Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service articles from December 2001, page 7

Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service archives from December 2001

Magic dancers are out there, just like everyone else.(The Orlando Sentinel)
December 24, 2001... I know what you guys really want for Christmas. Besides the DVD player, the Palm Pilot and the flat screen TV, there is something a little more personal. You want to date an Orlando Magic Girl. Of course you probably never will have the...

Memories keep the empty nest warm.(The Orlando Sentinel)
December 24, 2001... Empty nest. Blessing or bane? Aye, that is the question _ the question that almost every mama and papa has to look at straight in the heart. My guess is that most parents, regardless of circumstances, feel a penetrating loss when their...

Kwanzaa celebrates ideals with traditions, foods.(The Orlando Sentinel)
December 24, 2001... Guided by the light of seven candles and nourished by foods inspired by the cuisines of their ancestors, African-Americans will begin Kwanzaa on Wednesday. Kwanzaa is based on the nguzo naba (seven principles), one for each day of the...

The Getty does Italy.(Chicago Tribune)
December 24, 2001... Three Italian shows have opened at Los Angeles' Getty Center: "Exploding Landscape: Naples and Vesuvius on the Grand Tour," plus "Rome on the Grand Tour" and "Drawing Italy in the Age of the Grand Tour." An 18th and 19th century...

Travel Q&A: Increasing the scope of your California vacation.(South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
December 24, 2001... Q. We intend to fly out to visit relatives in Southern California early next year and, as usual, we will do some sightseeing. A place I have been wanting to see is the big space telescope on Mount Palomar, which I think is not too far from...

Princess and Royal Caribbean: 2 + 3 = No. 1.(The Orlando Sentinel)
December 24, 2001... Arguably the biggest news in the cruise world of the past several weeks is the merger of Princess and Royal Caribbean. Royal Caribbean Cruises, the world's second largest cruise line before the merger, and P&O Princess Cruises, the...

The Top Ten travel list: Fighting boardom.(Chicago Tribune)
December 24, 2001... The top snowboarding resorts, from TransWorld SNOWboarding magazine's annual reader poll: 1. Whistler/Blackcomb, British Columbia 2. Mammoth Mountain, Calif. 3. Breckenridge, Colo. 4. Vail, Colo. 5. Timberline, Ore. ...

Bargains may curb travel reticence.(Chicago Tribune)
December 24, 2001... One thing for certain, Americans will continue their traveling ways next year. Influenced by a war on terrorism and a recession, however, edgy travelers will be giving more thought to where they go and for how long. Virtually all the...

Decision to scrap ABM treaty recognizes reality.(Orlando Sentinel)
December 24, 2001... There is no better example in politics that some things never change than the debate over President George W. Bush's decision to renounce the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. The dispute speaks volumes not only about the mindset of...

List of video movie release dates.(Chicago Tribune)
December 24, 2001... Following is a partial schedule of upcoming movies on video. Release dates are subject to change. (DVD) indicates a DVD-only release; (also DVD) indicates a simultaneous video/DVD release. DECEMBER 26: Brain Drain _ Vanguard (also...

Employer stocks in 401.(Chicago Tribune)
December 24, 2001... Financial advisers have long cautioned about it, but loading a portfolio with company stock looks especially foolish now, with the Enron debacle and other bankruptcies causing an implosion in worker retirement funds. The spreading...

`Marlene Dietrich: Her Own Song,' premiering Thursday on TCM.(The Orlando Sentinel)
December 24, 2001... She lingers in the public consciousness as a movie legend, a glamorous icon, a sexually provocative figure. The new documentary "Marlene Dietrich: Her Own Song" salutes the German-born actress for fulfilling another role: American patriot....

System rewards key creditors and executives; stockholders pay steep price.(Chicago Tribune)
December 24, 2001... As public companies lurch toward a second year of record bankruptcy filings, wounded shareholders should brace themselves for similar shocks in coming years _ even if the economy improves dramatically. Corporate leaders have never had...

In sixth year, MLS strains for foothold.(Chicago Tribune)
December 24, 2001... CHICAGO _ Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber is frustrated. Not just because he's in charge of a league that is hemorrhaging money, can't find new investors and is surviving mostly on the largesse of one man. That's a small part...

Kids: Terrible things to waste.(Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service)
December 24, 2001... The following editorial appeared in the Chicago Tribune on Sunday, 12-23: X X X Every year, about 300 children kill their parents. This month, two very young ones in Florida appear to have joined the roster. Alex and Derek King...

Only link between Iraq and Sept. 11 attacks is under question.(Chicago Tribune)
December 24, 2001... PRAGUE, Czech Republic _ As the debate intensifies over a possible U.S. anti-terrorism strike against Saddam Hussein, the only reported link between Iraq and the Sept. 11 attacks is increasingly coming under question. The Czech...

Increased applications, decreased funding may make getting into Florida universities tough.(The Orlando Sentinel)
December 24, 2001... High-school seniors are applying in record numbers to enter Florida's state universities in the fall, creating a surge that could overwhelm available space and make it more difficult for many young scholars to get in. Virtually all state...

`In the Bedroom'.(Chicago Tribune)
December 24, 2001... "In the Bedroom," the fine, chilling American movie drama based on Andre Dubus' story "Killings," opens on a shot of two lovers running and embracing in a field of tall waving grass. Bathed in New England afternoon sunlight, it's an image...

`The Shipping News'.(Chicago Tribune)
December 24, 2001... Newfoundland, the setting of E. Annie Proulx's novel "The Shipping News" and the film Lasse Hallstrom has made from it, is a locale ripe for filmmakers: ocean-whipped, rocky, cold and clear as broken ice. The area looks like an ancient...

Changing Medicare HMO scene forces seniors to scramble to maintain coverage.(South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
December 24, 2001... FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. _ For Mark Ardis of western Boca Raton, Fla., who is quadriplegic, the decision by United Healthcare to terminate its Medicare HMO plan in Palm Beach County, Fla., next year was devastating. After months of appeals, he...

Telecommunications industry hopes to re-spark public interest.(Chicago Tribune)
December 24, 2001... Suffering from its first major downturn in decades, the telecommunications industry is pinning recovery hopes on reigniting public enthusiasm for high-speed Internet service. While so-called broadband services are growing, consumer demand...

Banks ordered to scrutinize clients' banking.(South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
December 24, 2001... As shoppers rushed to finish last-minute purchases, the nation's banks were up against a different sort of deadline Christmas Eve. By Tuesday, banks and other financial institutions must cut ties to foreign shell banks, the so-called...

Christmas Eve crowds thinner than past years, but up from recent weeks.(The Orlando Sentinel)
December 24, 2001... ORLANDO, Fla. _ Compared with Christmases past, the crowds Monday at Disney's Magic Kingdom and other Orlando-area theme parks were thinner than candy canes. But compared with the parks' average daily attendance since the Sept. 11...

UCF computer science doctoral program lands national ranking.(The Orlando Sentinel)
December 24, 2001... ORLANDO, Fla. _ Graduate students are so impressed with the University of Central Florida's doctoral program in computer science that they helped rate it 10th best in the country _ ahead of far more famous high-tech centers at Stanford...

Recovery seen, but not for all.(Chicago Tribune)
December 24, 2001... Will Smokestack America see a "V" or a "U" in the year ahead? For many, a more arduous U-shaped economic recovery appears to be in the offing, though the path back to vitality will vary by industry. An economic downturn that drags on...

Capsule for Las Vegas Bowl.(The Orlando Sentinel)
December 24, 2001... Christmas Day bowl game Las Vegas Bowl USC vs. Utah SITE: Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas. TIME: 3:30 p.m. TV: ABC. RECORDS: Utah 7-4, USC 6-5. WEATHER: Partly cloudy, 55 degrees. KEY MATCHUP: Utah's running...

Employees getting more time off for Christmas.(Chicago Tribune)
December 24, 2001... Except for a currency trader's quick-change act into a Santa Claus suit, the day before Christmas was business as usual on Banc One Corp.'s active 24-hour trading floor. Well, almost business as usual. A skeleton crew of traders at...

Most airlines stocks fall on Moody's downgrade, Saturday incident.(Chicago Tribune)
December 24, 2001... Investor worries about a renewed outbreak of terrorist fears sent most airline stocks lower in Monday's abbreviated trading session. Wall Street reacted badly to news of Saturday's suspected airline-bombing attempt, as well as to negative...

Buccaneers closing in on playoff berth.(The Orlando Sentinel)
December 24, 2001... TAMPA_The Tampa Bay Buccaneers played the kind of game everyone knew they were capable of Sunday. But can they do it again? On a day when serious playoff implications hung in the balance, the Bucs crushed the New Orleans Saints,...

Making his points: whether it's NBA rookies or eighth-graders, former Bull and St. John's star Bill Wennington has lessons to impart.(Chicago Tribune)
December 24, 2001... CHICAGO _ As a teenager, Bill Wennington's formative basketball days in Canada were spent mostly in drafty YMCA gyms in the early darkness of cold, winter mornings. "Everything took a back seat to hockey," he said. "You had to be dedicated."...

Florida defensive coordinator bears brunt of heavy criticism.(The Orlando Sentinel)
December 24, 2001... GAINESVILLE, Fla. _ If Florida defensive coordinator Jon Hoke is going, he's going out with a smile. In the town where he lives and coaches football, he has been criticized with more harshness than Darnell Dockett, the Florida State...

New York's holiday mood remains muted.(Chicago Tribune)
December 24, 2001... NEW YORK _ Muted by weariness and restraint, New York has greeted this year's holidays with little cheer. Few rituals are unaffected, as the events of Sept. 11 influence the gifts and the parties, the decorations and the carols. ...

A gift for fans 30 years ago; Dolphins, Chiefs went 2OTs in 1971 Christmas classic.(Chicago Tribune)
December 24, 2001... CHICAGO _ The NFL tries to avoid scheduling games on Christmas Day, but the longest and one of the most memorable games in league history took place 30 years ago Tuesday. After 82 minutes, 40 seconds, the Miami Dolphins beat the Kansas...

Tim Floyd resigns as Bulls coach.(Chicago Tribune)
December 24, 2001... CHICAGO _ Taking a route that surprised some who are close to him and ran contrary to a stance he reiterated three weeks ago, Tim Floyd resigned as coach of the Bulls on Monday in a hastily called news conference at the Berto Center. The...

Angelo wants Jauron as coach `for a long time'.(Chicago Tribune)
December 24, 2001... CHICAGO _ Bears general manager Jerry Angelo on Monday took the first tentative steps toward clarifying coach Dick Jauron's future. Acknowledging that the playoff-bound Bears' 11-3 record exceeded his expectations, Angelo said it was his...

Arafat abandons effort to reach Bethlehem.(Chicago Tribune)
December 24, 2001... BETHLEHEM, West Bank _ Christmas celebrations in Jesus' birthplace began on a gloomy note Monday after Israel stood by its ban on the attendance of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, which soured what little festive spirit was left after 15...

Crew of USS Stennis celebrate Christmas far from home.(Chicago Tribune)
December 24, 2001... ABOARD THE USS JOHN C. STENNIS, Arabian Sea _ Ten months after joining the Navy, sailor Melissa of Bridgeview is experiencing her first Christmas away from home, and the 20-year-old still becomes tearful when she remembers the long goodbyes...

Bears' principals, Angelo and Jauron, observe spirit of the season.(Chicago Tribune)
December 24, 2001... CHICAGO _ Like a benevolent, skinny Santa, Jerry Angelo dropped a Christmas present at the doorstep of coach Dick Jauron and all giddy Bears fans Monday night. The package remains tightly wrapped, however, and what's inside remains a...

A time for sympathy: despite friction, few players relish the way Floyd's tenure ended.(Chicago Tribune)
December 24, 2001... CHICAGO _ Even after the Bulls fined him $50,000 for public criticism of Tim Floyd, Charles Oakley downplayed any friction between himself and the coach. And Oakley didn't particularly relish Monday's oddly timed news that Floyd had...

Baton put in Berry's hands; veteran assistant to lead team until new man found.(Chicago Tribune)
December 24, 2001... man found CHICAGO _ Whoever is hired as the 14th coach in Bulls franchise history shouldn't expect any words of advice_or warning_from Tim Floyd, who resigned Monday with a career mark of 49-190. "My God, look at my record," Floyd...

Small-minded Krause makes Floyd look big.(Chicago Tribune)
December 24, 2001... CHICAGO _ Tim Floyd will depart town as the most beloved 49-190 coach in the history of basketball. A guy who barely won 20 percent of his games with the Bulls, a guy who never got within a large landmass of the playoffs, a guy who was...

Passions of the heart collide with reasons of the mind in debate over human cloning.(Chicago Tribune)
December 24, 2001... Last summer, as the debate raged in Washington over human embryonic stem cell research, a nightmare loomed that everyone hoped would just go away. To most scientists, stem cells represent miracle cures for maladies that afflict millions...

Wine of the week: 1998 Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon.(Chicago Tribune)
December 24, 2001... Many of us will cook or be guests at major meals over the next few weeks, and such major meals deserve to be accompanied by one or more major wines. If the main course is roast beef, leg or rack of lamb, goose or duck, there's an...

Dinner tonight: Beef Tenderloin with Cognac-Mustard Cream Sauce.(Chicago Tribune)
December 24, 2001... An elegant dinner doesn't have to take all day to prepare. Beef tenderloin makes a luxurious main course and also provides the luxury of time, as it cooks so quickly. The tender slices get special treatment from a creamy sauce studded with...

What's the best temperature for cooking a roast?(Chicago Tribune)
December 24, 2001... When it comes to roasting large cuts of meat, forego the sizzle, culinary authorities say. Most follow the dictates of the late James Beard and cook a standing rib roast, pork loin or leg of lamb at 325 degrees or lower without basting. ...

Off the shelf: Performance Teas; liqueur-flavored chocolates; Dean Jacobs' Creme Brulee Quick Mixx; Colorado Morning breakfast mix collection.(Chicago Tribune)
December 24, 2001... BLOOMING BREWS Performance Teas put on a show when you set them into the teapot: The tea leaves, which are tied together, slowly unfold into various shapes as they soak in hot water. Three flavors of Chinese green tea are offered:...

Teen convict tells school about fatal day.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
December 23, 2001... MIAMI _ Dressed in a jail jumpsuit, Carla Wagner sat before Palmetto High School on a recent Monday and discussed the day she ran down the vice president of the class of 2002. ``I was 17 years old, I'd just finished my junior year of high...

Test indicate explosives in shoes of man on diverted flight.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
December 23, 2001... WASHINGTON _ In a case rekindling fears of airborne terrorism, preliminary tests indicated Sunday that a man apprehended aboard a Paris-to-Miami flight had explosives in his shoes that he apparently tried to detonate before crew members and...

People in the news.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
December 23, 2001... DOMINICK DUNNE'S TALE OF CHANDRA LEVY'S FATE Missing intern Chandra Levy is dead, and shortly after she went missing on April 30, her body was dumped in the Atlantic Ocean, according to Vanity Fair sleuth Dominick Dunne. The New York...

Passenger's shoes held explosives, tests confirm.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
December 23, 2001... WRITETHRU (Editors: UPDATES in graf 4 with FBI saying Raja will be arraigned Monday on charge of interfering with the performance of a flight crew; and in 6th graf with FBI saying his sneakers contained explosive devices. ADDS new grafs...

Saints no match for Buccaneers.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
December 23, 2001... TAMPA, Fla. _ Tampa Bay not only took control of the NFC wild-card spot, the Buccaneers kicked the stew out of the New Orleans Saints for good measure Sunday. The Buccaneers administered a 48-21 beating before a Raymond James Stadium...

Saints turn into the Aints against Buccaneers.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
December 23, 2001... TAMPA, Fla. _ How completely were the Saints dominated by the Buccaneers? With their team up 30-0 after halftime Sunday, the Tampa Bay backers sat quiet and contented. Their mood was much like the post-Christmas dinner nappy time they're...

Argentina's debt default largest in economic history.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
December 23, 2001... BUENOS AIRES, Argentina _ To shouts of ``Argentina! Argentina!'' from applauding lawmakers, Adolfo Rodriguez Saa, the new president of the financially crippled country, announced Sunday that his government would stop making payments on the...

Panthers still stuck on one win; Rams win, 38-32.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
December 23, 2001... CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ This is what happens when you are the Carolina Panthers: You play perhaps your best game in more than three months and still lose. In a season when just about everything that can go wrong has, the Panthers (1-13)...

Deeper pass routes generate more offense by Weinke.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
December 23, 2001... CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ On the occasion of the first 300-yard passing performance of his NFL career, Carolina Panthers quarterback Chris Weinke liked that the game plan included throwing the ball deep. "That excites me," said Weinke, who was...

Jeffers' performance gives Panthers a ray of hope.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
December 23, 2001... CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ Amid the gloom of yet another Carolina Panthers loss Sunday was the hope that wide receiver Patrick Jeffers finally might have turned the corner on a career-threatening injury. Jeffers had his most productive game since...

So far, Panthers are a recipe for disaster.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
December 23, 2001... CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ Mike Minter brings it up. He says the Carolina Panthers have to win next week. Is it because I picked the Panthers to win two games this season and you want me to be right? No, says Minter. It's because the Panthers...

Marshall Plan too much for these Panthers.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
December 23, 2001... CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ The St. Louis Rams didn't think they played well Sunday. They were rather embarrassed to have beaten the Carolina Panthers by only 38-32, given that St. Louis may win the Super Bowl and woeful Carolina has lost 13 games in a...

Would-be bomber had explosive devices hidden in his shoes.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
December 23, 2001... A suspected would-be bomber aboard a Paris-to-Miami flight had two explosive devices hidden in his shoes and apparently was trying to ignite them before crew members and passengers pounced on him, the FBI said Sunday. The suspect, taken...

Heat falls to Raptors.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
December 23, 2001... TORONTO _ There are no more ways to state the obvious, so Heat coach Pat Riley is resorting to an alternate form of communication. "Read my lips," he said in the aftermath of Miami's 83-76 loss to Toronto. "Put the ball in the basket."...

Dolphins must get down to business in unpredictable season.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
December 23, 2001... MIAMI _ The words trickled off coach Dave Wannstedt's tongue as if he were doing a version of ``There's no place like home'' from The Wizard of Oz. ``You never know. You never know. You never know,'' Wannstedt said during his press...

U.S. bomb killed daughter, but dad glad Taliban is gone.(Chicago Tribune)
December 23, 2001... KABUL, Afghanistan _ Like many little girls her age, Nadila Basir, 5, loved to play at being a grown-up. When her friends came over, she would pull out her mother's lipstick and high-heeled shoes from the secret place where they were kept...

When BCS picked Rose, tradition died on vine.(Chicago Tribune)
December 23, 2001... CHICAGO _ Once upon a time there was a football game called the Rose Bowl. You should have seen it. Every New Year's Day, after the extravagant Tournament of Roses Parade, they played in this picturesque old stadium nestled in a...

Loneliness pays a visit at holidays.(Newport News (Va.) Daily Press)
December 23, 2001... NEWPORT NEWS, Va. _ After finishing a long day on the job and required reading to complete her advanced degree, Ramona Taylor rides to the mall at night to buy gifts for her 7-year old daughter, Susan. Taylor loves Susan _ but not the...

A Christmas Carol: Dickens' relevance deepens.(Chicago Tribune)
December 23, 2001... Everything about "A Christmas Carol" is familiar, it seems. The miserly Scrooge. The procession of ghosts. The holly and mistletoe, the Crachit family's pudding. And yet, who can read this beloved story this year without feeling a sense...

Christmas: A populist as well as a religious holiday.(Chicago Tribune)
December 23, 2001... Christmas Eve, 1914, Herbert Smith, a British enlisted man serving in World War I, looked across to the enemy's position and spotted a familiar but unexpected sight. German soldiers had hoisted a Christmas tree atop their trenches. "Come on...

Dolphins have talent but don't use it.(South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
December 23, 2001... FORT LAUDERDALE _ First of all, Dave Wannstedt is right in saying that turnovers cost the game. Turnovers and dumb penalties. And the numbskull mistakes, like Jeff Ogden not fair-catching a punt that instead rolled all the way to Nantucket....

Bears `end' Redskins' season.(Daily Press (Newport News, Va.))
December 23, 2001... LANDOVER, Md. The 2001 Washington Redskins, from a competitive standpoint at least, died Sunday afternoon. The plug to the life support system they were put on after beginning the season with five consecutive losses was pulled...

Selig acknowledges major league baseball might run Expos in 2002.(Chicago Tribune)
December 23, 2001... CHICAGO _ With Florida Marlins owner John Henry in the group that won a bidding contest for the Boston Red Sox, Major League Baseball moves closer to a season in which the Montreal Expos will play without an owner. Jeffrey Loria, the...

Nuclear rivals India, Pakistan mass troops along tense Kashmir frontier.(Chicago Tribune)
December 23, 2001... KARACHI, Pakistan_Nuclear rivals India and Pakistan massed more troops along their tense frontier in Kashmir Sunday, raising fears in a part of the world still convulsed by fallout from the war in Afghanistan. Both have ignored a plea by...

Use of law enforcement tool draws attention to material witness statute.(Chicago Tribune)
December 23, 2001... WASHINGTON_Yazeed al-Salmi, an accounting student at San Diego's Grossmont College, was awakened by a knock on his door early on the morning of Sept. 23. He confronted federal agents who arrested him as a material witness in their...

Israel prevents Arafat from attending mass in Bethlehem.(Chicago Tribune)
December 23, 2001... JERUSALEM_Setting the scene for what could be a Christmas eve showdown in Jesus' birthplace, Israel took steps Sunday to prevent Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat from attending midnight Christmas mass in Bethlehem this year. ...

Fake field goal sinks Redskins.(Daily Press (Newport News, Va.).)
December 23, 2001... LANDOVER, Md. Redskins defensive tackle Kenard Lang thought "something was fishy" when Chicago linebacker Brian Urlacher came out to block on a 45-yard field goal attempt in the fourth quarter. The fish smell got a little stronger when...

Argentina will suspend payment on national debt, president says.(Chicago Tribune)
December 23, 2001... BUENOS AIRES, Argentina _Argentina's new interim president announced immediately after taking office Sunday that he will suspend payments on the nation's crippling $132 billion debt, the largest national debt default in history. Adolfo...

Michigan, Tennessee settle into schedules amid final exams, practices, families.(The Orlando Sentinel)
December 23, 2001... ORLANDO _ It's part superstition, part logic. Why alter a process that seems to work every year? Michigan didn't, which is why, when the Wolverines (8-3) enjoy a day at Disney on their Christmas Day off, they already will have spent four...

Parque makes pitch for AL Central title Indians' changes could open race.(Chicago Tribune)
December 23, 2001... open race CHICAGO _ The White Sox aren't looking past Cleveland, but the defending AL Central champ's recent downsizing has piqued the interest of Sox players. It wouldn't be a major surprise to anyone if the Sox emerged as the...

Realization of their brush with death aboard Flight 63 hits home.(South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
December 23, 2001... MIAMI _ Hours before finally landing in Miami early Sunday morning, the enormity of what could have happened on board Flight 63 from Paris began to sink in for Elizabeth Haynes. "I suddenly realized, God, we could have all died," Haynes...

Anthony's injury new source of tension; with Guyton out, team lacks depth.(Chicago Tribune)
December 23, 2001... CHICAGO _ The internal dispute between Bulls general manager Jerry Krause and coach Tim Floyd may have an embarrassing spillover if starting point guard Greg Anthony is unable to play this week when the team plays Wednesday at Memphis and...

Members of last title team failing in new settings.(Chicago Tribune)
December 23, 2001... CHICAGO _ So the Bulls aren't very good. No, this is not a scoop. But would it be better watching this team: guards Randy Brown and Steve Kerr, forwards Scottie Pippen and Jason Caffey, and center Luc Longley, with reserves Toni Kukoc...

Bears stop the Redskins.(Chicago Tribune)
December 23, 2001... LANDOVER, Md._The Bears left Sunday's game against Washington with a 20-15 victory that ended the Redskins' playoff plans and improved their own. But besides the win they also wanted to make the next statement in their playoff season. In the...

Bears remain a step ahead of Packers.(Chicago Tribune)
December 23, 2001... LANDOVER, Md._The Bears didn't change their playoff status with Sunday's 20-15 win over the Washington Redskins_they still are in line for a first-round bye at 11-3 _ but they stayed ahead of the Green Bay Packers, and right now that matters....

You can take it to the Banks: It's Bears' year.(Chicago Tribune)
December 23, 2001... LANDOVER, Md._That Brian Urlacher play? The one in which punter Brad Maynard threw a pass that stayed in the air long enough for a commercial break and some last-minute Christmas shopping? The one that came on a fake field-goal attempt? The...

Passenger had explosives in sneakers, authorities say.(Chicago Tribune)
December 23, 2001... BOSTON_A passenger on a trans-Atlantic jet had "functional" explosives in the sneakers he tried to ignite, U.S. authorities said Sunday, as they sought to establish his identity and a possible motive. The man was being held in Boston on...

Marty Booker still the go-to guy for Bears.(Chicago Tribune)
December 23, 2001... LANDOVER, Md._As long as Brian Urlacher does not report as an eligible receiver, Marty Booker remains the Bears' true go-to guy. "Whatever anybody wants to call it, I am just going out there trying to play football," said Booker. "If the...