30.

2. Churandy Martina, Netherlands Antilles, 19.82.

3. Shawn Crawford, Los Angeles, 19.96.

4. Walter Dix, United States, 19.98.

5. Brian Dzingai, Zimbabwe, 20.22.

6. Christian Malcolm, Britain, 20.40.

7. Kim Collins, StKitts&Nevis, 20.59.

NR. Wallace Spearmon, United States, DQ.

800

Round 1 Qualification

1. Wilfred Bungei, Kenya, 1:44.90 (Q).

2. Yuriy Borzakovskiy, Russia, 1:45.15 (Q).

3. Nadjim Manseur, Algeria, 1:45.62 (q).

4. Yeimer Lopez, Cuba, 1:45.66 (Q).

5. Boaz-Kiplagat Lalang, Kenya, …

Steelers defeat Broncos

DENVER - Rarely has playing it safe paid off so well for thePittsburgh Steelers.

Tyrone Carter started in place of safety Ryan Clark as aprecaution Monday night and made the big play that sparked theSteelers to their fifth straight win, taking the first of his twointerceptions 48 yards for a touchdown in Pittsburgh's 28-10 winover the Denver Broncos.

Clark nearly died following a game in Denver two years agobecause of a rare blood disorder that is aggravated by playing inhigh altitude, so Steelers coach Mike Tomlin decided to hold him outof the game.

He said he didn't want to risk Clark's health or burden histeammates and family members with …

Inspections to add professionalism

A new state law that will take effect this month will require home inspections by members of a national home inspection association.

The state's Home Inspection Law, Act 114, is the result of efforts by Pennsylvania real estate agents and home inspectors to add professionalism to the burgeoning industry.

A majority of residential real estate transactions include home inspections, in which a professional visually inspects the interior, exterior and roof of a house and provides a written report on the home's condition.

Of the 6.7 million homes sold last year, nearly 4.9 million were inspected as part of the transaction, according to a recent survey of the American …

Club: Van Gaal to leave Bayern at end of season

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Coach Louis van Gaal will leave Bayern Munich at the end of the season, one year before his contract was due to expire, the Bundesliga club said Monday.

Van Gaal won the German double in his first season at Bayern and reached the Champions League final, but the club has slumped to fifth in the Bundesliga and has been eliminated from the German Cup.

Bayern said the 59-year-old Dutchman was leaving by mutual agreement because of "different views on the strategic direction of the club."

The agreement to part ways came after talks Monday morning between van Gaal and the club's management.

"We were both of the opinion that it was better to part …

Oosthuizen surges to 3-shot lead at British Open

South Africa's on quite a roll.

Coming off the rousing success of being the first African nation to host soccer's World Cup, the country made another splash in the British Open when Louis Oosthuizen surged to a three-stroke lead in the second round Friday.

The 27-year-old from Mossel Bay _ whose given name is Lodewicus Theodorus Oosthuizen _ shot a 5-under 67 for a 12-under 132 at the midway point of the tournament. He pulled ahead of Rory McIlroy, the 21-year-old Northern Irishman who tied the major-championship record with a 63 on Thursday.

The youngster had an afternoon tee time on a day that epitomized the wacky weather of St. Andrews. The early …

Saddamaccused of genocide in new charges

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The Iraq tribunal announced new criminal charges against Saddam Hussein and six others Tuesday, accusing them of genocide and crimes against humanity stemming from a 1980s crackdown against Kurds. The …

Heat-Celtics, Box

MIAMI (91)

Davis 8-18 1-2 20, Haslem 3-8 3-4 9, O'Neal 7-10 3-4 17, Williams 1-5 0-0 2, Wade 8-15 7-12 23, Mourning 2-3 2-5 6, Parker 3-6 0-0 8, Hardaway 0-2 0-0 0, Blount 0-1 0-0 0, Cook 3-6 0-1 6. Totals 35-74 16-28 91.

BOSTON (92)

Pierce 5-12 2-3 12, Garnett 10-14 6-6 26, Perkins 5-8 0-0 10, Rondo 4-7 1-1 9, R.Allen 5-15 7-7 19, Posey 5-8 0-0 13, Pollard 1-1 1-1 3, Scalabrine 0-3 0-0 0, House 0-2 0-0 0, T.Allen 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 35-71 …

Piniella: Nobody's packing it in

Even in the wake of the ugly 15-6 loss Tuesday to the woeful Washington Nationals, Cubs manager Lou Piniella reiterated that his team hasn't quit.

''I don't think anybody's packing it in. I don't see that,'' said Piniella, whose team is further out of first place than it has been since he took over before the 2007 season. ''Remember, these teams are getting paid to play, too. We're not playing a beer-league team from across town. We're playing a professional team that's got professional players, and they're getting paid to play and beat you, too.''

On Tuesday, they beat $91.5 million ace Carlos Zambrano in his return from the disabled list. On Wednesday, $7 million starter …

GROWING THE BIOGAS INDUSTRY IN OREGON

Portland, Oregon

"Oregon's dairies, wastewater treatment plants (WWTP), MSW collectors and food processors have the feedstock and infrastructure to generate over 100 megawatts (MW) of biogas energy, but currently only have 8 MW installed," according to a newly released study, "Growing Oregon's Biogas Industry," researched and written by Peter Weisberg of The Climate Trust and Thad Roth of the Energy Trust of Oregon, both based in Portland. "Dairy farms have the greatest potential to generate biogas energy, and WWTPs currently generate the most." Tapping the state's biogas potential could create at least 300 new, permanent full-time jobs and reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions …

Reports: Italian director Dino Risi is dead at 91

Italian news reports say director Dino Risi, an Oscar-nominated master of Italian comedy movies who worked with generations of actors, has died. He was 91.

The ANSA news agency said that Risi died in his Rome apartment Saturday. The Aldrovandi Palace apartment residence where Risi lived …

Zion's Moreno Loses Weight, Match for the Gold Medal

BARCELONA, Spain Weight-watchers, take note. A crash diet mayhave cost Juan Moreno of the United States a gold medal in Olympictaekwondo Wednesday.

The native of Zion lost 18 pounds over six days to make thefinweight limit of 112, but wound up with the silver in thedemonstration sport.

"It is not an excuse, but it really affected me," he said. "Mylegs couldn't move and the speed just wasn't there. I had to rely onone kick too much, and you can't win an Olympic gold medal doingthat."

World champion Gergely Salim of Denmark beat Moreno 3-1 in thefinal match.

It was the second silver medal in two Olympics for Moreno, who won his first in Seoul at age 17.

The 5-10 Moreno had to lose 45 pounds to make the finweightlimit. He got rid of the last 18 pounds in the final week before thecompetition and blamed his loss to Salim on the crash diet.

Moreno said he decided to lose the weight because of hisexperience in the finweight division.

"That's where I've been for so long and I was comfortablethere," he said.

Moreno, who will attend the University of Hawaii this fall, saidhe probably will retire from the sport.

Bugs come crawling as temperature rises

As we get into the blast-furnace days of August, it is importantto ensure the health of the veggies with some extra attention. Ifthe plants are weak or infested with insects, there will be adisappointment at harvest time, with small, malformed andpoor-flavored pickings. Of course, if the infestation is allowed tocontinue, the plants can die, eliminating any harvest.

Only an hour or so weekly can make all the difference in theworld, ensuring robust growth and bountiful quantities of deliciousfruits.

The vined plants - cucumbers, squash and the melons - aresusceptible to a variety of problems. The first of these is the vineborer, which, as the name indicates, burrows into the vine itself,and, left unchecked, will kill the plant. Prevention is the keyhere. A sprinkling of rotenone around the base of the vine willprotect it from attack, but if the pest has gotten into the vine, itmust be removed.

The first sign of intrusion is wilting of the foliage.Inspection of the base stem will show a hole, and there will besawdust-like deposits on the ground under the hole. Take a smallknife and slit the vine, starting at the hole, taking care not topenetrate the other side. Keep looking for the offender as you go,cutting only as far as needed to find it. Remove the worm and coverthe cut area with three to four inches of soil. It should healquickly and send out additional roots to further strengthen theplant.

Root crops are another source of worry for the gardener. Theonions, beets, carrots, turnips and others are all susceptible toattack from root maggots. They are the pupa stage of a fly, andleft unchecked, can decimate a crop. Again, the best program isprevention, utilizing diazinon powder or granules, which I prefer forease of application. Sprinkled around the base of the plants, thenscratched in, they offer virtually fool-proof control. If you pulla few plants and see lines of gouging on the root, you know it istime for this treatment.

All of the cabbage family are now being visited by little whitebutterflies with black spots on their wings. It's cabbage looperseason, folks! Uncontrolled, these can easily ruin an entire crop.

Time to mix up the Thuricide spray. This garden helper,mentioned in an earlier column, is the safest and most effectivecontrol for this pest as well as all other leaf-chewing intruders,the gypsy moth caterpillar. There is no risk to humans or animalswhen using the bacteria-based spray, and it can be applied up to dayof harvest. Reach the spray-wand nozzle far into the center of theplant, as the tenderest leaves are this worm's favorite cuisine. Acouple drops of liquid dish soap, added to the mixture, helps it tostick to the leaves. I add dish soap to all the treatments to ensureI won't have to go back and do it over next week.

The heat-loving tomatoes are taking off like mini-jungles now,and they require more pruning and tying to keep the fruit large aswell as plentiful. Continue to tie the main branches to stakessecurely as the fruit can get so heavy, branches will break off. Ihave seen this many times when people go on vacation for two or threeweeks, without tying the plants at a higher level.

All the plants need a good dose of fertilizer now, especially ifthey were only given a shot at planting time. That's all used up bynow, so must be replaced this month. Actually, I try to give thecrops a small dose every four or five weeks, rather than large joltsinfrequently. They do better if given more or less constant growingconditions. Take a look inside a commercial greenhouse sometime.You'll see automatic timers running the sprinklers, and they usuallyhave a siphon device attached to add balanced liquid fertilizer invery dilute solutions. In addition, most have thermostaticallyactuated top windows that open if it becomes too hot, then close atnight to retain the warmth from the day. Nice, eh?

How to furnish dorm room

Moving into a dorm? Here's what experts advise you to leavebehind: Furniture. Your hardwood entertainment center might look great inyour dorm room, but you'll be less excited about carrying it up threeflights of stairs. Most dorms are furnished with a bed, desk, chairand dresser. If you're uncertain what is provided, call yourcollege's housing office.

CD jewel boxes. Sure, they seem small enough, but if you've got alot of CDs, they become heavy, bulky and easily broken in transit.Buy some of those vinyl CD booklets instead. Ironing board. Let's be realistic. You're not going to ironanyway.

Here are things to take: Laundry bags. The more laundry bags you have, the less often youhave to wash! Collapsible metal or plastic bookshelves. Much lighter and moreportable than their wooden relatives. Wrinkle-free dress shirts. Hot pot. Perfect for making coffee, hot chocolate and noodles.

If you're buying a computer for school, get a laptop becauseportability is important.

Police: 2 Nigerian soldiers linked to kidnapping

JOS, Nigeria (AP) — Two Nigerian soldiers took part in the kidnapping of Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel's father, and at one point demanded a $4 billion ransom they considered "chicken change" for the team, security officials said Wednesday.

The soldiers belonged to a task force assigned to guard Jos, an area beset by ethnic and religious violence that has killed thousands over the last decade. But instead of keeping the peace, the soldiers used a military vehicle to stop Michael Obi as he drove home from work Aug. 12, Plateau state police commissioner Emmanuel Dipo Ayeni said.

The soldiers told Obi their commander wanted to see him. They drove him away to be severely beaten and he was then taken to the sprawling northern city Kano, where they demanded the exorbitant ransom, Ayeni said.

The kidnappers told Obi "to give them $4 billion, which they described as 'chicken change' to Mikel and his Chelsea club," Ayeni said late Tuesday night.

Plateau police spokesman Apev Jacob later confirmed the $4 billion ransom demand Wednesday.

Chelsea, which won the Premier League and FA Cup in the 2009-2010 season, announced earlier this year it had revenues of $330 million during that period. A Forbes magazine survey in June listed Mikel as the seventh highest-paid African player in Europe. The magazine listed Mikel's salary as $5.8 million a year.

Chelsea and Mikel's management could not be immediately reached for comment Wednesday.

Police raided the Kano hideout where the kidnappers held Mikel's father on Monday, freeing him and arresting six suspected kidnappers. The two soldiers were arrested in Plateau state, Ayeni said.

The arrest of two soldiers offered a worrying sign of the instability plaguing Nigeria, an oil-rich country of 150 million people that is split between Muslims in the north and the predominantly Christian south. Plateau state, in Nigeria's fertile central belt, has seen thousands die in recent years in violence cutting across ethnic and religious lines, though it remains rooted largely in political and economic issues.

Mikel's family, Christians from the Igbo tribe, is in the minority in the area. Mikel said the kidnapping shocked him because his family never had any problems there before.

However, some Christian leaders and villagers have previously complained about people wearing military-style fatigues attacking their villages in the nighttime raids that continue despite the heavy presence of military units since violence erupted there last year.

Brig. Gen. Raphael Isa, a military spokesman, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that army officials had begun an investigation into the actions of the sergeant and private accused in the kidnapping. However, Isa said allegations against the two soldiers shouldn't be taken as a sign of weakness on behalf of the task force charged with protecting central Nigeria.

"The task force is an impartial actor," Isa said. "Here and there, in some of these military operations, you find people who want to behave extraordinarily, like we said, going out to do things that are not part of the rules of the engagement."

___

Jon Gambrell reported from Lagos, Nigeria. He can be reached at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP

Brazil oil refinery slowdown not impacting production: Petrobras

A refinery work slowdown has not affected production, Brazil's government-run oil company Petrobras said Thursday.

Petrobras said in statement that a contingency plan ensured production during the slowdown at the nation's refineries that was launched in solidarity with striking oil rig workers and to demand a greater share of the company's profits.

Offshore oil workers struck on Monday to demand an extra day off to compensate for travel time to and from the rigs.

Talks between Petrobras and the unions failed to end that strike Wednesday. Petrobras says the strike has not affected production in the Campos basin, where Brazil gets 80 percent of its oil.

Petrobras said Wednesday its proposal met the union's demands, but Marcos Breda, a spokesman for the Sindipetro-NF union that represents offshore oil workers in the Campos Basin, said the proposal still needed to be discussed by workers.

Other Petrobras workers are set to launch a larger, general strike for improved working conditions and profit sharing on Aug. 5.

Petrobras, one of the world's largest oil companies, pumps an average of 1.6 million barrels of crude a day.

Oil prices early this week soared in part because of the strike, but have retreated since then. However, analysts and investors are watching the strikes closely because they could still affect international petroleum prices.

Petrobras shares were down 1.3 percent at 39.24 reals (US$24.67) in early afternoon trading Thursday on Sao Paulo's Bovespa exchange. The stock is down 4.5 percent since the strike began.

Making Change

Westfield Savings Bank's well-established relationship with the American Red Cross and the director of its local chapter, Rich Rubin, proved to be beneficial when tornadoes touched down across Greater Springfield on June 1.

"The next day we were on the phone with them, promising anything we could do to help," said Cathy Jocelyn, the bank's marketing manager.

That help took the form of an immediate $25,000 donation for relief efforts and the establishment of a fund into which community members can donate; that money, too, will be put to use by the Red Cross.

"When the tornado happened, Rich asked us to set up a special fund used just for tornado relief efforts, not just in Westfield, but throughout our communities where we have branches," Jocelyn said. "Westfield was hit, but not to the extent that Springfield and West Springfield were, and we want to be there for all the tornado victims."

Other area banks also sprang into action immediately. Hampden Bank donated $75,000 to the Red Cross and $25,000 to the Salvation Army, while establishing the Greater Springfield Tornado Relief Fund, collecting donations at all its branches to benefit the storm-relief efforts of both organizations.

Meanwhile, the Berkshire Bank Foundation has donated $10,000 to the Red Cross and will release additional grant funds to area nonprofits as needs in the recovery effort are identified. And Bank of America has taken a similar approach, donating $25,000 to the Red Cross with plans to allocate another $25,000 in rants as rebuilding gets underway, while the bank's charitable foundation matches employee pledges.

Several of these institutions are members of the Western Massachusetts Funders Forum, a group of local businesses and organizations that meet quarterly to discuss charitable needs in the region and how they're responding to those needs. Soon after the tornado struck, the membets convened and took a hard look at the long-term aftermath of the storm.

The banks involved in the collective had, without exception, immediately donated money to relief efforts, such as United Bank's $25,000 donation to the Red Cross, a $75,000 pledge to nonprofits that were affected by the storm or are aiding relief efforts, and a fund-drive partnership with WGGB ABC40/Fox6.

But the needs won't go away as media coverage of the disaster abates, said Dena Hall, United's vice president of marketing and community relations.

"We were focused on relief in the beginning," she explained. "But now there's this whole process of recovery, and the community needs are just as dramatic."

In this issue, BusinessWest examines how area banks spearheaded an initial surge of support for relief efforts, and what they're doing going forward to help smooth the path to recovery in their communities.

Helping the Helpers

In some ways, those initial grants to the Red Cross, while critical to efforts to shelter and feed displaced families and help them begin the slow path to recovery, were the easy part for banks. Next come the tougher decisions as to who should receive aid.

"One of the things we focused on at the binders meeting was that, for some affected nonprofits, their insurance policies cover the damage but not the lost income," Hall told BusinessWest. For instance, Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society, located just off Springfield's ravaged Main Street, "generates lots of income through the animal-adoption process, but they moved all

their animals out of town to take on animals that were displaced by the storm, and that's not covered by insurance."

An animal shelter might not normally fall under United's giving priorities, she said, but the bank will consider it during its next funding cycle. "As a corporate funding community, we are reaching out and collectively reviewing grants and trying to support these organizations as they recover."

PeoplesBank has chipped in on multiple fronts as well. It initially donated $50,000 to the Red Cross and another $50,000 to affected nonprofits, including Square One, the early-education provider whose downtown Springfield headquarters was devastated in the storm. Beyond that first wave of financial help, PeoplesBank will donate $100,000 to efforts the institution identifies as being critical to long-term recovery.

The bank has also rallied its employees to the cause, matching their gifts toward tornado-relief efforts, and also engaging them in volunteer efforts as the cleanup and rebuilding continues.

That's also been a priority at Berkshire Bank, through its employee volunteer program, which has been sending staffers to donate their time with HAP Housing and other agencies, and also at Monson Savings Bank.

"We've started volunteer efforts for employees on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays," said Steven Lowell, MSB's president. "They're going out and helping people cut trees and clean up around their property. They aren't necessarily our customers, but they're people in the community who need help and might not have a way to get it."

Picking Up the Pieces

Helping out individual customers, both homeowners and businesses, affected by the tornadoes is a more complex matter. Banks aren't going so far as to forgive loans--instead directing people to resources offered by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)--but some have created low-interest emergency-loan products to help storm victims get back on their feet.

At Westfield Bank, Jocelyn said, "we've offered a secure loan program that we advertised in the paper," with special rates being offered for emergency assistance through June 30."

Otherwise, banks say they're working with customers on a case-by-case basis to respond to needs.

"In terms of loans, we are certainly assessing everything," Hall said. "Within two days of the storm, we had geocoded a map of the whole branch network and which households were affected, and we're working with customers."

"Now that FEMA is involved, it seems like the majority of individuals' needs will be covered between FEMA and their insurance claims," she added. "If customers have other needs, we can work with them to the extent we can to make sure we're not causing

more pain and distress in their lives right now."

In Monson and its environs, Lowell said, "we're looking at home situations on an individual basis. We've gone out and and attempted to survey, just from the street, those residents and businesses where we have loans, to see if there's any external damage. We've been reaching out to those customers to find out what the situation is. Many of them have the situation well under control. We have advised all our customers, if they did suffer any damage, to register with FEMA and the SBA, as grants and low-interest loans are available to help people in that regard.

"Beyond that, we're helping them coordinate things," he added. "They've got the government involved, insurance companies involved, and potentially the banks involved."

Lowell said the bank is also setting up home inspections for affected customers to provide a level of security for those picking up the pieces.

"Let's face it--none of us has been through anything like this on this scale before," he told BusinessWest. "We want to make sure people don't make mistakes with respect to the people who do construction or rehab work on their house.

"We're requiring inspections to make sure the contractor isn't taking short cuts, and that they're dealing with a legitimate contractor," Lowell went on. "A lot of people, unfortunately, try to take advantage of situations like this, and some contractors are willing to make a quick buck. We want to make sure people's eyes are wide open and make sure the work is being done properly."

Rick DeBonis, senior vice president of marketing at Hampden Bank, said his institution has been contacting all its mortgage and home-equity customers who suffered losses and giving them similar advice about making sure they're working with legitimate contractors.

"We're the lienholder, and we have to sign the check from the insurance company as well," he said, "So we're making an effort to get the right information to our customers so they can make sure they're doing everything right."

Shining a Light

Banks, of course, aren't the only businesses or organizations contributing mightily to tornado relief and recovery. The Funders Forum alone includes several others, including companies like MassMutual and grant-making agencies like the Jewish Federation and the United Way of Pioneer Valley. The latter has also coordinated disaster-relief volunteer efforts with the assistance of a national organization, ALL Hands Volunteers, which specializes in providing cleanup and recovery services to residents, businesses, and nonprofit organizations.

Meanwhile, the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts (CFWM) has reached out to area nonprofit organizations located in the path of the tornadoes to gain an understanding of the impact on facilities and services in the region, and has established a relief fund that has collected more than $100,000 to date, including a $25,000 donation from PeoplesBank.

"We felt it was important to convene the members of the corporate giving community and those agencies involved in providing support during the disaster to discuss our collective response," said Ron Ancrum, CFWM president, regarding the forum's efforts. "Many of us have already made commitments, and we know that our combined contributions of cash and volunteer efforts will make a big difference to the community as we move into the recovery phase of this disaster."

Just as important, Hall said, is continuing to shine a very public light on needs that are not going away anytime soon.

"Tornado recovery is so huge," she told BusinessWest. "If you're back to your daily routine and you're not personally affected, or if you don't drive down Union Street in West Springfield or work in downtown Springfield, you can kind of forget about it. We want to keep this at the top of people's minds."

Lowell can't forget, either, not when he drives through Monson every day and talks to customers and others who, as late as May 31, never expected to be dealing with the aftereffects of a tornado. But dealing with it they are, and as recovery efforts move forward, area banks continue to shine that light--and spread the wealth.

"We're not only involved," Lowell said, "we're committed."

Cubs can't catch up // Castillo loses 14th as team loses ground //

Astros 8 Cubs 3

Two teams are responsible for the Cubs' season-long sub-.500doldrums.

"Atlanta and Houston," manager Jim Riggleman said Friday beforethe Cubs opened an important three-game weekend series with theCentral Division-leading Astros. "They've kept our record at what itis."

The Braves are 4-1 against the Cubs, with the next meeting intwo weeks.

The Astros' edge is bigger, growing to 6-2 and their divisionlead to six games over the Cubs after an 8-3 victory Friday before37,139 at Wrigley Field, the first of three expected sellout crowds.

Attendance might be inspired by last year's season-endingdramatics between the two wild-card-chasing clubs. Several of thosegames featured comebacks by the Cubs, who stayed alive in thewild-card race until the second-to-last day of the year.

There was no magic revival Friday, though, and no change in theyearlong trials of Frank Castillo.

"I've given up two runs in (each of) my last three starts, andI'm 0-2 to show for it," he said after falling to 5-14, first in theleague in losses.

"You feel like giving up two runs in five innings is good enoughto win, but (the news reports today) will say `Castillo loses 14thgame.' You get tired of seeing it and hearing it and reading it."

The latest of Castillo's losses was less his fault than theresult of failures by the Cubs bullpen and a fine defensive day forthe usually defenseless Astros.

Castillo left trailing 2-0, but the Astros feasted on KentBottenfield, who gave up a double, triple and two singles beforegetting an out, and Terry Adams, who started the eighth with a walk,two singles and a double.

"They've done such a good job for us all year, we've gottenspoiled," Riggleman said. "But they're not going to throw zeroesevery time. The bullpen hasn't been as effective in the last fourdays. Today, if we left the ball out to be hit, the Astros jumped onit."

Castillo wouldn't criticize the bullpen.

"Everyone goes through a time when they can't get anyone out,"he said. "Hitters go through slumps, and starters, and I think (therelievers are) in a stretch now. But we've been riding on theirbacks all year."

Houston pounded 15 hits, 11 of them in the fifth througheighth innings, including Craig Biggio's solo home run (12th) offBottenfield.

The Cubs were hitting, too - just not as effectively.

Starter Mike Hampton (10-7) worked seven innings and allowed tworuns on nine hits before Xavier Hernandez pitched the final twoinnings, yielding three hits, one of them Ozzie Timmons' solo homerun (second) in the eighth.

"We swung the bats well (12 hits), but they made good defensiveplays," Riggleman said.

One came in the third when Brian McRae (4-for-5) singled toshort right but was immediately thrown out when second basemanBiggio threw to Jeff Bagwell, who tagged McRae after he turned thentried to dive back to the bag.

"That was just a good defensive play by Biggio," Riggleman said.

"I saw him," McRae said. "I just turned a little too far off.I thought I was where I could get back to the bag."

The Astros, ranked 12th in the league in team defense, pulledoff another gem in the seventh when right fielder Derek Bell racedto the wall and grabbed Mark Grace's deep drive. The catch endedthe inning after McRae had doubled and pinch hitter Dave Magadan(single) scored on Ryne Sandburg's grounder.

"That's happened a lot this year," Riggleman said. "It seemsGrace's best drives have been when the wind was blowing in."

The Cubs - first in the league in defense - made great plays,too, including running backhand catches by Timmons and Sammy Sosa, aheads-up pickoff of Orlando Miller (double) at second by catcherScott Servais and an over-the-shoulder catch of a Bagwell bloop incenter field by Sandberg.

But the Cubs seem to need perfection against the Astros.

"It does get frustrating," Castillo said. "It eats at you."

Local scoreboard

SCHEDULE

High school

The upcoming athletics schedule for area high schools, assubmitted by the schools (times 7:30 unless listed):

Boys basketball

Monday - Nitro at Greenbrier East; Fairmont Senior at Ripley;Parkersburg at South Charleston; Elk Valley Christian at MeadowBridge, 7 p.m.

Tuesday - Hannan at Buffalo; Winfield at Herbert Hoover; Wayne atPoca; Ravenswood at Point Pleasant; Scott at Tug Valley; Liberty-Raleigh at Sherman; Sissonville at Logan; South Gallia at TeaysValley Christian; Van at Gilbert; Spring Valley at Riverside; VictoryChristian at Elk Valley Christian, 7 p.m.

Wednesday - Charleston Catholic at Parkersburg Catholic; GeorgeWashington at Beckley; Hurricane at Riverside; Nitro at Capital;South Charleston at St. Albans.

Thursday - Guyan Valley at Teays Valley Christian, 7 p.m.;Riverside at Parkersburg.

Friday - South Gallia (Ohio) at Buffalo; Huntington at GeorgeWashington; Point Pleasant at Herbert Hoover; Beckley at Hurricane;Nitro at Cabell Midland; Poca at Sissonville; Ravenswood atParkersburg Catholic; Ripley at Capital; Riverside at Spring Valley;St. Albans at Greenbrier East; Chapmanville at Scott; Sherman at ClayCounty; Princeton at South Charleston; Van at Hamlin; Tolsia atWinfield.

Girls basketball

Monday - Wahama at Buffalo; Van at Chapmanville.

Tuesday - Beckley at Hurricane; Capital at Ripley; Cabell Midlandat Nitro; Poca at Sissonville; Greenbrier East at St. Albans; Loganat Scott; South Charleston at Princeton; Van at Gilbert, 5:30 p.m.;Winfield at Wayne; Ravenswood at Ritchie County.

Wednesday - Point Pleasant at Winfield.

Thursday - Cross Lanes Christian at Buffalo; Charleston Catholicat Valley, 7 p.m.; Herbert Hoover at Poca; Capital at Princeton;Nitro at Ripley; Scott at Hamlin; Sissonville at Logan.

Friday - Scott at Chapmanville; Sherman at Guyan Valley.

Saturday - Charleston Catholic at Mercer Christian, 6 p.m.; PointPleasant at Herbert Hoover, 3 p.m.; Hurricane at Princeton;Parkersburg South at Nitro; Summers County at Winfield.

Swimming

Saturday - Region IV Championships, at Marshall University

Wrestling

Tuesday - George Washington at Poca quad meet.

Wednesday - Herbert Hoover, Calhoun County at Winfield, 6 p.m.

College

The upcoming athletics schedule for West Virginia, Marshall,Charleston, West Virginia State and WVU Tech:

Men's basketball

Wednesday - Rice at Marshall, 7 p.m.

Thursday - Fairmont State at Charleston, 7:30 p.m.; SalemInternational at West Virginia State, 7:30 p.m.; Ohio Valley at WVUTech, 7:30 p.m.; West Virginia at Pitt, 9 p.m.

Saturday - Memphis at Marshall, 4 p.m.; Ohio Valley at Charleston,7:30 p.m.; Fairmont State at West Virginia State, 7:30 p.m.; SalemInternational at WVU Tech, 7:30 p.m.

Sunday - West Virginia at Georgetown, 7 p.m.

Women's basketball

Monday - Marshall at Houston, 8 p.m.

Tuesday - West Virginia at Providence, 7 p.m.

Thursday - Salem International at West Virginia State, 5:15 p.m.;Ohio Valley at WVU Tech, 5:15 p.m.; Fairmont State at Charleston,5:30 p.m.

Friday - Rutgers at West Virginia, 7 p.m.; Alabama-Birmingham atMarshall, 7 p.m.

Saturday - Fairmont State at West Virginia State, 5:15 p.m.; SalemInternational at WVU Tech, 5:15 p.m.; Ohio Valley at Charleston, 5:30p.m.

Sunday - Memphis at Marshall, 4:30 p.m.

Gymnastics

Friday - West Virginia, North Carolina, Arkansas, at Florida, 7p.m.

Softball

Friday - Marshall vs. Mississippi Valley State at Tuscaloosa,Ala., noon; Marshall at Alabama, 7 p.m.

Saturday - Marshall vs. Eastern Kentucky, at Tuscaloosa, Ala.,noon.

Women's tennis

Saturday - Pitt at Marshall, 1 p.m.; Morehead State at Marshall, 5p.m.

Women's indoor track and field

Friday - Marshall at Clemson Invitational

Friday-Saturday - West Virginia at Syklles-Babcock Cup, at StateCollege, Pa.

Wrestling

Friday - West Virginia at Ohio U., 7 p.m.

Sunday - Lock Haven at West Virginia, 1 p.m.

BASKETBALL

High school boys

Associated Press Poll

The Associated Press high school boys basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses and total points:

Class AAA

Team Record Pts. Prv.

1. Huntington (10) 16-0 100 1

2. George Washington 16-1 19 2

3. Beckley 11-5 76 4

4. South Charleston 12-3 72 3

5. University 12-3 51 6

6. Martinsburg 13-3 47 5

7. Parkersburg South 11-5 43 8

8. Morgantown 12-4 25 7

9. Capital 11-6 14 9

10. Bridgeport 13-3 12 -

Others receiving votes - Hedgesville 6, Wheeling Park 6, Nitro 3,Spring Valley 2.

Class AA

Team Record Pts. Prv.

1. Ravenswood (8) 17-0 98 1

2. Weir (1) 14-1 87 2

3. Westside (1) 14-2 84 3

4. Logan 12-2 64 5

5. Bluefield 11-2 57 4

6. Tolsia 13-2 52 6

7. Winfield 13-3 44 7

8. Wyoming East 13-4 24 9

9. Petersburg 11-2 16 8

10. Braxton County 13-3 11 10

Others receiving votes - Lincoln, 8, Keyser 5.

Class A

Team Record Pts. Prv.

1. Charleston Catholic (5) 15-1 95 1

2. Wheeling Central (3) 13-3 88 2

3. Buffalo (2) 15-1 84 3

4. Parkersburg Catholic 12-6 55 5

5. Gilbert 12-1 54 6

6. Williamstown 11-6 53 4

7. Trinity 14-3 40 8

8. Tucker County 14-4 32 9

9. Harts 10-5 23 7

10. Mountain State Academy 10-4 11 -

Others receiving votes - Pocahontas County 6, Notre Dame 3,Tygarts Valley 2, Man 2, Madonna 2.

High school girls

Associated Press Poll

The Associated Press high school girls basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses and total points:

Class AAA

Team Record Pts. Prv.

1. Morgantown (7) 19-1 79 1

2. Huntington (1) 14-2 70 2

3. University 14-3 52 4

4. Greenbrier East 14-3 50 3

5. John Marshall 15-3 46 5

6. Parkersburg South 12-5 37 6

7. Hedgesville 15-2 34 7

8. Bridgeport 16-2 27 9

9. Capital 13-4 24 8

10. Elkins 12-5 6 -

(tie) South Charleston 11-7 6 -

Others receiving votes - Hampshire 5, George Washington 4.

Class AA

Team Record Pts. Prv.

1. Winfield (7) 15-2 78 1

2. Summers County (1) 16-1 71 2

3. Magnolia 13-4 63 3

4. Logan 16-2 50 4

5. Sissonville 14-4 41 5

6. Clay County 16-2 35 6

7. Frankfort 14-3 31 7

8. James Monroe 15-4 25 9

9. Petersburg 10-6 15 10

10. Bluefield 15-4 12 8

Others receiving votes - Lincoln 7, Berkeley Springs 5, RitchieCounty 4, PikeView 3.

Class A

Team Record Pts. Prv.

1. Parkersburg Catholic (4) 17-1 76 1

2. Charleston Catholic 15-2 66 3

3. Mount de Chantal (4) 22-2 57 2

4. Hundred 16-1 43 5

5. South Harrison 16-3 39 6

6. Fayetteville 15-2 38 4

7. Wheeling Central 9-8 28 7

8. Williamstown 12-7 27 8

9. East Hardy 16-1 25 -

10. Montcalm 12-5 17 10

Others receiving votes - Pocahontas County 15, St. Marys 4, WirtCounty 3, Greenbrier West, Hamlin.

College men

West Virginia Conference

School WVC Rating Overall Pct.

Alderson-Broaddus 11-1 140.83 17-3 .850

W.Va. State 9-2 113.64 17-4 .810

Salem International 9-3 106.67 14-6 .700

West Liberty State 8-3 106.36 17-3 .850

Wheeling Jesuit 8-3 103.64 14-6 .700

Concord 7-4 91.82 11-9 .550

Charleston 7-4 89.09 13-7 .650

Glenville State 6-5 81.82 7-13 .350

Shepherd 6-7 61.54 11-10 .524

Fairmont State 5-6 57.27 12-8 .600

x-WVU Tech 3-8 30.91 7-13 .350

Ohio Valley 2-9 24.55 5-15 .250

W.Va. Wesleyan 2-9 20.91 2-18 .100

Bluefield State 1-10 10.91 1-19 .050

Davis & Elkins 1-11 10.00 5-18 .217

x---not eligible for conference title

Thursday

Alderson-Broaddus at W.Va. Wesleyan, 7:30 p.m.

Davis & Elkins at Glenville State, 7:30 p.m.

Fairmont State at Charleston, 7:30 p.m.

Ohio Valley at WVU Tech, 7:30 p.m.

Salem International at W.Va. State, 7:30 p.m.

Friday

West Liberty State at Concord, 7:30 p.m.

Wheeling Jesuit at Bluefield State, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday

Shepherd at Davis & Elkins, 4 p.m.

Wheeling Jesuit at Concord , 6 p.m.

Fairmont State at W.Va. State, 7:30 p.m.

Ohio Valley at Charleston, 7:30 p.m.

Salem International at WVU Tech, 7:30 p.m.

West Liberty State at Bluefield State, 7:30 p.m.

W.Va. Wesleyan at Glenville State, 7:30 p.m.

Big East

Conference All Games

W L Pct. W L Pct.

West Virginia 7 0 1.000 17 4 .810

Villanova 8 1 .889 17 2 .895

Connecticut 7 1 .875 20 1 .952

Georgetown 7 2 .778 16 4 .800

Pittsburgh 6 3 .667 17 3 .850

Seton Hall 5 3 .625 14 6 .700

Marquette 6 4 .600 16 7 .696

Syracuse 4 4 .500 16 6 .727

Cincinnati 4 4 .500 15 8 .652

Louisville 3 6 .333 15 7 .682

Rutgers 3 6 .333 13 9 .591

Providence 3 6 .333 10 10 .500

St. John's 3 6 .333 10 10 .500

DePaul 2 7 .222 9 11 .450

Notre Dame 1 8 .111 10 10 .500

South Florida 0 8 .000 6 15 .286

Sunday

Seton Hall 73, Rutgers 67

Georgetown 61, Pittsburgh 58

Today

Louisville at Cincinnati, 7 p.m.

Tuesday

Villanova at St. Joseph's, 7:30 p.m.

Providence at DePaul, 8:30 p.m.

Wednesday

Seton Hall at South Florida, 7 p.m.

Rutgers at Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m.

Syracuse at Connecticut, 9 p.m.

Thursday

West Virginia at Pittsburgh, 9 p.m.

St. John's at Georgetown, 9 p.m.

Saturday

South Florida at Louisville, noon

Villanova at DePaul, 2 p.m.

Connecticut at Seton Hall, 8 p.m.

Sunday

Syracuse at St. John's, 2 p.m.

Marquette at Rutgers, 2 p.m.

Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, 2 p.m.

West Virginia at Georgetown, 7 p.m.

Conference USA

Conference All Games

W L Pct. W L Pct.

Memphis 7 0 1.000 21 2 .913

UAB 6 1 .857 16 4 .800

UTEP 6 1 .857 13 6 .684

Houston 5 3 .625 14 6 .700

Tulane 4 4 .500 8 12 .400

UCF 3 3 .500 9 10 .474

SMU 3 4 .429 11 9 .550

Rice 3 4 .429 9 11 .450

Marshall 2 5 .286 9 11 .450

Tulsa 2 5 .286 7 13 .350

Southern Miss. 1 6 .143 7 15 .318

East Carolina 1 7 .125 7 14 .333

Wednesday

Rice at Marshall, 7 p.m.

Tulsa at Southern Methodist, 7 p.m.

Alabama-Birmingham at Texas-El Paso, 10 p.m.

Central Florida at Southern Mississippi, 8 p.m.

Saturday

Southern Methodist at Houston, 7 p.m.

Memphis at Marshall, 7 p.m.

East Carolina at Alabama-Birmingham, 8:30 p.m.

Rice at Tulsa, 3 p.m.

Tulane at Central Florida, 7:30 p.m.

Texas-El Paso at Southern Mississippi, 5 p.m.

College women

West Virginia Conference

School WVC Rating Overall Pct.

Charleston 12-0 145.00 20-1 .952

Glenville State 10-1 141.82 19-1 .950

Wheeling Jesuit 10-1 133.64 18-2 .900

Fairmont State 8-3 102.73 16-4 .800

West Liberty 7-4 90.00 15-5 .750

Shepherd 8-5 82.31 12-9 .571

Ohio Valley 6-5 72.73 10-10 .500

W.Va. Wesleyan 5-6 61.82 6-14 .300

W.Va. State 6-6 61.67 12-8 .600

Concord 5-6 57.27 10-9 .526

Davis & Elkins 3-9 31.67 5-15 .250

Bluefield State 3-9 30.83 7-12 .368

Salem International 2-10 20.00 4-17 .190

x-WVU Tech 1-11 10.83 1-17 .056

Alderson-Broaddus 1-11 9.19 1-17 .056

x-not eligible for conference title

Today

District of Columbia at Bluefield State, 6 p.m.

Pitt-Johnstown at W.Va. State, 5:15 p.m.

Tuesday

Concord at Belmont Abbey (NC), 6 p.m.

Thursday

Davis & Elkins at Glenville State, 5:15 p.m.

Ohio Valley at WVU Tech, 5:15 p.m.

Salem International at W.Va. State, 5:15 p.m.

Alderson-Broaddus at W.Va. Wesleyan, 5:30 p.m.

Fairmont State at Charleston, 5:30 p.m.

Friday

West Liberty State at Concord, 5:15 p.m.

Wheeling Jesuit at Bluefield State, 5:15 p.m.

Saturday

Shepherd at Davis & Elkins, 2 p.m.

Wheeling Jesuit at Concord, 4 p.m.

Fairmont State at W.Va. State, 5:15 p.m.

Salem International at WVU Tech, 5:15 p.m.

West Liberty State at Bluefield State, 5:15 p.m.

W.Va. Wesleyan at Glenville State, 5:15 p.m.

Ohio Valley at Charleston, 5:30 p.m.

Big East

Conference All Games

W L Pct. W L Pct.

Connecticut 10 0 1.000 21 2 913

Rutgers 9 0 1.000 17 3 .850

St. John's 8 3 .727 18 4 .818

Marquette 6 4 .600 15 6 .714

Pittsburgh 6 4 .600 15 6 .714

Louisville 5 4 .556 14 6 .700

South Florida 5 5 .500 15 8 .652

Notre Dame 5 5 .500 14 7 .667

DePaul 5 5 .500 18 5 .783

Cincinnati 4 5 .444 14 6 .700

West Virginia 4 5 .444 12 8 .600

Villanova 3 6 .333 12 8 .600

Seton Hall 3 7 .300 6 15 .286

Georgetown 2 8 .200 9 12 .429

Syracuse 2 8 .200 9 12 .429

Providence 1 9 .100 6 15 .286

Sunday

St. John's 78, South Florida 71

Tuesday

Villanova at Notre Dame, 6 p.m.

West Virginia at Providence, 7 p.m.

Rutgers at Connecticut, 8 p.m.

Wednesday

Marquette at St. John's, 7 p.m.

South Florida at Seton Hall, 7 p.m.

Georgetown at Syracuse, 7 p.m.

Louisville at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.

Cincinnati at DePaul, 8 p.m.

Friday

Rutgers at West Virginia, 7 p.m.

Saturday

Cincinnati at Villanova, 1 p.m.

Pittsburgh at South Florida, 7 p.m.

Sunday

Syracuse at Louisville, noon

Providence at Seton Hall, 2 p.m.

Connecticut at Texas, 3 p.m.

Notre Dame at DePaul, 5 p.m.

Conference USA

Conference All Games

W L Pct. W L Pct.

Tulsa 7 2 .778 16 4 .800

Southern Miss 7 3 .700 10 11 .476

Southern Methodist 6 3 .667 11 10 .524

Houston 6 3 .667 9 11 .450

East Carolina 5 4 .556 13 7 .650

Marshall 5 4 .556 10 10 .500

Alabama-Birmingham 5 4 .556 12 8 .600

Rice 4 5 .444 8 12 .400

Texas-El Paso 4 5 .444 12 9 .571

Tulane 3 6 .333 9 9 .500

Central Florida 3 7 .300 5 16 .239

Memphis 0 9 .000 2 18 .100

Today

Central Florida at Tulsa, 7 p.m.

Marshall at Houston, 7 p.m.

East Carolina at Rice, 7 p.m.

Texas-El Paso at Memphis, 7 p.m.

Southern Mississippi at Southern Methodist, 7 p.m.

Tulane at Alabama-Birmingham, 8 p.m.

Friday

Southern Methodist at Central Florida, 6 p.m.

Memphis at East Carolina, 6 p.m.

Alabama-Birmingham at Marshall, 6 p.m.

Tulsa at Southern Mississippi, 7 p.m.

Houston at Tulane, 7 p.m.

Rice at Texas-El Paso, 8:05 p.m.

Sunday

Alabama-Birmingham at East Carolina, 1 p.m.

Rice at Tulane, 2 p.m.

Tulsa at Southern Methodist, 2 p.m.

Houston at Texas-El Paso, 3:05 p.m.

Memphis at Marshall, 3:30 p.m.

TENNIS

College women

West Virginia 7, Cincinnati 0

Singles - Monica Lyskawa (WVU) d. Elizabeth Young 6-0, 7-5; StaceyPercival (WVU) d. Lindsay Willeford 6-1, 6-1; Natalia Prinz (WVU) d.Jenny Rowen 6-4, 6-1; Colleen Speaker (WVU) d. Jill Klauck 6-1, 7-6(7-2); Kelly Walsh (WVU) d. Carling Arundel 6-0, 5-0.

Doubles - Percival-Theis (WVU) d. Young-Hinton 8-4; Prinz-Speaker(WVU) d. Rowen-Arundel 8-0; Constantine-Lyskawa (WVU) d. Willeford-Reasoner 8-3.

On the air

TELEVISION

BASKETBALL 7 p.m. Louisville at Cincinnati ESPN2 9 p.m. Texas atTexas Tech ESPN2

HOCKEY 7:30 p.m. Penguins at Senators Fox Sports Net 8 p.m. Predators at Stars OLN

NEWS AND HIGHLIGHTS

Australian police find new suspect DNA mix-up

Police in Australia said Wednesday they uncovered a possible second case of DNA evidence contamination in a sweeping review of criminal files prompted by a mix-up that led authorities to wrongly charge a man with a double murder.

The Victoria state police Forensic Services Department discovered the potential blunder in a review of 6,000 cases during an audit of its DNA database that began in July.

Police charged convicted sex offender Russell John Gesah in July with the strangulation murders of a woman and her young daughter 24 years ago, hailing a breakthrough in DNA technology that linked the 43-year-old man to semen-stained clothing found at the murder scene.

But police later withdrew the charges after discovering the clothing had been accidentally exposed to Gesah's DNA in the laboratory, prompting the review.

On Wednesday, police said investigators had found a possible cross-contamination of DNA between a car theft and a separate crime involving cannabis cultivation. No one had been charged in either case, although a suspect had been identified in one, police said.

The cases chosen for review all involved DNA hits in criminal databases, police spokeswoman Rebecca Fraser said.

"DNA is incredibly sensitive and it has always been known that there is the potential for contamination to occur as part of the exhibit collection and testing processes," Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon said in a statement. "There are numerous procedures in place at the laboratory to minimize the potential for contamination and to detect it if it does occur. These checks are standard procedure."

The results of the review will assessed later this month by a group of independent professionals who provide advice to the Forensic Services Department.

Dubai Marathon Leading Results

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Leading results Friday in the Dubai Marathon:

Men

1. Ayele Abshero, Ethiopia, 2 hours, 4 minutes, 23 seconds.

2. Dino Sefir Kemal, Ethiopia, 2:04:50.

3. Markos Geneti, Ethiopia, 2:04:54.

4. Jonathan Maiyo, Kenya, 2:04:56.

5. Tadesse Tola, Ethiopia, 2:05:10.

6. Yami Dadi, Ethiopia, 2:05:41.

7. Abdullah Shami Dawit, Ethiopia, 2:05:42.

8. Deressa Chimsa Edea, Ethiopia, 2:05:42.

9. Seboka Tola, Ethiopia, 2:067:17.

10.Yemane Adhane, Ethiopia, 2:06:29.

Women

1. Aselefech Mergia, Ethiopia, 2:19:31.

2. Lucy Kabuu, Kenya, 2:19:34.

3. Mare Dibaba, Ethiopia, 2:19:52.

4. Bezunesh Bekele Sertsu, Ethiopia, 2:20:30.

5. Aberu Shewaye, Ethiopia, 2:20:33.

6. Lydia Cheromei, Kenya, 2:21:30.

7. Sharon Cherop Jemutai, Kenya, 2:22:39

8. Atsed Tesema, Ethiopia, 2:23:13.

9. Mamitu Molisa, Ethiopia, 2:24:24.

10.Isabella Andersson, Sweden, 2:25:41.

Marlins 6, Braves 5

Atlanta			Florida
ab r h bi		ab r h bi
Bourn cf	5 0 1 1		Bonifac ss	5 1 2 0
Prado lf	3 0 1 1		Infante 2b	5 1 2 2
C.Jones 3b	4 0 0 0		Stanton rf	3 3 2 2
Uggla 2b	4 1 2 1		Morrsn lf	4 1 1 2
McCnn c	4 0 0 0		GSnchz 1b	4 0 1 0
Fremn 1b	4 0 0 0		J.Buck c	3 0 0 0
AlGnzlz ss	4 1 1 0		Petersn cf	4 0 1 0
Heywrd rf	3 2 1 1		Dmngz 3b	3 0 1 0
Minor p	2 0 0 0		Dobbs ph	1 0 0 0
Moylan p	0 0 0 0		Nolasco p	1 0 0 0
Conrad ph	0 0 0 0		MDunn p	0 0 0 0
ARchrd pr	0 1 0 0		R.Webb p	0 0 0 0
OFlhrt p	0 0 0 0		JoLopz ph	1 0 0 0
Venters p	0 0 0 0		Hensly p	0 0 0 0
Hinske ph	1 0 0 0		JoBakr ph	1 0 0 0
Kimrel p	0 0 0 0
Totals	34 5 6 4		Totals	35 6 10 6

Atlanta	000	001	400—5
Florida	101	002	002—6

Two outs when winning run scored.

E_Infante (8). LOB_Atlanta 5, Florida 6. 2B_Prado (26), G.Sanchez (32), Petersen (12), Dominguez (1). HR_Uggla (35), Heyward (14), Infante (6), Stanton 2 (34), Morrison (21). S_Nolasco.

	IP	H	R ER BB SO
Atlanta
Minor	5 2-3	6	4	4	2	6
Moylan	1-3	0	0	0	0	0
O'Flaherty H,30	1	2	0	0	0	0
Venters H,33	1	0	0	0	0	0
Kimbrel L,4-3 BS,7-52	2-3	2	2	2	0	0
Florida
Nolasco	6 2-3	5	5	4	2	4
M.Dunn	0	1	0	0	0	0
R.Webb BS,4-4	1-3	0	0	0	1	0
Hensley W,6-6	2	0	0	0	0	3

M.Dunn pitched to 1 batter in the 7th.

WP_Nolasco.

Umpires_Home, Ed Rapuano; First, Ed Hickox; Second, Paul Nauert; Third, Alfonso Marquez.

T_2:44. A_21,340 (38,560).

Dozens killed in Syria, Red Cross urges cease-fire

BEIRUT (AP) — Food and water are running dangerously low in the besieged Syrian city of Homs, with frantic cries for help from residents amid government shelling that pounded rebel strongholds and killed at least 30 people Tuesday, activists said.

Shells reportedly rained down on rebellious districts at a rate of 10 per minute at one point and the Red Cross called for a daily two-hour cease-fire so that it can deliver emergency aid to the wounded and sick.

"If they don't die in the shelling, they will die of hunger," activist and resident Omar Shaker told The Associated Press after hours of intense shelling concentrated on the rebel-held neighborhood of Baba Amr that the opposition has extolled as a symbol of their 11-month uprising against President Bashar Assad's regime.

Another 33 people were killed in northern Syria's mountainous Jabal al-Zawiya region when government forces raided a town in pursuit of regime opponents, raising Tuesday's overall death toll to 63, activists said. The Local Coordination Committees, an opposition group, said more than 100 were killed Tuesday, but the report could not immediately be confirmed by others.

Russia, one of Assad's remaining allies, urged the United Nations to send a special envoy to Syria to help coordinate security issues and delivery of humanitarian assistance.

Assad's forces showed no sign of easing their assault on Homs, Syria's third-largest city, whose defiance has become an embarrassing counterpoint to the regime's insistence that the opposition is mostly armed factions with limited public support.

The rebel defenses in Homs are believed to be bolstered by hundreds of military defectors, which has possibly complicated attempts by Syrian troops to stage an offensive. On Monday, reinforcements of Syrian tanks and soldiers massed outside the city in what could be a prelude to a ground attack.

"Government troops have been unable to advance because of stiff resistance from defectors inside," an activist in Homs told the AP on condition of anonymity, because of fears of government reprisal. Another activist in Homs said the shelling started after repeated attempts by troops to storm the edges of Baba Amr, which the opposition has dubbed "Syria's Misrata" after the Libyan city that refused to fall to withering government attacks last year.

One Homs resident, communicating with the AP by Internet chat, said many people are unable or too scared to go to the hospital for treatment. Some are bleeding to death at home.

"My cousin is a doctor and he said they've given up on treating serious wounds. The numbers are too many to cope with especially with so little supplies," said the resident, who has provided reliable information in the past. The resident spoke on condition of anonymity because of the fear of reprisal.

The resident, who lives just outside Baba Amr, said people in the neighborhood were surviving mostly on stocks of rice and canned corn and tuna, but those supplies also were running out fast after several weeks of attacks.

Some people go without bread for days, and when grocery stores and bakeries reopen during a lull in the shelling, long lines form quickly, the resident said, adding that shortages exist of all kinds of foodstuffs and vegetables.

The Red Cross said it has been negotiating with Syrian authorities and members of the opposition to agree a temporary cease-fire so emergency aid can reach beleaguered parts of the country.

"The current situation requires an immediate decision to implement a humanitarian pause in the fighting," said Jakob Kellenberger, the president of the Geneva-based International Committee of the Red Cross. "In Homs and in other affected areas, entire families have been stuck for days in their homes, unable to step outside to get bread, other food or water, or to obtain medical care."

Kellenberger said the cease-fire should last at least two hours daily, so that Red Cross staff and Syrian Arab Red Crescent volunteers have enough time to deliver aid and evacuate the wounded.

Beatrice Megevand-Roggo, the ICRC's head of operations for the Middle East, described Homs as "sort of a ghost city," adding that other parts of Syria also were badly affected by the fighting.

White House spokesman Jay Carney backed a Red Cross call for a daily cease-fire in Syria in order to deliver humanitarian aid.

"The reprehensible actions perpetrated by the Syrian regime, the brutal violence perpetrated by the Syrian leader against his own people, has led us to this situation where basic supplies, humanitarian supplies are very scarce and therefore action needs to be taken," Carney said.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Washington was focused on "increasing the international isolation and the international pressure on the Assad regime to stop the violence altogether, so that we can move on to a democratic transition."

In the northern province of Aleppo, the government said a Syrian businessman, Mahmoud Ramadan, was shot to death in front of his home in what appeared to be the latest in a series of targeted killings. The attacks, which include the slaying of an Aleppo city council member Saturday, suggest that rebel factions are increasing turning to arms to strike back at members of Assad's ruling system.

Residents and activists say a monthslong siege and stepped up attacks on Baba Amr recently have left the district without enough food, water, medicine and electricity.

"They bombed all the water tanks on the roofs of buildings. There's no water. Some people have gone without bread for days," said Shaker, who estimated the shells fell at a rate of about 10 per minute at some points in the attack. More than 200 people were wounded, he said, adding that two children were among the dead.

Phone lines with Homs have been cut, making it difficult to get firsthand accounts from residents.

One amateur video posted on the Internet showed thick smoke and shells slamming behind a building in Baba Amr. Another showed a shop on the ground floor of a building on fire as a narrator cries: "We are dying. Where are the Arabs?"

The Arab League has tried to pressure Assad into a peace process with the opposition, but he has refused.

In another possible shift away from Assad, about 500 Palestinians gathered in Gaza at a Hamas-authorized demonstration in solidarity with Syrian protesters.

Assad has long hosted and supported leaders of the Islamic Hamas movement, which rules Gaza. But as the body count in Syria continues to rise, Hamas has been trying to distance itself from Damascus. Hamas has forged closer ties with rich Gulf states that oppose the Syrian regime and seeks to undercut Iran's influence.

A planned international meeting later this week in Tunisia will seek ways to help the Syrian people.

"People don't care if it's the devil intervening to save us from Bashar. We need the world's help," Shaker said.

In Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said Tuesday it will not attend the planned "Friends of Syria" meeting because organizers did not invite Syrian government representatives.

Russia and China have vetoed two U.N. Security Council resolutions backing Arab League plans aimed at ending the conflict and condemning Assad's crackdown on protests that killed 5,400 people in 2011 alone, according to the U.N. Hundreds more have been killed since, activist groups say. One of the groups puts the toll at more than 7,300.

Lukashevich said the meeting wouldn't help a dialogue, saying that the global community should act as friends of all the Syrian people, not just one part.

"It looks like an attempt to forge some kind of international coalition like it was with the setting up of a 'Contact Group' for Libya," he said.

Russia has said it will block any U.N. resolution that could pave the way for a replay of what happened in Libya. In that case, Russia abstained from a vote, which cleared the way for months of NATO airstrikes that helped Libyans end Moammar Gadhafi's regime.

In Jerusalem, Sen. John McCain condemned Russia and China for vetoing sanctions against Syria, saying their action was "not the behavior of mature nations." He suggested that weapons should be sent to those fighting the regime.

Iran — Syria's other strong ally — sent two warships through the Suez Canal on Tuesday on their way back from the Syrian port of Tartus. The ships had reportedly docked in Syria over the weekend on a mission to provide training for Syria's naval forces, according to Iranian media reports.

The Pentagon disputed those reports, saying there was no indication the ships had docked or delivered any cargo. U.S. Defense Department spokesman George Little said the Iranian ships now appear to be going back through the Suez Canal again.

Assad has announced a Feb. 26 referendum on a new constitution. The charter would allow a bigger role for political opposition to challenge Assad's Baath Party, which has controlled Syria since a 1963 coup. But leaders of the uprising have dismissed the referendum as an attempt at superficial reforms that do nothing to break the regime's hold on power.

In Jordan, Bernardino Leon, the EU's representative for the Southern Mediterranean, said Assad's regime missed the opportunity for reforms. "Syria is definitely not in a transition despite announcements of changes, despite plans for a referendum," Leon told reporters.

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Associated Press writers Frank Jordans in Geneva, Jamal Halaby in Amman, Jordan, and Bradley Klapper and Julie Pace in Washington contributed to this report.

In other words

The FDIC announced last month that its insured institutions have continued to post strong financial results during the current 21-month expansion. According to a report released today in the Fall 2003 FDIC Outlook, faster economic growth in the second half of 2003, which has been accompanied by higher long-term interest rates, could pose new challenges for banking and thrift institutions - particularly those that specialize in mortgage lending.

The strong financial performance of the banking and thrift industries continues to be a bright spot in the U.S. economic outlook. Credit quality measures have improved since late 2002, while growth in consumer and mortgage loans has boosted profitability.

However, FDIC Chairman Don Powell cautions the industry against complacency in a changing economic environment. "The recent increase in long-term interest rates will present new challenges to some segments of the industry," said Powell. "Strategies that have worked well in the past may not be as successful in today's operating environment."

Mortgage lenders may face particular challenges as a result of higher interest rates. Mortgage origination volumes can be expected to decline along with refinancing activity, while the extension of asset maturities may tie up capital that otherwise could be deployed at higher interest rates. In addition, gains on the sale of securities and loans may be harder to come by in future quarters if current levels of interest rates persist into the future. However, FDIC analysts emphasize that mortgage debt historically involves lower levels of credit risk than most other asset categories, a fact that should mitigate overall levels of portfolio risk.

FDIC analysts also caution that insured institutions overall may find it more difficult to generate low-cost core deposits, as rising interest rates spur households to seek greater yields than those offered by bank deposits.

The report details several factors that have contributed to sluggish U.S. economic performance and additional job cuts during the current expansion. Weakness in the global economy, excess global capacity in manufacturing, strong growth in productivity, and the need to repair balance sheets and address governance concerns have all contributed to slow growth in business and a lack of interest in hiring new workers. However, many of these distractions are expected to fade over the next year, paving the way for a more rapid pace for U.S. economic activity.

Obama, Edwards Criticize Clinton on Iran

DES MOINES, Iowa - Democrats Barack Obama and John Edwards are criticizing presidential rival Hillary Rodham Clinton for her latest comments on negotiating with leaders of Iran and other countries that are on poor terms with the U.S.

Obama noted on Friday that when he said in July he would meet with such leaders without setting any conditions, Clinton called his stance "irresponsible and frankly naive."

Questioned Thursday by a voter in New Hampshire, Clinton said twice that she would negotiate with Iran "with no conditions."

"I would engage in negotiations with Iran, with no conditions, because we don't really understand how Iran works. We think we do, from the outside, but I think that is misleading," she said.

Obama said Friday, "So I'm not sure if any of us knows exactly where she is standing on this issue. But I can tell you this - when I am president of the United States, the American people and the world will always know where I stand."

Edwards' campaign chimed in from North Carolina, also noting the earlier Clinton comment and her new statement.

"You can't have it both ways - on this or any other issue," said a statement released by Edwards communications director Chris Kofinis. "Senator Clinton needs to be honest with the American people about her plans."

Clinton said Friday her remarks on Thursday weren't different from anything she has said in the past.

"I would begin a process of negotiations with Iran. There would be no conditions set to what could be negotiated - and that is what is meant by no conditions," Clinton said in an interview with The Associated Press in Columbia, S.C.

Clinton said the process would be handled by aides, not the president - similar to the way the U.S. has handled North Korea.

"That's very different from saying that if you were president, you would personally meet in your first year, without conditions, with these odious dictators," Clinton said.

"What I have been saying for a long time is that the United States of America should negotiate with Iran. Right now the Bush administration will not because they hold the position that Iran must first totally renounce its nuclear program," she said earlier at a campaign stop in Atlanta.

Obama, speaking Friday at Drake University in Des Moines, gave a harsh assessment of Clinton's foreign policy views.

He criticized the New York senator for her recent vote designating Iran's Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization, saying she was repeating a mistake she made in voting to authorize the Iraq war.

"Senator Clinton is the only Democratic candidate for president who supports this amendment," Obama said, calling it a "blank check" for President Bush to attack Iran.

"I don't want to give this president any excuse, any opening for war," said Obama who missed that vote because he was campaigning in New Hampshire.

The Clinton campaign responded with a statement distributed by spokesman Mark Daley: "Once again Senator Obama has abandoned the politics of hope to engage in the same old attack politics. If Senator Obama really believed that this measure gave the president a blank check for war he should have been there, speaking out and fighting against it."

The dismissive reference to Obama's slogan about the "politics of hope" was followed by a memo distributed by the Obama camp quoting one of Clinton's own sayings.

Said the memo from spokesman Bill Burton: "It is clear that just as voters are becoming more engaged in the campaign in the early primary states that Senator Clinton and her campaign have abandoned the politics of 'let's have a conversation' in favor of purely tactical posturing."

Obama, noting that the vote to authorize the Iraq war came five years ago this week, said in Iowa that Democrats in Congress - including Clinton and Edwards, who was then a North Carolina senator - bear some responsibility for what's happened since.

"Senator Edwards voted for the war in 2002," Obama said. "He has renounced that vote instead of pretending that it was a vote for anything but war."

He said Clinton's arguments that she was voting for more inspections or diplomacy are misleading. "All of us know what was being debated in the Congress in the fall of 2002," he said, again stressing his early opposition to the war while he was a state senator in Illinois.

Obama said Democrats must stop believing they "can't win elections unless they talk, act and vote like Republicans when it comes to foreign policy and national security."

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Associated Press Writers Jim Davenport and Shannon McCaffrey contributed to this article from South Carolina and Georgia.

Raptors beat Warriors in overtime

After coming up short for the second time in as many games, Al Harrington said the Golden State Warriors should have been working harder during the preseason.

Chris Bosh scored 31 points, Anthony Parker had 23 and the Toronto Raptors beat Golden State 112-108 in overtime on Friday night.

Andrea Bargnani had 19 points off the bench for Toronto (2-0), while Jose Calderon had 16 points and 13 assists. Jamario Moon added 11 for the Raptors.

Harrington led Golden State (0-2) with 26 points, adding 11 rebounds, while Stephen Jackson finished with 19 points. Andris Biedrins had 17 points and 13 rebounds for the Warriors.

Golden State lost 108-103 to New Orleans on Wednesday, giving up a go-ahead basket to Hornets guard Chris Paul in the final 15 seconds.

On Friday it was Bosh who denied Golden State, tying the game at 96-96 on a pair of free throws with 14.5 seconds left in regulation. The Raptors sealed it with an 10-2 run to begin the extra session, including four points from Bosh.

"Toward the end of the game, Chris Bosh just took over, playing like the All-Star he is," Jackson said. "He made plays and knocked down his free throws and there wasn't too much we could do."

Harrington said the Warriors still don't have the fitness they need to make shots late in games. Golden State shot 7-for-19 in the fourth quarter.

"In the preseason, we weren't playing 40 minutes," Harrington said. "Right now we are, so it's something we've got to get used to, get adjusted to, and quick.

"The preseason is usually a time where you're resting," Harrington added. "It seems like we should have been playing a little bit more so we'd be prepared for now. It's going to take us a couple of games to get adjusted to and then we'll start knocking our shots down in the fourth."

Jackson, who played all 48 minutes in the season opener, ended up playing 44 on Friday, fouling out in the final minute of overtime. Jackson has taken on point duties while Monta Ellis serves a 30-game suspension after injuring his ankle in an offseason scooter accident, and said adjusting to his new role has been tough.

"This is definitely new, but I've got to speed up my learning process," Jackson said. "I don't have 30 games to learn, I've got to try to get it right now. I really take pride in putting this team on my back and being the leader of this team so I've got to play better."

Corey Maggette, who led Golden State with 27 points in Wednesday's loss to New Orleans, was held to 14, while Kelenna Azubuike came off the bench to score 15.

"We had the game, some errors at the end just killed us," Maggette said.

With the score tied after Bosh's free throws, the Warriors gave the ball to Maggette, who let the clock run down to 5 seconds, then turned it over as he drove to the basket, giving the Raptors the ball with 0.7 seconds left in regulation. Bargnani inbounded to Parker, who got a shot off, but it rimmed out, sending the game to overtime.

Parker made two of his four steals on the first two possessions of overtime, sparking an 8-0 Toronto run.

Jermaine O'Neal shot 2-for-10 and finished with five points and six rebounds, but made three blocks. O'Neal fell to the floor after blocking a second-quarter shot by Brandon Wright, wagged his finger while still on his back, then got up and said "No way" to the Golden State bench as he ran up the court.

"That was funny," Bosh said. "It was a very, very good play, but that was comical."

Toronto led 51-50 at the half.

Notes:@ Golden State picked up the third-year options on guard Marco Belinelli and Wright, and declined the fourth-year option on guard Marcus Williams. ... Each of Toronto's first five baskets was scored by a different member of the starting lineup. ... Bosh delivered a brief pre-game address to fans, thanking them for their support.

Radical research

A new study, published in the March 1, 2003 issue of the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, concludes that the bodies of obese individuals host a greater number of free radicals than the bodies of slimmer people. Free radicals are molecular particles that are believed to damage cells, which in turn can cause cancers and signs of aging.

The higher levels of dangerous free radicals may explain in part why obese people tend to experience more heart disease than the average population. The implication is that the overweight and obese should be sure to get a liberal daily dose of antioxidants substances known to mop up free radicals. Antioxidants are found in plant-based foods, especially fruits and vegetables, but are also plentiful in whole grains and nuts.

Biogenerics Conference Addresses Scientific and Regulatory Issues Surrounding Biosimilars

When considering how follow-on biologies will be compared to innovator products, Emily Shacter has a favorite question: If the drug substance of the innovator product is unavailable for testing, and therefore has to be tested in the formulation buffer or purified out of the formulated commercial product, how will we know the effect of those testing conditions or manipulations?

For Shacter, this question will soon move from theoretical to practical. Because sooner or later-and many think it is likely to happen before the end of 2009-the US Congress is expected to pass legislation creating an abbreviated pathway for the approval of follow-on biologies, also called biosimilars. And as the chief of the Laboratory of Biochemistry in the Division of Therapeutic Proteins in the US FDA's Office of Biotechnology Products, Shacter knows her department will have to deal with these important and complex questions in submissions for follow-on biologies.

Shacter's question was one of many important issues discussed at the "Biogenerics 2008" conference held on March 3 and 4 in Boston, MA, sponsored by the Barnett Institute of Northeastern University (Boston, MA).

Shacter never did get a definitive answer to her question, but the conference proved to be a useful forum for discussing important scientific and regulatory issues related to biosimilars.

Demonstrating Similarity: Analytical Methods and Clinical Testing

Any discussion of biosimilars naturally includes an assessment of the capability of analytical methods to demonstrate similarity between a follow-on product and the innovator drug to which it is compared. Speakers at the Biogenerics conference generally agreed that stateof-the-art analytical methods can provide very good characterization of protein molecules and their impurities, particularly if several orthogonal analytical technologies are used.

The real problem, however, is not the capability to detect variations between proteins, but to assess whether those differences are clinically significant."We are still limited in our ability to make predictions about physiological function based on structure," said Shacter. For that reason, she said, probably all biosimilars filings will require some clinical testing.

Limited Data for Comparisons

Several participants from innovator companies also expressed concerns about how little data biosimilars companies will have at their disposal, which will make comparisons more difficultTesting only 6-12 lots of the innovator drug is very limited," said Andrew Fox, a director of regulatory affairs at Amgen."During a recent comparability exercise at Amgen, we compared to 1,282 historical lots."

Tony Lubiniecki, vice president of upstream drug substance development and technology transfer in pharmaceutical development at Centocor R&D, agreed."Biosimilars companies should be required to conduct clinical trials of sufficient size and power to compensate for their lack of historical data."

Immunogenicity Testing

The potential of all biologies to induce an immune response was discussed at length, including the tragic case of Eprex-induced pure red cell aplasia (PRCA)."We are not totally convinced as an industry that we know what caused the PRCA case," said Steve Swanson, PhD, executive director of clinical immunology at Amgen."That is very sobering."

Swanson said that companies should take a risk-based approach to immunogenicity testing, taking into account the likelihood and clinical consequences of an immune response. And in all cases, immunogenicity trials must be well designed, and last at least six months."Sometimes it takes as long as one to two years to see immunogenicity," he said.

Unique Product Names and Restricting Interchangeability Facilitate Pharmacovigilance

The PRCA example also provides a good reason to restrict the interchangeability or substitutability between biosimilars and innovator products, said Jean-Hugues Trouvin, head of the Biologies Working Party of the European Medicines Evaluation Authority (EMEA), because keeping patients on a single product facilitates postmarketing surveillance."When the Eprex problem arose, it was easy to track which patients had received Eprex, because there had been very little switching of patients between the approved products," he said. "Although the decision about interchangeability in Europe is made at the national level, we at the EMEA do not recommend switching patients without a therapeutic justification."

The question of postmarketing surveillance for biosimilars and other biologies also raised the issue of product naming. Several attendees said that biosimilars should have unique international nonproprietary names (INNs), to distinguish them from the innovator products to which they refer. The World Health Organization (WHO), which determines INNs, recently formed a working group to address this question.

If the WHO does not decide in favor of using unique INNs, said Alison Lawton, senior vice president of global regulatory and public policy at Genzyme, the US should come up with another system to ensure accurate postmarketing tracking, such as using barcodes at the pharmacy level or requiring prescribing by brand name.

Economies

Apart from scientific and safety issues, conferees also raised questions about the economics of biosimilars."We need a system that balances the need for access to drugs with incentives for innovation," said Randall Lutter, PDA's deputy commissioner for policy. "That means including an appropriate number of years of data exclusivity, as well as some additional protection to provide innovators with an incentive to seek approval for additional indications."

Charlie DiLiberti, global vice president, pharmacokinetics and bioequivalence at Barr Laboratories, raised a different economic issue, saying the lack of global harmonization could significantly reduce the profitability of follow-on biologies. If regulatory agencies do not allow filings based on clinical studies using reference products from another region, DiLiberti said, we could see a"biogenerics paradox," in which the cost of expanding to additional markets would be higher for biosimilars than for innovator drugs."The return on investment for a given drug might be insufficient to warrant a filing in some markets," he said.'l also know of some cases where follow-on companies are considering filing under innovator provisions, because those requirements may be less onerous."

Mathias Hukkelhoven, PhD, senior vice president and global head of drug regulatory affairs at Novartis, said his company recognizes the value of both innovation and biosimilars."We recognize that the total amount of money available in the healthcare system is limited," he said. "Biosimilars will free up money in the healthcare system to pay for innovation."

-Laura Bush