Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service articles from August 1999

Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service archives from August 1999

Fidelity National in talks to acquire Chicago Title Corp.
August 2, 1999... Chicago Title Corp. confirmed Friday it is in talks to be acquired by Fidelity National Financial Inc. of Irvine, Calif. ``There can be no assurance that an agreement on such a business combination will be reached, or, if an agreement is...

FALUN GONG SPOTLIGHTS DIFFICULTY CHINA FACES IN KEEPING CITIZENS' LOYALTY.
August 2, 1999... Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service Add to News Budget for Friday, July 30, 1999 KRT News Desk: 202-383-6080, news(AT)krtinfo.com News desk supervisor: Nation & World Editor Sharon Buck, 202-383-6087, sbuck(AT)krtinfo.com KRT...

You're not likely to hear about the losses most day-traders suffer.
August 2, 1999... PHILADELPHIA _ They make it sound so easy. ``Professional trading of securities can be very lucrative to those who have the tools and desire to succeed,'' Bright Trading Inc.'s Web site says. Accutrader's Web site depicts a pile of...

Some of the amendments adopted by the Senate when passing the tax-cut bill.
August 2, 1999... WASHINGTON _ The Senate, in passing a $792 billion tax-cut bill Friday, adopted about 30 amendments, most with minimal impact on the size and scope of the bill. Several were noteworthy, however, including proposals by: _ Sen. Paul...

First Union to discuss Internet strategy, branch overhaul with analysts.
August 2, 1999... Now that First Union has shaken up top management, anointing an heir to Chief Executive Ed Crutchfield, what's next? ``The first thing they have to do is basically re-establish credibility on the Street,'' said analyst Peter Kuper with...

No evidence found of mechanical problems with Kennedy plane.
August 2, 1999... Investigators have uncovered no evidence that mechanical problems caused the erratic behavior of John F. Kennedy Jr.'s Piper Saratoga in the moments before the plane rammed into the shallow waters near Martha's Vineyard, the National...

Ex-Spam King charges California man slandering him.
August 2, 1999... A Pennsylvania man, who admits that he was once not only famous but infamous as the Internet Spam King, filed a suit in federal court Friday accusing a California man of slandering him and unfairly hurting his new online advertising business....

Study recommends free-market ideas to help small airlines survive.
August 2, 1999... WASHINGTON _ A new report on airline competition concludes what many travelers have long suspected: Large carriers at major hubs are squeezing out competitors. But the congressionally mandated study released Friday stopped short of...

Publishing industry awaits launch of Talk magazine.
August 2, 1999... CHICAGO _ Last year, more than 125 new celebrity magazines appeared on the nation's newsstands, the most of any new magazine category. Last week, at least a dozen publications, from Allure to Newsweek to TV Guide, featured John F. Kennedy...

LENSMAN'S UNIQUE NIXON PHOTOS ON DISPLAY FOR WATERGATE ANNIVERSARY .
August 2, 1999... Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service News Budget for papers of Sunday, August 1, 1999 KRT News Desk: 202-383-6080, news(AT)krtinfo.com Sunday news supervisor: Sunday/Books/Food Editor Karen Kirk, 202-383-3734, kkirk(AT)krtinfo.com...

Monroe firm faces Insurance Dept. probe.
August 2, 1999... CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ The N.C. Insurance Department is investigating Monroe-based TPC Administrators Inc., a third-party administrator for self-insurance funds. TPC is accused of inappropriately using a $1 million certificate of deposit that...

New First Union president seen as brilliant, team-oriented leader.
August 2, 1999... Ken Thompson is the kind of guy who gets up in the middle of the night, realizes he is sleepless and goes in to work. Driven. On Thursday, Thompson, 48, was made president of First Union, a $230 billion bank badly in need of a leader...

American History museum exhibit reveals unique view of Nixon.
August 2, 1999... WASHINGTON _ Twenty-five years later, the images still jar memories and stir passions: Richard Nixon triumphant in his inaugural parade; Richard Nixon pensive in the Oval Office; Richard Nixon maudlin and sweating as he grips a podium and...

Mallard named Miranda shows of new, prosthetic bill.
August 2, 1999... SUPPLY, N.C. _ A mallard duck named Miranda secured a spot in history Friday as she rubbed her beak into a grassy pond. Typical behavior for most ducks. But for Miranda, it was an extraordinary moment. Her bark-brown beak was mostly molded...

Disney to start celebrating millennium in October.
August 2, 1999... As the clock winds down to the new millennium, expect to hear about sightings of 20-foot-tall creatures wandering the Earth, fire and explosives brightening the night skies and the giant gloved hand of Mickey Mouse waving around a magician's...

English village is site of little-known first Holocaust memorial.
August 2, 1999... LAXTON, England _ Most of Europe has come late to the idea of commemorating the 6 million victims of the Holocaust. Soon, however, there will be important memorials in Berlin, London and Manchester. They will undoubtedly draw hundreds of...

SENATE APPROVES $792 BILLION TAX CUT DESPITE CLINTON VETO THREAT.
August 2, 1999... Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service News Budget for Friday, July 30, 1999 KRT News Desk: 202-383-6080, news(AT)krtinfo.com News desk supervisor: Late News Editor Jim Goldschmidt, 202-383-6086, jgoldschmidt(AT)krtinfo.com KRT...

People in the news.
August 2, 1999... WHOA... FATHERHOOD Representatives for Keanu Reeves, 34, confirmed earlier this week that he is expecting his first child. Unconfirmed rumors have the mother as Jennifer Skye, who has no apparent celebrity identity, and whom Reeves has...

Harpootlian pleads to keep S.C. meeting.
August 2, 1999... COLUMBIA, S.C. _ South Carolina Democratic Party Chairman Dick Harpootlian has warned the Association of State Democratic Chairs that it would do more harm than good by canceling its November meeting in Charleston to support the NAACP's call...

Environmentalists to file suit claiming wildlife law as unconstitutional.
August 2, 1999... Environmentalists announced Friday they will file a lawsuit claiming part of the law that created the state's new wildlife agency is unconstitutional and puts protected animals at risk. The Sea Turtle Survival League and the Save the...

Government report recommends lifting flight limits at biggest airports.
August 2, 1999... Lifting flight restrictions at the nation's major airports would help eliminate widespread predatory pricing that is making air travel more expensive for consumers, according to a report issued Friday. The flight restrictions are among an...

Weekly roundup of Canadian news.
August 2, 1999... Prime Minister Jean Chretien says he's not concerned Cuban President Fidel Castro called Canada ``enemy territory'' over defections at the Pan American Games. Two members of Cuba's shooting team, a trainer with the softball team and a...

Falun Gong spotlights difficulty China faces in keeping citizens' loyalty.
August 2, 1999... BEIJING _ In the shadow of the ancient Temple of Heaven, where emperors came to pray to the gods in centuries past, the elderly subjects of China's newest dynasty gather every morning to pay homage in a multitude of different ways to the forces...

Drivers will take on the Monster Mile at Dover Downs MBNA Mid-Atlantic 200.
August 2, 1999... Dover Downs is known as much for harness racing and slot machines as is it for auto racing, but this weekend, it's the 1-mile cement oval nicknamed ``The Monster Mile'' that will draw the most attention at the Delaware facility as the Pep Boys...

Clinton pushes for economic aid to Balkans at summit.
August 2, 1999... SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina _ President Clinton offered Friday to drop import duties on goods from Balkan nations, the first step in a Western effort to stimulate the area's economies and encourage democracy in the war-weary region. ...

Richie Phillips puts umpires in ejection seat.
August 2, 1999... DALLAS _ Richie Phillips did much to improve life for the major league umpires who hired him in 1978 to represent their fledgling union. During the past 21 years, umpires have seen their pay scale increase nearly tenfold, travel demands...

Senate approves a vast tax-cut bill that could lead to political gridlock.
August 2, 1999... WASHINGTON _ Defying a veto pledge by President Clinton, the Senate approved a vast $792 billion tax-cut bill Friday that could lead to political gridlock this fall and serve as a cutting-edge issue in next year's federal elections. The...

U.S. Army ends marriage with Panama after nearly a century.
August 2, 1999... FORT CLAYTON, Panama _ As the mournful bagpipe strains of Auld Lang Syne swirled in the background Friday, the U.S. Army ended a sometimes loving and sometimes violent marriage with Panama after nearly a century. ``Your 88-year mission...

Around the American League.
August 2, 1999... TROUBLE WITH ANGELS DALLAS _ The Disney-owned Angels aren't bringing many smiles to Anaheim, especially in their increasingly poisonous clubhouse. One week after outfielder Darin Erstad blasted the team for being ``soft,'' shortstop Gary...

Paperboard maker fined $3.1 million for overcharging.
August 2, 1999... PHILADELPHIA _ Calling its conduct ``the systematic looting of other people's businesses,'' a federal judge Friday imposed a $3.1 million fine against an 81-year-old Philadelphia paperboard manufacturer that admitted overcharging almost 600...

Fidelity Title Insurance in talks to buy larger rival Chicago Title.
August 2, 1999... Fidelity National Financial Inc., an Irvine, Calif.-based title insurance company, is in talks to buy Chicago Title Corp., one of its chief rivals, Chicago Title said Friday. The merger, if consummated, would create the nation's largest...

Atlanta seems cursed by its own success.
August 2, 1999... ATLANTA _ The city that once was too busy to hate is busy, yet again, dealing with another horrific act of hatred. The killing of 12 people and wounding of 12 others by Mark O. Barton continues a series of incidents that assault every...

Inmate's wrote concerned letter to judge day after Valdez beating.
August 2, 1999... TALLAHASSEE, Fla. _ Frank Valdez' accomplice in the murder of a state prison guard wrote a letter to a federal judge the day Valdez died in which he accused corrections officers of severely beating inmates on Florida State Prison's X-wing for...

Bengals return to camp greeted by heat -- and a team unity hairdo.
August 2, 1999... GEORGETOWN, Ky. _ The tone for Friday's opening of the third Cincinnati Bengals camp at Georgetown College was set as Coach Bruce Coslet welcomed his players. As he spoke, the air conditioning system in the school's conference center went...

Yankees-Mets Subway Series would rekindle old crosstown rivalries.
August 2, 1999... CHICAGO _ The Yankees and Mets would have to survive the two-tiered playoff structure to become the 14th pair of New York teams to reach the World Series. But their Subway Series would revive a crosstown scenario that began here before the...

Linda Tripp indicted for allegedly violating state wiretapping laws.
August 2, 1999... WASHINGTON _ Linda Tripp, who gained international notoriety for secretly taping Monica Lewinsky's anguished outpourings about her affair with President Clinton, was indicted Friday for allegedly violating Maryland wiretapping laws. Tripp...

Atlanta shooter had been disgruntled at Texas jobs.
August 2, 1999... Long before Mark O. Barton fatally shot nine people at two Atlanta brokerage firms on Thursday, police reports in Texas indicate he exhibited signs of disgruntled behavior at work. After being fired as general manager of TLC Manufacturing...

Lions defensive end Robert Porcher relishes role as Aaron Gibson's tutor.
August 2, 1999... SAGINAW, Mich. _ Robert Porcher has filled many roles during his seven years with the Lions _ defensive end, defensive tackle, defensive co-captain, team leader. And now, tutor. Offensive line coach Jack Henry and head coach Bobby Ross...

Swap shop: Shock trade two players to Starzz.
August 2, 1999... DETROIT _ Nancy Lieberman-Cline was up till 4 a.m. Friday trying to stomach what she had done. The Detroit Shock coach and general manager had just traded Korie Hlede and Cindy Brown, cornerstones from last year in the franchise's...

Film producer files suit against makers of 'Blair Witch Project'.
August 2, 1999... ``The Blair Witch Project`` is a scary film about unpleasant things that happen to people in the woods. Now a Brevard County film producer is trying to make it almost as uncomfortable in court for the Orlando filmmakers. Sam Barber of...

GM Randy Smith puts pitchers under closer scrutiny.
August 2, 1999... TORONTO _ The position players have been on trial most of this season as the Tigers try to determine whom they want on next season's roster. Now the pitching staff is starting to come under equal scrutiny. When the starting five of...

Mother gets court-ordered custody of daughter who sued her for divorce.
August 2, 1999... GEORGETOWN COUNTY, S.C. _ Growing up without a mother was one legacy Victoria Bone didn't want to pass to her daughter. ``I was not going to have her grow up and have the same feelings I had,'' Bone said Friday. Bone was 9 years old...

Blind love: Lions fans keep faith without Barry Sanders.
August 2, 1999... SAGINAW, Mich. _ Forgiving fans sought reassurance in absolutely unforgiving conditions. Even the searing heat Friday couldn't diminish their equally scorching desire for affirmation that life for the Lions goes on without Barry. ``My...

Piston goal: Curry favor with the star.
August 2, 1999... DETROIT _ Barry Sanders' abrupt retirement hasn't gone unnoticed at the Palace. Grant Hill can opt out of his contract after this season, which magnifies the importance of the next few months for the Pistons. They need to prove they are...

AIRLINES RECOGNIZE THAT SURVIVAL IN THE SKY IS MORE THAN CRASH PREVENTION.
August 2, 1999... Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service News Budget for papers of Sunday, August 1, 1999 KRT News Desk: 202-383-6080, news(AT)krtinfo.com Sunday news supervisor: Sunday/Books/Food Editor Karen Kirk, 202-383-3734, kkirk(AT)krtinfo.com...

Miata owners to drive `ultimate' mountain road.
August 2, 1999... CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ Should you be driving today in mountainous Graham County near the Tennessee border and pass a snaking procession of hundreds of brightly colored Mazda Miatas, don't think you've run into a midlife crisis convention. Sure,...

1 dead, 2 hurt in gun battle outside store.
August 2, 1999... COLUMBIA, S.C. _ Two men fired about 25 shots at each other outside a St. Andrews convenience store Friday morning, killing one man and injuring two others. No one had been arrested in the 2:30 a.m. shooting, which occurred as police tried...

Davy Hite of South Carolina takes lead in BASS Masters Classic.
August 2, 1999... NEW ORLEANS _ Proving that consistency is the hallmark of a professional angler, Davy Hite of Prosperity, S.C., moved into a 5-pound, 12-ounce lead on the second day of the BASS Masters Classic with a total weight of 35 pounds, 12 ounces. ...

Shannon Briggs on the brink of the big time.
August 2, 1999... Emanuel Steward has the gift of overstatement, which makes his claim that Shannon Briggs might be one of the most gifted athletes in heavyweight history appear to be nothing more than fight hype. Briggs (31-2) has never taken his boxing...

Nephew of slain mother-in-law recalls shooter as 'cold person'.
August 2, 1999... Marty Powell didn't recognize the man on television at first, but then he remembered. Mark Orrin Barton, the 44-year-old man who police believe is responsible for nine deaths in Atlanta Thursday was the same man he believed was responsible...

Chiefs had better be ready to read in training camp.
August 2, 1999... RIVER FALLS, Wis. _ The Chiefs are about to have the book thrown at them. Gunther Cunningham's 180-page book, that is, the one he's been writing the past six months. The players have been tasting bits and pieces of the book since...

Official's early departure refocuses concern on troubled VA agency.
August 2, 1999... WASHINGTON _ Veterans Affairs Secretary Togo West's disclosure that he plans to leave his cabinet post a year ahead of time is refocusing concern on a troubled agency whose problems never seem to go away. Often ignored, though they involve...

The routine of the rampage in Atlanta is now numbingly familiar.
August 2, 1999... Tally the number of victims (check), identify the shooter (check), trace the gun (check), interview survivors (check), confirm if the perpetrator ever saw ``The Matrix'' (check) or played video games (check), call for the formation of an expert...

Around the National League.
August 2, 1999... THE THRILL IS GONE? DALLAS _ Chicago Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa and St. Louis home run king Mark McGwire entered Friday sharing the major league lead with 37 home runs. But even Sosa admits a 61-home pace just isn't what it used to be. ...

Publishers wringing their hands, wondering what terrors Internet will bring.
August 2, 1999... LONDON _ The success of the Harry Potter books should have book publishers smiling from ear-to-ear. In fact, the little wizard is giving them nightmares. More than any previous book, the children's series is spotlighting a growing...

Barton had finally outrun his ghosts _ but only after taking others with him.
August 2, 1999... MACON, Ga. _ Joe Vandiver never felt comfortable with Mark O. Barton. Barton was a former chemist and salesman who started dating Vandiver's youngest daughter some six years ago. He came across as a slick salesman with soft hands, shifty...

Training camp cart boys know Broncos well.
August 2, 1999... GREELEY, Colo. _ Their friends busy working the fry machine, cart boys drive golf carts. Their friends busy killing time watching afternoon TV, cart boys run errands. Their friends busy wishing they were them, cart boys hang with the Broncos....

Little Harry Potter is having 'Hannibal' for lunch.
August 2, 1999... EDINBURGH, Scotland _ Harry Potter is just a snippet of a scrawny boy, age 13, and, wizard though he is, he can't do a thing about his bad hair. But he certainly can make books fly. After scoring literary triumphs in England, the young...

With $907 million award, Einhorn jury hopes to bring closure to victim's family.
August 2, 1999... Ira Einhorn is sipping wine with his Swedish wife in the French countryside, and O.J. Simpson is playing golf in sunny California. Both of these well-known figures appear to be leading charmed lives, and from the standpoint of their...

This isn't the time to judge Donovan McNabb.
August 2, 1999... PHILADELPHIA _ If you dialed in expecting to participate in the Eagles' official conference call to announce the signing of Donovan McNabb on Friday night, what you were treated to instead was a man's voice, urgent and shrill, firing off...

Lawyers' convention tackles profiling, genocide and race-based suits.
August 2, 1999... PHILADELPHIA _ Willie E. Gary may not have the face value of Johnnie Cochran, but in black legal circles, the Florida lawyer's rep is golden. A onetime migrant worker who spent his early life cutting sugar cane, Gary has won hundreds of...

Police released the contents of four notes written by Barton.
August 2, 1999... ATLANTA _ In letters weighted with anger and sorrow, Mark O. Barton explained how he murdered his wife and his two children while they slept, and hinted at the motives behind the homicidal rampage that would end with his suicide at a gas...

Using satellites and Internet to save a patient.
August 2, 1999... It is 1:30 p.m. on a warm spring afternoon in Phoenix. Inside the darkened MedAire command center, adjacent to the busy emergency room of Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center, it might as well be midnight. A chime sounds that signals an...

Panthers fullback William Floyd wants to outrun disappointment of '98.
August 2, 1999... SPARTANBURG, S.C. _ Carolina Panthers fullback William Floyd watched the NFL playoffs last winter and felt a little silly. ``When it's the first time you haven't been to the playoffs in your career,'' Floyd said, ``your body is still used...

Sean Gilbert's goal: Consistency.
August 2, 1999... SPARTANBURG _ Defensive tackle Sean Gilbert huffed and puffed his way through two practices Friday along with the rest of the Carolina Panthers veterans, and by the end of the workout Gilbert almost looked skinny. No wonder. Gilbert said...

Alleged plot to smuggle guns threatens fragile cease-fire in N. Ireland.
August 2, 1999... FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. _ Police on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean finally began to agree on Friday that an alleged plot to smuggle guns from South Florida to Ireland may be the work of the Irish Republican Army. A number of developments...

Of rankings, quotes and by the numbers.
August 2, 1999... RUTHIAN FEAT DALLAS _ Any doubt that St. Louis slugger Mark McGwire really is the Babe Ruth of our generation ended Tuesday when Big Mac slammed his 37th homer of the season, tying Sammy Sosa for the major league lead and starting the home...

NOW battered by complacency, generational change and competition for women's time.
August 2, 1999... PHILADELPHIA _ Jeanne Bland recalls the night in November 1997 when her local chapter of the National Organization for Women ``faded away.'' Waiting in the basement of St. Peter's Lutheran Church in North Wales, Pa., Bland, the chapter...

Patriots sign rookies Damien Woody, Andy Katzenmoyer, but other signing woes remain.
August 2, 1999... SMITHFIELD, R.I. _ Even as they were announcing that prized rookies Damien Woody and Andy Katzenmoyer had agreed to terms as New England's training camp opened on Friday, Andy Wasynczuk, Bobby Grier and Pete Carroll were starting to realize...

Patriots find some good news -- at last.
August 2, 1999... SMITHFIELD, R.I. _ Before fielding questions about the release of free safety Willie Clay, the importance of finding a running attack, and his feelings about living in a personal fishbowl, coach Pete Carroll had some happy news to report in his...

Newest Cowboy Alonzo Spellman now in `perfect place'.
August 2, 1999... WICHITA FALLS, Texas _ Alonzo Spellman focused on what was so right about this opportunity rather than on a past that went so terribly wrong. The Cowboys, meanwhile, talked of image, a clean slate and Spellman's role in an inexperienced...

Diligence called key to workplace safety.
August 2, 1999... FORT WORTH _ In designing a facility at Alliance Airport, officials at Galaxy Aerospace focused on the best ways to build airplanes. But they also considered the unthinkable: the violent outbursts that appear to be striking workplaces and...

Jason Sehorn returns to much controversy.
August 2, 1999... ALBANY, N.Y. _ A balky hamstring kept Jason Sehorn off the field for most of the first day of Giants' training camp but it didn't dim the spotlight that has trailed him lately. In fact, Sehorn practically ordered reporters to get all their...

Airlines begin outfitting planes for survival in the sky.
August 2, 1999... The U.S. commercial airline industry, no longer ignoring the fact that its passengers are more likely to die of in-flight illnesses than in aircraft accidents, has begun outfitting many of its planes with the medical equipment and medicines...

Jets conducting own investigation into Jumbo bar brawl.
August 2, 1999... NEW YORK _ Bill Parcells had Lawrence Taylor at his side and a healthy, talented team on the field. What better way to spend the first practice of his third - and perhaps final - training camp with the Jets? It was a perfect day. Well,...

White outrage against elephant abuse fans the rage of blacks over human abuse.
August 2, 1999... JOHANNESBURG _ In a country with a long, battle-scarred history of public protests, the demonstration the other day at Brits, a small farming town north of here, was no great shakes. The crowd was small, almost a family picnic by the...

Bill Parcells will not accompany Lawrence Taylor to Hall of Fame ceremony.
August 2, 1999... NEW YORK _ Bill Parcells will be going to Canton some day, just not next Saturday. The Jets' coach said Friday that he won't be able to attend the Hall of Fame induction ceremony for Lawrence Taylor, who made a public appeal to Parcells...

Rage of a suicidal gunman leads to what may be Atlanta's worst tragedy.
August 2, 1999... ATLANTA _ If anyone understood the value of life, it was 38-year-old Kevin Dial. Diagnosed two years ago with an inoperable brain tumor, he had stared death in the face and refused to give in. The night before Dial, the office manager at...

Donovan McNabb's signing may speed up signing effort for Bears' Cade McNown.
August 2, 1999... BETHLEHEM, Pa. _ Donovan McNabb agreed Friday night to contract terms with the Philadelphia Eagles, setting into motion the domino effect that soon may reach the Bears' Cade McNown. But the Eagles and McNabb's agent tiptoed around the...

Notes from the White Sox.
August 2, 1999... CLEVELAND _ Jaime Navarro tries not to think about the possibility of being traded. But sometimes his subconscious takes over. A few nights ago, Navarro awoke from a vivid dream in which he was pitching for a contending team. It was not the...

Jeff Weaver struggles; Tigers lose to Blue Jays.
August 2, 1999... TORONTO _ Another month passes without a win for Jeff Weaver. The rookie right-hander remained winless since May 27 and dropped below .500 for the first time Friday night as the Blue Jays ripped the Tigers, 8-2, at the SkyDome. Weaver...

Red Sox walloped by Yankees.
August 2, 1999... BOSTON _ Chuck Knoblauch launched Mark Portugal's second pitch of the game into the screen in left-center, a blast estimated at 410 feet. Derek Jeter then croaked Portugal's fifth pitch 400 feet into the Boston Red Sox' bullpen. The...

Police say `This was not a random shooting'.
August 2, 1999... CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ After commanding co-workers to move aside, a maintenance worker shot and killed a manager at a west Charlotte trucking company Friday afternoon and then fatally shot himself. Police said George Edward Moore, 58, entered an...

Much trade talk surrounding Yankees.
August 2, 1999... BOSTON _ The trade rumors have been flying. The Boston Red Sox, in a tight battle with the Toronto Blue Jays for the wild-card spot, are seeking to bolster their pitching rotation for the stretch run as the trading deadline ends Saturday at...