Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service articles from July 1999

Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service archives from July 1999

Once-huge refugee camp in Albania has dwindled to two dozen families.
July 1, 1999... KUKES, Albania _ Where hundreds of thousands once fled in the panic of yet another ethnic cleansing of the Balkans, only a few forlorn refugees remain. Just two dozen families and a few stray people aimlessly searching on their own for...

Let's not make same mistakes with gun control.
July 1, 1999... DETROIT _ It was 39 years ago that they ``sent me off to college to gain a little knowledge,'' as Jimmy Buffett sang. It was a different world then. We smoked a little marijuana and drank a lot of beer, but there was no drug problem. Then...

The power to thwart evil: Ten Commandments can help America avoid future Columbine tragedies.
July 1, 1999... WASHINGTON _ If the Ten Commandments had been hanging in Columbine High School, would two teen-age gunmen have so callously taken the lives of their classmates and ultimately themselves? That's the question everyone from Katie Couric to...

Thou shalt not play politics with religion! Posting Ten Commandments in public schools is unconstitutional, unwise and ineffectual .
July 1, 1999... WASHINGTON _ The controversy over display of the Ten Commandments reached a new level on June 17 when the House of Representatives approved a measure allowing that states post the Decalogue in public schools. Unfortunately, the...

New Vietnam documentary may help U.S. healing process, experts say.
July 1, 1999... It's been more than a quarter-century since the Vietnam War ended, but for many Americans the pain lingers. The war remains a stinging symbol of a misguided mission, of body bags and of defeat. Because of that, there has never been a full...

Animal disease center helps U.S. protect against biological warfare.
July 1, 1999... PLUM ISLAND, N.Y. _ Some call it Alcatraz for animal disease. For years, residents of Long Island's North Fork referred to it as ``mystery island.'' Seen from the air, the 840-acre isle looks like a question mark, and tales that have...

Orphanages coming back into favor as a way to deal with troubled youth.
July 1, 1999... RICHMOND, Va. _ For most of his life, 14-year-old Sharkeem Cochran watched helplessly as his mother's crack-cocaine addiction ruined her health and their relationship. But as AIDS slowly sapped her life in February 1996, Cochran forgave her...

Albanian protesters march through Pristina, demanding information about missing men, believed seized by Serbs.
July 1, 1999... PRISTINA, Yugoslavia _ Through the rain-soaked streets, Sabrije Bytyqi wandered here Thursday with anguished eyes, a battered photograph of a young man in a black leather jacket and a hand-lettered appeal to the world. ``Help me get back...

Internet site focuses on spinal disabilities.
July 2, 1999... Sam Maddox considers the new venture he's involved with, SpineWire, to be based on four c's: content, community, credibility and, hopefully, commerce. ``It's part of a larger company,'' Maddox says. ``And one of our first initiatives is a...

A healthy lifestyle requires inner strength and motivation, says author Bob Greene, Oprah Winfrey's former weight-loss guru.
July 2, 1999... Minutes into a telephone conversation, personal trainer Bob Greene gets a call from an assistant to his most famous client, talk show host Oprah Winfrey. They'll be hooking up shortly for some ``boot camp'' workout sessions. Though their...

100-year-olds offer their advice for living, loving long lives.
July 2, 1999... LEXINGTON, Ky. _ Wish happy birthday, Verda Miller. She turned 100 last month and joined the prestigious club of more than 50,000 Americans who have cracked the century mark. And there are more on the way. Dr. Margery Hutter...

Estimate your potential for a long life.
July 2, 1999... Estimate your potential for longevity, based on the new book, ``Living to 100: Lessons in Living to Your Maximum Potential at Any Age.'' Tabulate the positive and negative scores for the following questions separately: 1. Do you smoke...

Car questions answered.
July 2, 1999... Q. I have a 1997 Ford Probe. The problem I'm having is that it has spells of not starting. The first time, it had to be towed to the dealer. They told me they couldn't find the problem, but they installed a new distributor. Two weeks later, the...

NASCAR safety: Crash care stirs drivers' anxiety.
July 2, 1999... Ernie Irvan couldn't believe it. Minutes after running the second-fastest lap during practice for the MBNA Platinum 400 at Dover (Del.) Downs on June 5, he crashed into the wall and ended up stranded and frustrated on the track. Things...

NASCAR safety: Fan injury at Daytona still rare.
July 2, 1999... When winter hits, it gets unbearably cold in Chambersburg, Pa. And when it does, Edward Suders gets a painful reminder of the steel plate and six screws in his right arm _ a most unusual souvenir from a most unusual afternoon at Daytona...

MARTINEZ QUIETLY DOMINATES HIS GAME.
July 2, 1999... Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service Sports Budget for Friday, July 2, 1999 KRT News Desk: 202-383-6080, news(AT)krtinfo.com Sports desk supervisor: Sports Editor Tom Peterson, 202-383-6088, tpeterson(AT)krtinfo.com KRT Photo...

Phillies lose again to Pirates.
July 2, 1999... PITTSBURGH _ On second thought... Was it really less than a week ago that righthander Robert Person backed up one of Chad Ogea's best showings of the year with his first big-league win as a starter in nearly two years? Could have been...

Randy Wolf gets a chance to bite back.
July 2, 1999... PITTSBURGH _ Rookie lefthander Randy Wolf chewed up the big leagues in his first three starts. His last time out, the big leagues bit back. That was Sunday at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Wolf went into the game with a glittering 1.74...

Phillies notebook.
July 2, 1999... PITTSBURGH _ Losing the game is one thing. There's always another game. There isn't always another pitcher, though. These are the facts of baseball life the Phillies came to grips with when lefthander Yorkis Perez was forced to leave...

Team USA redeemed themselves in front of the president.
July 2, 1999... LANDOVER, Md. _ After two months of commercials begging President Clinton to come see it in the Women's World Cup championship game at the Rose Bowl, Team USA knew it had better not end its journey prematurely, about 20 miles away from the...

76ers draft choices meet the press.
July 2, 1999... PHILADELPHIA _ The night before, Jumaine Jones, the last of 16 players invited by the NBA to sit in the ``green room,'' could have been excused for not laughing. Thursday, Todd MacCulloch made sure everybody kept laughing. Those are your...

Rodney Rogers meets with 76ers.
July 2, 1999... PHILADELPHIA _ Rodney Rogers has vaulted to the top of the 76ers' list of prospective major free agent additions. That became obvious Thursday when the 6-7 Rogers, who has spent the last four seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers, visited...

Brazil escapes close quarter with Nigeria.
July 2, 1999... LANDOVER, Md. _ Sudden-death overtime nearly was the death of Brazilian women's soccer coach Wilson Oliveria Rica. ``During the game I turned out to be an old man,'' Wilson said. ``But after the game I am a young man again.'' Wilson's...

Nigeria coach questions officiating.
July 2, 1999... LANDOVER, Md. _ Nigeria coach Ismaila Mabo said Super Falcon forward Patience Avre's ejection in Brazil's 4-3 sudden death Women's World Cup quarterfinal victory was part of a conspiracy to knock Nigeria out of the tournament. After...

You gotta have heart _ and the U.S. team again proved it does.
July 2, 1999... LANDOVER, Md. _ It was the kind of moment that can kill composure, steal momentum. It was an instance that could lead to ruin. In the fifth minute of Thursday night's World Cup quarterfinal, with fans still streaming into Jack Kent Cooke...

No-name Padres find ways to win.
July 2, 1999... SAN DIEGO _ Thursday's catcher, shortstop and starting pitcher were rookies. The cleanup man had never had more than 215 at-bats in a season and was pigeonholed as a pinch-hitter. The centerfielder was a six-year, minor-league free...

Work crews doing Safeco scramble.
July 2, 1999... SEATTLE _ On a July 1 when you could see your breath, the Mariners opened Safeco Field for a media tour. If the day wasn't idyllic, the park seemed to be. Two weeks remain until the stadium's opening game, but before then, a benefit...

With three rings, Horace Grant hungers for a fourth.
July 2, 1999... SEATTLE _ The diamond-studded ring on his right pinkie sparkled as much as Horace Grant's toothy smile. No, the former Orlando Magic power forward didn't bring any of his three championship rings. The jewelry from three consecutive NBA...

Consider this a plug for `The Greatest Commercials of All Time'.
July 2, 1999... What if all of TV suddenly were commercial-free, freeing ``Suddenly Susan'' to run a full half-hour instead of 22 minutes? OK, unfair question. Substitute ``Frasier,'' ``The Simpsons,'' ``Ally McBeal,'' whatever. Would television truly be...

Television pick for the week of July 11: `Oz'.
July 2, 1999... PICK OF THE WEEK: ``Oz'' (10 p.m. Wednesday on HBO). Such a repeat offender, ``Oz'' is. And how we love every lethal minute of it. On Wednesday HBO's acclaimed prison drama makes its long-awaited third season premiere in typical...

Bad-boy athletes could use Ten Commandments of their very own.
July 2, 1999... The debate over whether to post the Ten Commandments in public schools continues. But I say let's do something really daring. Let's put the Ten Commandments in athletes' locker rooms. Of course, sports stars are used to being pampered...

`Run Lola Run' star Franka Potente normally proceeds at a slower pace.
July 2, 1999... First sign that Franka Potente, the 25-year-old German actress who plays the flame-maned heroine of ``Run Lola Run,'' isn't a marathoner: the pack of Lucky Strikes on the table in front of her. Wearing a black T-shirt, black pants and white...

Putting spin on Chrysler merger.
July 2, 1999... Those under the impression that DaimlerChrysler is a bit more Daimler than Chrysler and that the merger was a takeover of the U.S. automaker, please take note. The two are living in harmony, according to Juergen Hubbert, member of the...

The rate of return for taxpayers is at the core of Social Security debate.
July 2, 1999... WASHINGTON _ Social Security has been a sweet deal for Grandma and Grandpa. But what kind of a deal will it be for everyone else? Not nearly as sweet. Of course, a lot will depend on age, earnings and what happens to Social Security. But...

Don't knock it: Road construction gets big laughs in Indiana.
July 2, 1999... CHICAGO _ Summer road construction is no laughing matter _ except, it seems, in Indiana. The state's transportation officials take the job seriously, but confess they're thoroughly tickled to hear that motorists have been chuckling their...

Relatives, rights groups work to free beloved Kosovar doctor.
July 2, 1999... DALLAS _ For more than a decade, Flora Brovina peacefully but openly protested Serbian atrocities against ethnic Albanian women and children in Kosovo. Perhaps, friends and family say, she became too fearless. In April _ a month after NATO...

OpSail 2000 will begin in the Chesapeake Bay and will bring millions of visitors.
July 2, 1999... NORFOLK, Va. _ A year hence, the Operation Sail 2000 fleet will anchor in Hampton Roads, heralding the start of the biggest event ever in the Chesapeake region, say organizers. ``The world is coming,'' said Timothy Jones, who is orchestrating...

Scientists are buzzing about how plump bugs manage to fly.
July 2, 1999... How does a bug buzz by? That's a question that's been bugging scientists for centuries. An insect's thin, frantically fluttering wings shouldn't be able to keep its plump body aloft,according to what scientists understand of...

Downtown is a popular dish, but not every suburb can make it.
July 2, 1999... CHICAGO _ After more than a generation of fleeing as fast as they could to get away from them, American suburbanites want downtowns. People haven't stopped moving to the suburbs, of course, but they appear to want more out of their...

Independence Days of yore appealed to the senses.
July 2, 1999... You could've blindfolded me, and it wouldn't have made any difference. When I flung open the door and stepped into the Fourth of July, I knew exactly where I was. For one thing, there'd be the essence of barbecued hamburgers and hot dogs...

It's worth sharing the pain of our heroes in raw films.
July 2, 1999... Our subject for today is seeing ``Private Ryan.'' It's occasioned by a recent conversation with a woman who said she had not. Indeed, she'd avoided Steven Spielberg's World War II epic of guts and grace when it came out in theaters. And,...

Movie classic of the week: `Mrs. Miniver'.
July 2, 1999... X X X MRS. MINIVER 10 a.m. Tuesday, July 13 TCM .imdb.com/Title?0051658 X X X Hollywood's tribute to its Allies during World War II diminished in power as the war continued. The pro-British sentiment, which had...

Feature film of the week: `Kids in the Hall Brain Candy'.
July 2, 1999... X X X KIDS IN THE HALL BRAIN CANDY 4:30 p.m. Saturday, July 17 Cinemax X X X How to describe ``Kids in the Hall Brain Candy''? To begin with, it's a 1996 first feature film from the ``Kids in the Hall,'' the...

Golf can be a healthy or destructive activity within a relationship depending upon the underlying motivations.
July 2, 1999... HEY STEVOE: Do you have any idea how much golf affects relationships? My husband loves golf so much that he'd be on the course every day if he didn't have to work. We always fight about the amount of time that he dedicates to golf compared to...

Bill to protect home buyers falls in House panel.
July 2, 1999... A bill aimed at protecting N.C. home buyers from poor workmanship was derailed in a House committee Thursday, despite the support of the state's home-building industry. Sponsored by Rep. Beverly Earle, D-Mecklenburg, the legislation would...

Boy missing, grandfather dies, 2 survive boating accident.
July 2, 1999... HAMPTON, Va. _ Search boats, some carrying divers, scoured the Chesapeake Bay off Buckroe Beach Thursday evening for a 9-year-old boy who presumably drowned when the boat carrying his grandfather and a mother and her son capsized in choppy...

SERBS' FEAR IS THWARTING U.N. EFFORTS TO MAKE KOSOVO MULTIETHNIC AGAIN.
July 2, 1999... Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service News Budget for Friday, July 2, 1999 KRT News Desk: 202-383-6080, news(AT)krtinfo.com News desk supervisor: Managing Editor Fred Povey, 202-383-6089, fpovey(AT)krtinfo.com KRT Photo Service:...

WIMBLEDON CONTINUES.
July 2, 1999... Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service Sports Budget for Friday, July 2, 1999 KRT News Desk: 202-383-6080, news(AT)krtinfo.com Sports desk supervisor: Sports Editor Tom Peterson, 202-383-6088, tpeterson(AT)krtinfo.com KRT Photo...

Suspect may be culprit in June assault.
July 2, 1999... COLUMBIA, S.C. _ A man suspected in a string of crimes in the Lowcountry, including two abductions, is also under investigation in the kidnapping, rape and shooting of a Maryland woman in Lexington County last month. Rasheem Capers, 30,...

Bin Laden aids reportedly had Orlando ties.
July 2, 1999... ORLANDO, Fla. _ Top aides to the world's most-wanted terrorist _ Osama bin Laden _ exchanged letters and coded messages with an Orlando associate for at least a year, a new federal indictment alleges. Messages relayed through an Orlando fax...

Five Coast stations bought out.
July 2, 1999... GULFPORT, Miss. _ A California broadcasting company has bought five Coast radio stations to the tune of $7.8 million. Triad Broadcasting of Monterrey, Calif., bought Gulf Coast Radio Partners, which owns WCPR-FM, WXBD-AM, WLRK-FM, WXRG-FM...

Egyptian volleyball player, 14, is mourned at Special Olympics.
July 2, 1999... RALEIGH, N.C. A 14-year-old Egyptian athlete died in his sleep at his UNC Chapel Hill dormitory at the 1999 Special Olympic World Summer Games. Mohamed Abdul Baset Barin was a member of Egypt's unified volleyball team. Authorities...

KRT offers Tribute to Pope John Paul II.
July 2, 1999... For the past 20 years, Karol Wojtyla has been the world's spiritual superpower. As Pope John Paul II, his decisions affect 1 billion Roman Catholics around the world _ by far the largest organized religious group on Earth. He was the first pope...

KRT salutes the Star-Spangled Banner for Fourth of July.
July 2, 1999... For more than 30 years the original 185-year-old Star-Spangled Banner has hung, carefully shrouded in muted light to protect its fragile fabric, in the heart of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History in Washington,...

'2000 and Beyond' OnePages look at future of .... everything.
July 2, 1999... As the millennium approaches, retrospectives abound. But while history may be the best teacher, the Miami Herald takes a more forward-thinking view with ``2000 And Beyond,'' focusing on the shape our future daily life may take. The Herald...

Donor gives another $5 million to Queens College.
July 2, 1999... CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ Queens College has received another major gift from Florida businessman John Sykes _ a $5.1 million donation that comes less than year after he gave $5.3 million to the Charlotte campus. Together, Sykes' two gifts total...

Exemption for N.C. insurer spotlights N.C. lawmakers.
July 2, 1999... WASHINGTON _ A Democratic congressman accused two N.C. members of trying to deal a special hand to Jefferson Pilot Insurance of Greensboro _ and exempt it from proposed limits on financial companies' empire-building. But Republican Reps....

`My Son the Fanatic' director tries different approaches.
July 2, 1999... ``My Son the Fanatic'' is the fresh, funny tale of a middle-aged Pakistani in England. After 25 years of driving a cab, Parvez's life is getting crazy. His son has joined a fundamentalist Islam sect, he's fallen in love with a local hooker and...

SERB, ALBANIAN LEADERS IN KOSOVO APPEAL FOR CALM.
July 2, 1999... Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service News Budget for Friday, July 2, 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 Photo...

With coalition forming, Israelis await Barak's next move.
July 2, 1999... JERUSALEM _ Now that Israeli Prime Minister-elect Ehud Barak has successfully achieved the first of his many goals by forming a broadly based government, Israelis are waiting to see what he will do with it. Barak's government lineup _ which...

Crown of confidence: NN woman steps candidly into role of Miss Va.
July 2, 1999... NEWPORT NEWS _ She may have won the title of Miss Virginia by representing Lynchburg, but Newport News is Crystal Lewis' hometown. And that's what she'll tell the nation in a film segment to be made Tuesday for showing during the Miss...

3-day weekend is too much of a good thing.
July 2, 1999... There are Jaguars and jewels and all manner of man-made wealth, but what do they compare with a three-day weekend? A two-day weekend is permanent press. A three-day weekend is cashmere. Luxurious beyond compare, it seduces _ but it also...

California set to play huge role in 2000 presidential campaign.
July 2, 1999... PALO ALTO, Calif. _ Meeting with allies recently, Gov. George W. Bush of Texas looked ahead to his presidential campaign and previewed major points on the road map that he expects will take him a good deal of the way toward the White House. ...

All-Star additions open cans of worms.
July 2, 1999... PITTSBURGH _ Cleveland's Mike Hargrove was the American League manager for the All-Star Game and, of course, he was making his list and checking it twice. And then once more. Deciding which pitchers and reserves should be All-Stars and who...

Snubbed at Rio summit, Castro gets warm reception from Brazilian students.
July 2, 1999... RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil _ Fidel Castro soothed his considerable pride by reveling in a two-day-long popular embrace this week, after being snubbed at a European-Latin American summit. A samba singer serenaded him. Thousands of students...

Serb, Albanian leaders in Kosovo appeal for calm.
July 2, 1999... PRISTINA, Yugoslavia _ With revenge killings, house burnings and expulsions of Serbs escalating dangerously in Kosovo, Serbian and ethnic Albanian political leaders issued a joint appeal for calm Friday, asking both sides to ``refrain and...

Refugee camps in Macedonia starting to close down.
July 2, 1999... Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service Add to News Budget for Friday, July 2, 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...

AutoNation begins search to replace co-CEO Berrard.
July 2, 1999... FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. _ The search for a new chief executive officer at AutoNation has begun. Early signals suggest that the next CEO at the country's sole coast-to-coast auto dealership chain could come from one of the world's six largest...

Injuries, doping scandal alter the field at Tour de France.
July 2, 1999... Last year's winner, Marco Pantani, is out. So too is the 1998 champion Jan Ullrich. Ditto Bjarne Riis, the top finisher in 1997. Banned for substance abuse problems are the entire Dutch TVM team and the Italian team Vini Caldirola....

Stevenson becomes first qualifer to reach Wimbledon women's semifinals.
July 2, 1999... WIMBLEDON, England _ Alexandra Stevenson said the whirlwind hasn't even registered on her radar screen. It's easy for an 18-year-old to say she's ignoring all the talk about an absent father and all-too-present mother. It's much more...

Wal-Mart testing opening its own banks in its stores.
July 2, 1999... Ford Motor Co. is trying to do it. So are Nordstrom and John Deere. Sears, Roebuck & Co. tried it. But Wal-Mart's entry into banking could prove far bigger and, some say, far more successful than other companies' efforts. It's a matter...

Sampras dodges a bullet to make semis.
July 2, 1999... WIMBLEDON, England _ Mark Philippoussis, People magazine's sexiest man alive, looked miscast and downcast Friday. The misty-eyed Australian limped toward Pete Sampras, held out a hand and their Wimbledon quarterfinal was over. One set and...

Lights will work on Jan. 1, utility says.
July 2, 1999... FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. _ Florida Power & Light and other utilities around the state said they expect to keep the lights on at the turn of the new year. FPL, the state's largest utility, said it has fixed and tested almost all of the...

Scientists find traces of matter that came to Earth from a supernova.
July 5, 1999... For the first time ever, scientists have found traces of matter that came to Earth from another star _ in this case, a supernova that exploded with such power that it powdered the Earth with its ashes. Included in this blast of stardust was...

Disdain for Milosevic is sweeping Yugoslavia.
July 5, 1999... LAPLJE SELO, Yugoslavia _ The wheat is ready for harvest, but the combines are out of gas and Serb farmers are scared to work the fields. They sit in the shade of a cherry tree, cursing war and drinking homemade brandy until their wives collect...

Church of Christ urges members to avoid investing in 'culture of violence'.
July 5, 1999... PROVIDENCE, R.I. _ A toughly worded proposal calling on the churches and agencies of the 1.4-million-member United Church of Christ to adjust their portfolios to make sure they are not investing in companies that help to promote a ``culture of...

Environmental activists seeking diversity to carry movement beyond 2000.
July 5, 1999... COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. _ In the 1970s, America's environmental movement kicked into overdrive, infused with a new energy largely supplied by socially conscious baby boomers who cut their teeth while protesting the war in Vietnam. The...

Criminal case against Milosevic widens after villagers' remains exhumed.
July 6, 1999... BELA CRKVA, Yugoslavia _ On a narrow dirt road, through a village burned and battered, tractors hauling the dead rolled slowly past wrinkled faces streaked with tears and mothers wailing, past young warriors with bayonets and farmers grasping...

White supremacist group has made comeback in recent years.
July 7, 1999... CHICAGO _ In 1995 when Matthew Hale, then a law student at Southern Illinois University, gathered into his hands the reins of a racist organization called Church of the Creator, the group seemed headed toward extinction. By that year the...

Couple sees the personal toll of Methodist Church stance on homosexuality.
July 7, 1999... TOPEKA, Kan. _ In the ongoing and volatile debate about homosexuality within the United Methodist Church, you could say that Bishop Fritz Mutti is close to ground zero. In December 1990 his oldest child, Tim, died of AIDS. In September...

`From My Old Kentucky Home to the White House: The Political Journey of Catherine Conner,' by Catherine Conner; The University Press of Kentucky (179 pages, $24).
July 7, 1999... The life of Bardstown, Ky.'s Catherine Rouse Conner, who was born in 1900, in many ways typifies the history of American women in the first half of this century. Living on the cusp of a new age when women would have more choices about how...

Saving the Everglades for the right reasons.
July 7, 1999... Nothing like it has ever been attempted: an epochal 20-year mission to remap and replenish the moribund Florida Everglades. The cost is projected, with cautious optimism, at $7.8 billion. On Thursday, the plan landed in Congress, which must...

Well, would you rather have an unfree press?
July 7, 1999... Let's talk about the First Amendment. You've heard about it. It's the first item in the Bill of Rights, which is the term we use to describe the first 10 amendments to the Constitution of the United States. These amendments guarantee...

Corporate welfare: the leech on taxpayer money.
July 7, 1999... The first congressional hearings critical on corporate welfare _ the hundreds of billions of dollars spent annually on subsidies, bailouts, giveaways, tax escapes, etc. _ were held June 30th by House Budget Committee Chairman John Kasich,...