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ACC commish says BCS complies with law

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:22 EST

Bowl Championship Series officials believe they're prepared to fend off any legal challenges.

With the Utah attorney general investigating the bowl system for a possible antitrust violation, Atlantic Coast Conference commissioner and BCS coordinator John Swofford said the BCS has carefully considered the legality of its format.

"We've attempted to make every effort to make certain that any structure of the BCS is within the antitrust laws. Our legal people are comfortable that the BCS structure is," Swofford said during a Football Writers of American Association meeting. "Obviously if there are any aspects of it that we should be doing differently, we would adjust that."

Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff announced his investigation Tuesday. Utah (13-0) was the only unbeaten school in major college football yet was left out of Thursday night's BCS title game between Florida and Oklahoma, each with one loss.

"We're not out there trying to test the antitrust laws of the United States of America," Swofford said.

Smoltz to Red Sox; Baldelli, Penny will join him

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 21:55 EST

John Smoltz and Brad Penny are on their way to the Red Sox. Rocco Baldelli was already in Boston, holding up his new jersey.

After missing out on Mark Teixeira, the biggest free-agent prize of the offseason, the Red Sox were poised to make a series of smaller deals that would essentially complete their roster. They announced Baldelli's signing on Thursday night at the annual dinner of the Boston Baseball Writers Association, with more news expected soon.

"I think you'll see us now turn to players who we can take chances on, players who represent potential impact players," Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein said. "We still have some things going on."

Epstein would not confirm the deals for Smoltz or Penny, but as he spoke Penny was on his way out of Boston after completing his physical. The two-time All-Star, a native Oklahoman, was off to watch the Sooners play in the Bowl Championship Series title game against Florida.

Smoltz, who spent his first 21 years with the Atlanta Braves, reached a preliminary agreement with the Red Sox on a $5.5 million, one-year contract, according to a person familiar with the negotiations who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced. The person said Smoltz will have the chance to earn another $5 million in performance bonuses based largely on how much time he spends on the active roster.

Macy's will shutter 11 stores; Columbia location not on list

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 10:22 EST

Department-store Macy's said Thursday it will close 11 underperforming stores in nine states - affecting 960 employees - and lowered its forecast for the fourth quarter after one of the weakest holiday seasons in years.

The Macy's at Columbia Place is not on the closing list.

Stores slated to close include locations in Los Angeles, West Palm Beach, Fla., Nashville, Tenn., and St. Louis, among others. Cincinnati-based Macy's Inc. says the closures will cost about $65 million, most of which will be booked in the 2008 fourth quarter.

Clearance sales at the stores begin next week.

"These closings are part of our normal-course process to prune underperforming locations each year in order to maintain a healthy portfolio of stores," said Macy's Chief Executive Terry J. Lundgren in a statement.

Obama: Congress must act boldly and now on economy

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 22:26 EST

President-elect Barack Obama implored Congress on Thursday to "act boldly and act now" to fix an economy growing perilously weaker. Democratic and Republican lawmakers complained about his tax policies, letting Obama know they intend to place their own stamp on the economic recovery effort.

Leading lawmakers set an informal goal of mid-February for enacting tax cuts and government spending that could cost as much as $1 trillion.

A call for a $3,000 tax break for job creation drew particular criticism in a private meeting, and numerous lawmakers said Obama had not ticketed enough of his tax proposal for energy projects. The second-guessing game from the left and the right: While some Democrats said the incoming administration's proposed tax cuts were too small, Republicans warned against excessive new spending.

But there was little or no dispute about the need for action, and Obama's remarks coincided with a pair of government reports showing fresh weakness in an economy already in crisis. An updated reading on unemployment was expected to bring even more bad news on Friday.

"If nothing is done, this recession could linger for years," with unemployment reaching double digits, Obama said in a speech at George Mason University in suburban Virginia. "A bad situation could become dramatically worse."

Nolan nabs directing nomination for `Dark Knight'

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 15:46 EST

"The Dark Knight" has landed a Directors Guild of America nomination for filmmaker Christopher Nolan.

The guild's best-director nominees Thursday also included Danny Boyle for the rags-to-riches tale "Slumdog Millionaire," David Fincher for the romantic fantasy "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Ron Howard for the Richard Nixon saga "Frost/Nixon" and Gus Van Sant for the Harvey Milk film biography "Milk."

The nomination gives a potential Oscar lift for "The Dark Knight." Comic-book action tales generally compete only in technical categories during Hollywood's awards season, but the wildly successful Batman sequel has been gaining momentum for key prizes at the Oscars.

A day earlier, Nolan earned a screenplay nomination from the Writers Guild of America for co-writing "The Dark Knight."

The film received just a single nomination for Sunday's Golden Globes, a supporting-actor slot for the late Heath Ledger, who dazzled audiences with his diabolical turn as the villainous Joker.

Samford defeats Furman 71-60

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:21 EST

Bryan Friday scored 20 points and Samford defeated Furman 71-60 in the inaugural Southern Conference home game for the Bulldogs on Thursday night.

Samford (6-6, 1-2), which led 31-28 at halftime, shot 72.2 percent from the field in the second half (13 of 18).

The Bulldogs scored 40 points in the paint, with half of that coming from Friday, a forward.

Josh Bedwell and Jim Griffin added 11 points each for Samford.

The Paladins (2-10, 0-3) had three players in double figures with Jordan Miller scoring 15. Alex Opacic had 13 points and 12 rebounds, followed by Justin Dehm with 12 points.

Utah State defeats Louisiana Tech 50-37

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 23:11 EST

Gary Wilkinson scored 17 points to lead Utah State to a 50-37 victory over Louisiana Tech on Thursday night.

With the game tied at 37 with 5:29 to go, Utah State went on a 13-0 run to close out the victory.

The Aggies (14-1, 2-0 Western Athletic Conference) scored their lowest point total of the season in winning their ninth straight game. The point total was also a season low for the Bulldogs (7-9, 1-2), who were averaging 73.8 points per game at home - double their score.

Louisiana Tech led 29-20 with 5:55 left in the first half, but only 19-18 at halftime. After the Bulldogs opened the second half with a 5-0 run, the Aggies tied the score at 24.

Louisiana Tech hit only 6 of 21 shots in the second half (28.6 percent).

Official: Attack on US patrol kills 5

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 12:05 EST

A suicide bomber struck U.S. troops patrolling on foot in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, killing at least two soldiers and three civilians and wounding at least nine others, officials said.

The blast followed an allegation from President Hamid Karzai that clashes between U.S.-led troops and insurgents left 17 civilians dead earlier in the week. The U.S. military insists all 32 people killed in the fighting were militants.

It also comes at a time when the U.S. is rushing 20,000 American troops into Afghanistan to combat a Taliban insurgency that has sent violence to record levels.

U.S. officials have warned the violence will probably intensify in the coming year. More U.S. troops, 151, died in Afghanistan in 2008 than in any other year since the 2001 invasion to oust the Taliban.

The bomber hit the U.S. patrol on a busy street lined with shops in Kandahar province's Maywand district, said district chief Naimatullah Khan. Helicopters took away American casualties, said Khan, but he could not provide any numbers.

French pastry chef Gaston Lenotre dies at 88

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:31 EST

Gaston Lenotre, considered one of France's best-ever pastry-makers, died Thursday. He was 88.

Lenotre died at his home in the Sologne region, south of Paris, after a long illness, the company that bears his name said without elaborating.

President Nicolas Sarkozy issued a statement praising Lenotre as the man who transformed making pastries into an art, becoming "one of the greatest masters of sweets."

Internationally renowned chef Paul Bocuse said that Lenotre was a "pastry genius."

"He was a complete man in his field who always sought perfection. He knew how to do everything," Bocuse told France-Info radio.

Western Carolina holds off UNC-Greensboro 80-75

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:41 EST

Harouna Mutombo scored 29 points and Western Carolina held off North Carolina-Greensboro 80-75 on Thursday night.

The Catamounts (7-5, 2-0 Southern Conference) snapped a three-game losing streak to the Spartans and took the edge in the all-time series 16-15. UNC-Greensboro (1-11, 0-3) has now lost 10 games in a row.

Western Carolina took a 30-17 lead, but UNC Greensboro used a 7-0 run to go into halftime trailing 38-34, then scored the first five points of the second half to go ahead 39-38. The Spartans lost a nine-point advantage and the game was tied at 70 with 2:57 left.

Western Carolina made 6 of 7 free throws in the final stretch and stole the ball three times from Spartans guard Mikko Koivisto in the last 50 seconds.

Brandon Giles added 20 points for the Catamounts.

Finding a new job becomes harder as layoffs mount

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 17:31 EST

The number of laid-off workers who are continuing to draw unemployment checks jumped more than expected to 4.6 million at the end of December and is likely to keep climbing this year - fresh evidence that people are finding it increasingly difficult to get a new job amid a deepening recession.

The Labor Department's report Thursday also said first-time applications for jobless benefits dropped to 467,000 last week. But economists largely described that decline as a distortion, reflecting the government's difficulty in making seasonal adjustments over the holiday period. Even with the dip, the figure still signaled trouble in the labor market. A year ago, initial claims stood at 330,000.

Persistent economic woes - housing, credit and financial crises - along with a flurry of layoffs announcements in the opening days of 2009 all point to another terrible year for jobseekers, economists said.

Job hunter Barbara Slavin of Los Angeles knows that frustration.

"Many of the jobs I applied for I was qualified for and didn't get them," laments Slavin, 67, who was laid off last month as an executive assistant for a local Girl Scouts chapter. "I got a lot of energy. I like to work, and I don't know anybody who can live on Social Security alone."

Consumer borrowing falls by $7.94B in November

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 15:51 EST

Consumers cut back on their borrowing by a record amount in dollar terms in November, another sign of trouble for the rapidly weakening economy.

The Federal Reserve reported Thursday that borrowing on credit cards, and for such things as auto loans, dropped at an annual rate of $7.94 billion in November, the biggest decline in 65 years of record keeping. That also was much larger than the $500 million decline economists expected, and left total consumer credit outstanding at $2.57 trillion.

The drop represented a decline of 3.7 percent from October, which was the biggest fall in percentage terms since a 4.3 percent plunge in January 1998.

Analysts are worried the economy's troubles could trigger a major retrenchment by consumers that will make the current recession, already the longest in a quarter-century, even worse. Consumer spending accounts for about two-thirds of total economic output.

The 3.7 percent drop in total borrowing in November followed a 1.3 percent decline in October.

Flyers end Backstrom's shutout streak in win

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 22:51 EST

Two weeks on the road left the Flyers primed for a raucous return home.

Did they ever deliver against Minnesota. Philadelphia killed off every power-play attempt, ended Niklas Backstrom's bid for three straight shutouts and, oh yeah, took sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Division.

Mike Knuble, Scott Hartnell and Scottie Upshall scored goals and the Flyers returned home from two weeks on the road to beat the Wild 3-1 on Thursday night.

"We wanted to climb into playoff position and try and climb up in our division and we have done that," coach John Stevens said.

Hartnell's tying goal in the second period ended Backstrom's shot at three straight shutouts. Backstrom, selected to the Western Conference All-Star team this week, stretched his shutout streak to 149 minutes, 9 seconds before Hartnell flipped a loose puck past him early in the second.

Kashkari: US financial system 'more stable'

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:56 EST

The head of the government's $700 billion financial rescue program said Thursday that the effort has made the nation's financial system more stable.

Neel Kashkari, the assistant treasury secretary in charge of the bailout program, said the program had made remarkable progress since it was passed by Congress on Oct. 3.

Kashkari called the financial system "fundamentally more stable" than when the legislation was passed, and says the rescue program helped to stop more financial institutions from failing.

"The most important evidence that our strategy is working is that we have stemmed a series of financial institutional failures," Kashkari said in remarks at the Brookings Institution.

The Treasury Department earlier Thursday sent Congress its latest update on the bailout program. The report showed that the government has disbursed $266.9 billion so far, including $187.5 billion provided to banks in an effort to get them to resume more normal lending and $19.4 billion for the auto industry.

Ohio State RB Wells to enter NFL draft

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 15:51 EST

Ohio State tailback Chris "Beanie" Wells is giving up his final year of eligibility to enter the NFL draft.

Wells issued a statement Thursday saying the move is in the best interest of his family.

Wells fought nagging injuries much of his career at Ohio State. After missing three full games this past season, he returned to rush for 1,197 yards.

But he saw limited action in the second half of Monday's Fiesta Bowl due to symptoms of a concussion. He finished with 106 yards on 16 carries.

In three seasons at Ohio State, Wells ran for 3,382 yards, fourth best in school history.

No. 21 Butler rolls past Wright St. 64-48

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 21:46 EST

Matt Howard scored 14 points and Gordon Hayward had 12 points and 11 rebounds to lead No. 21 Butler to its fifth straight victory, 64-48 over Wright State on Thursday night.

The Bulldogs (13-1, 4-0 Horizon League) connected on five of seven 3-point attempts in the first half, stifled Wright State's post-up offense and put the game away by going inside and drawing fouls in the second half.

Butler has won 15 straight over conference opponents and 11 consecutive home games.

Todd Brown had 13 points for Wright State (8-8, 2-3), which was 5-for-19 from 3-point range and had a six-game winning streak snapped.

It didn't take long for the Bulldogs to set the tone.

Sri Lankan military captures rebel base in north

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:06 EST

Sri Lankan troops captured an important Tamil Tiger base and pounded the rebels with air attacks Thursday, forcing the insurgents to withdraw deeper into the dwindling area that remains under their control, the military said.

Since capturing the rebels' administrative capital of Kilinochchi last week, government forces have raced forward, hoping to use their momentum to swiftly crush the group and its dreams of establishing an independent state in the northeast of this island nation.

Some government officials have predicted the military could declare victory in the quarter-century-old war in the coming weeks, but analysts and diplomats said it would probably take months of hard fighting to dislodge the rebels from their remaining stronghold of Mullaittivu, where they are expected to make a stand.

On Thursday, troops sweeping in from the north, overran the rebel base at Pallai then marched on, capturing Sorampattu several kilometers (miles) to the south on the narrow isthmus connecting the Jaffna peninsula with the rest of country, the military said.

"There have been small pockets of (rebels) and they have engaged the moving troops, but after giving final resistance they moved toward Elephant Pass," military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said, referring to a strategic rebel base on the southern point of the isthmus.

Former Sen. Larry Craig dropping further appeals

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 12:26 EST

Former Idaho Sen. Larry Craig has reached the end of the road in his effort to reverse his conviction in an airport bathroom sex sting, one of his lawyers said Thursday.

Attorney Tom Kelly said Craig had decided against asking the Minnesota Supreme Court to void the conviction. The decision means the legal wrangling in the case is over.

"We've concluded that the Supreme Court would not accept this for review," Kelly said. "It would be a futile exercise."

Thursday was the 30-day deadline for Craig to ask the high court to review a Minnesota Court of Appeals decision that went against him. The Supreme Court typically grants only about 25 percent to 30 percent of those requests, according to court figures.

The Idaho Republican was arrested June 11, 2007, by an undercover police officer conducting a sting operation against men cruising for sex at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The senator quietly pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and paid a fine, but changed his mind after word of his arrest later became public.

Obama names Virginia Gov. Kaine new DNC chief

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 17:16 EST

President-elect Barack Obama named Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine the next Democratic National Committee chairman on Thursday, pledging that the party would reflect their shared "pragmatic, progressive philosophy."

"It's a philosophy that measures the strength of an idea not by whether it's Republican or Democrat, but whether it can actually solve a problem and make a difference in people's lives," Obama said at a brief news conference at DNC headquarters.

Kaine, for his part, promised to be "a passionate and positive promoter" of Obama's agenda, "carry the proud banner of this proud party," and engage all types of voters in a new style of politics.

With the announcement, Obama made a quick foray back into partisan politics during a transition filled with talk of bipartisanship. Even so, the Democratic standard-bearer signaled that he wanted the Democratic Party - and his administration - to be more inclusive than exclusive, more nonpartisan than ideological.

He cast the party as a continuation of his campaign that attracted supporters from across the political spectrum and said: "We cannot afford to abandon the movement we've built. We have to strengthen it."

Thursday's College Basketball

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 22:56 EST

EAST

Albany, N.Y. 62, Boston U. 61

Albertus Magnus 85, Wesleyan, Conn. 83

Assumption 81, American International 54

Bentley 101, St. Michael's 64