2012 News Blog @newzblogz.com

In a showdown that could cause Ford Motor Co. more financial pain, Navistar International said Monday it has halted production of the Power Stroke diesel engine that Ford puts in its profitable and recently revamped Super Duty lineup.

The escalating dispute between the two companies, which was touched off when Ford sued Navistar over a contract disagreement last month, could eventually disrupt production of one of Ford's key new vehicles.

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LEXINGTON, S.C. - A former mortgage company executive sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in defrauding investors will remain behind bars while he appeals his conviction, a judge ruled Monday.

Ronald Sheppard was sentenced earlier this month for his role in defrauding investors in one of the state's largest bankruptcies. Sheppard led HomeGold Financial, which, along with subsidiary Carolina Investors, collapsed in 2003 and more than 8,000 investors lost about $275 million.

Four other former executives have either been convicted or pleaded guilty in the scandal.

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AMSTERDAM, Netherlands — European light-bulb makers are close to an agreement in principle to work together on phasing out energy-wasting incandescent bulbs for the consumer market, the chief executive of Royal Philips Electronics' lighting division said Monday.

Philips is the largest lighting maker globally, followed by Siemens, known for the Osram-Sylvania brands. General Electric, whose founder Thomas Edison patented the incandescent bulb in 1880, is biggest in the United States.

In a telephone interview, Theo van Deursen said "the tipping point is very close, to be frank, for the [European] lighting industry" to agree on a phase-out of incandescent bulbs in the home. He said an announcement from a group of major producers could come as early as this week.

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AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) - European light bulb makers are close to an agreement in principle to work together on phasing out energy-wasting incandescent bulbs for the consumer market, the chief executive of Royal Philips Electronics NV's lighting division said Monday.

Philips is the largest lighting maker globally, followed by Siemens AG, known for the Osram-Sylvania brands. General Electric Co., whose founder Thomas Edison patented the incandescent bulb in 1880, is biggest in the United States.

In a telephone interview with The Associated Press, Theo van Deursen said ``the tipping point is very close, to be frank, for the (European) lighting industry'' to agree on a phase-out of incandescent bulbs in the home. He said an announcement from a group of major producers could come as early as this week.

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OLYMPIA -- Sonics owner Clay Bennett on Monday unveiled early sketches of a proposed $500 million Renton arena and softened his stance on whether it should go to a public vote.

But Bennett said team owners won't pay for any cost overruns. And with a Legislature skeptical over the $300 million-plus bill to taxpayers already sought, it's not clear whether the building will ever become more than ink on paper.

At a hearing before the House Finance Committee, Bennett offered few new details about the proposed arena beyond the sketches. He did not say how much owners would contribute and said many details would have to be worked out in a lease with King County.

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WASHINGTON — Five Western governors agreed Monday on a plan to cut their states' emissions of gases linked to global warming and to establish a regional carbon trading system, though they stopped short of saying how drastically they will seek to reduce greenhouse gases.

The governors of Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington said that within six months they will set a regional target for lower emissions. A year after that, they pledged, they will devise a regional cap-and-trade system, which would let companies that can't meet their emission reduction targets buy credits from those that reduce emissions more than required.

"In the absence of meaningful federal action, it is up to the states to take action to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the country," said Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano. "Western states are being particularly hard hit by the effects of climate change."

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WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 ? Governors clashed with the White House on Monday over the future of the popular Children?s Health Insurance Program, an issue that some members of both parties said was as important as money for the Iraq war.

In the session at the White House, when President Bush reported on progress of the war, governors pressed him to provide more money so they could guarantee health insurance for children. In response, administration officials said states should make better use of the money they already had.

Gov. Sonny Perdue of Georgia, a Republican, said afterward, ?Health care for children ought to be a priority, irrespective of anyone?s views on the war.?

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The nation's biggest airlines, back on firmer financial ground after a five-year slump, are eager to start replacing their aging aircraft fleets, but they face some major obstacles.

Among their biggest challenges: finding enough new airplanes to meet their needs, figuring out a way to pay for them and deciding how long they can afford to wait in line for delivery. If they don't succeed, the consequences could include more delays for air travelers. (See related article.)

During the slump that began in 2001, the major U.S. carriers sat on the sidelines, focusing on cost cutting, while their foreign rivals went on a buying spree. Now, production at Boeing Co. and Airbus, the world's leading aircraft makers, is sold out until 2011.

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SAN FRANCISCO -- Netflix Inc. delivered its 1 billionth DVD over the weekend, marking another milestone in the Internet rental service's evolution from a peculiar dot-com to a marquee attraction in millions of homes.

It took Netflix nearly 7½ years to mail out 1 billion DVDs - about seven months less than it took McDonald's Corp. to sell 1 billion hamburgers after opening its first restaurant in April 1955.

To commemorate the occasion, Netflix is awarding a lifetime subscription to the Helotes, Texas, customer who received the 1 billionth DVD shipped from one of the Los Gatos-based company's 42 distribution centers nationwide.

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AUSTIN – The abandoned downtown building that symbolized the dot-com collapse of 2001 was demolished Sunday to make way for a new courthouse.

A crowd of hundreds looked on as the unfinished building came down in about 10 seconds with a series of dynamite explosions.

Intel Corp. abandoned its construction of the building in 2001 when the tech boom fizzled.

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Netflix Inc. delivered its 1 billionth DVD over the weekend, marking another milestone in the Internet rental service's evolution from a peculiar dot-com to a marquee attraction in millions of homes.

It took Netflix nearly 7 1/2 years to mail out 1 billion DVDs about seven months less than it took McDonald's Corp. to sell 1 billion hamburgers after opening its first restaurant in April 1955.

To commemorate the occasion, Netflix is awarding a lifetime subscription to the Helotes, Texas, customer who received the 1 billionth DVD shipped from one of the Los Gatos-based company's 42 distribution centers nationwide.

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Netflix Inc. delivered its 1 billionth DVD over the weekend, marking another milestone in the Internet rental service's evolution from a peculiar dot-com to a marquee attraction in millions of homes.

It took Netflix nearly 7 1/2 years to mail out 1 billion DVDs -- about seven months less than it took McDonald's Corp. to sell 1 billion hamburgers after opening its first restaurant in April 1955.

To commemorate the occasion, Netflix is awarding a lifetime subscription to the Helotes, Texas, customer who received the 1 billionth DVD shipped from one of the Los Gatos-based company's 42 distribution centers nationwide.

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ST. PAUL — St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis told DFLers on the Senate Transportation Committee what they wanted to hear last week, but not all that he was thinking.

"A fully funded, well-balanced transportation package is essential," Kleis said Thursday during testimony on the relationship between transportation funding and local property taxes. "It has a significant impact on our property taxes."

Kleis ought to know. As a state senator from 1995 to 2005 and as a former member of the committee, Kleis saw several attempts to craft "fully funded, well-balanced" transportation packages that included increasing the 20-cents-a-gallon gas tax, which hasn't changed since 1988.

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Walt Disney Co. said Thursday that it is purchasing two new ocean liners in an effort to more than double its cruise line business.

The two ships, which will weigh 122,000-tons each, will be operational by 2012, Disney said.

The new ships will be two decks higher than the existing two Disney Cruise Line ships, which weigh 83,000 tons each. The new additions to Disney?s fleet will sport 1,250 staterooms. The ships are being built by German shipbuilder Meyer Werft.

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SAN FRANCISCO — Netflix Inc. delivered its 1 billionth DVD over the weekend, marking another milestone in the Internet rental service's evolution from a peculiar dot-com to a marquee attraction in millions of homes.

It took Netflix nearly 7 1/2 years to mail out 1 billion DVDs — about seven months less than it took McDonald's Corp. to sell 1 billion hamburgers after opening its first restaurant in April 1955.

To commemorate the occasion, Netflix is awarding a lifetime subscription to the Helotes, Texas, customer who received the 1 billionth DVD shipped from one of the Los Gatos-based company's 42 distribution centers nationwide.

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The Walt Disney Co. plans to expand its cruise business with the addition of two ocean liners.

The additional cruise ships, which will launch in 2011 and 2012, will double the passenger capacity for the cruise line. They will each have 1,250 state rooms.

?Since our maiden voyage in 1998, Disney Cruise Line has been a huge success for our guests and for our shareholders alike,? said Bob Iger, president and CEO at Burbank-based Disney, in a statement.

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DUBAI (Reuters) - Long derided as a cultural desert, the Gulf art scene is beginning to blossom.

Wealthy nationals and homesick expatriates are looking to add ``soul'' to their shopping lists and the world's major auction houses are upping their presence to meet that demand.

From graceful Arabic calligraphy to ``Dollar Sign'' by American icon Andy Warhol, 190 works of contemporary art went under the hammer at a Christie's auction held this month in Dubai, the commercial hub better known for its glass skyscrapers and sprawling malls than its arts scene.

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fter more than a decade-long decline, is heart bypass surgery poised for a comeback?Some doctors say it may be time to give bypass operations a second look. They include even some cardiologists who specialize in the far more popular alternative — using stents to keep coronary arteries open.No one is predicting a sudden surge back to bypass, which is still a far more invasive and initially riskier way to treat plaque-clogged heart arteries, a condition that afflicts millions of Americans....

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A weekly review of news from the world of politics

The '08 primary season could be short and intense

Growing closer on the 2008 primary schedule is a new Super Tuesday (or Super-Duper Tuesday, as some are dubbing it) on Feb. 5 -- when a cascade of delegates could determine the major parties' nominees just three weeks after it all starts in Iowa.

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PALM BEACH GARDENS — The Honda Classic is coming for the first time to PGA National this week, reinvigorating the resort's reputation for spotlight golf events. Great news, but the most surprising aspects of the property's history are the spectacular events that weren't marketed at all.

Private concerts by Elton John and Billy Joel, for instance, and skating exhibitions by Olympic gold medalists like Oksana Baiul on a temporary outdoor rink. Bill Clinton played golf twice at PGA National during his presidency, and George H.W. Bush hit the golf course and tennis courts there, too.

The list goes on and on in a quarter-century of celebrity visits, from an extended 1989 training camp for boxer Sugar Ray Leonard in a steamy tent to the pampering of Celine Dion and Jane Fonda at the resort's regal spa.

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IS MOVING California's presidential primary to Feb. 5 from June a trap for Republicans and their business allies?

Giving the state a greater say in picking presidential nominees is certainly a commendable goal. The state Senate has passed legislation moving the date up, and the Assembly is weighing the change. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has said he will sign the bill. But consider this scenario:

In 2008, the Republican ticket of Rudy Giuliani and Sam Brownback wins the race for the White House. In February 2012, President Giuliani is unopposed in the primary as he seeks a second term. With no other electoral races on the ballot, most Republican voters can be expected to stay home. At the same time, a spirited Democratic presidential primary promises to bring out Democratic voters. In anticipation of the big Democratic turnout (and the absence of Republicans), backers of pet liberal caus...

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PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico - Fred Funk came to Mexico aiming to show the young guys on the PGA Tour that he could still play championship golf at age 50. And he managed to do it, despite a back problem that left him aching like an old-timer.

The 50-year-old Funk overcame the pain and a rocky final round to win the Mayakoba Golf Classic on the second hole of a playoff with Jose Coceres, making him only the second man to win on the regular tour after winning on the Champions Tour.

"It shows that the old guy has still got something," Funk said. "It's a very satisfying win.

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TALLAHASSEE -- Charlie Crist is in front of me, and he is dancing. Quickly. His legs might not actually be moving, but on the top floor of the Capitol office building, framed by a sparkling view of this tree-canopied city, our new governor is cutting a mean rug.

Insurance rates? Special session with rollbacks. "We're off to a good start.''

Property taxes? Double the homestead, and cap other such taxes. "We're off to a good start.''

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St. Louisans have grumbled for years that Lambert Field is in desperate need of a makeover.

Well, it's coming. The biggest renovation in the airport's history, to be announced Sunday, will overhaul just about everything at the Main Terminal, from road signs to window panes.

There will be more stores and restaurants, terrazzo floors and pedestrian bridges from the parking garage to the ticketing area. A domed glass canopy will arch above sidewalks and roadways, protecting visitors from bad weather.

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WASHINGTON - The United States and South Korea agreed Friday that by 2012 the South Koreans will be responsible for commanding their military in wartime.

Under the half-century-old alliance that began with the U.S.-led military response to North Korean invaders in 1950, South Korea would put its forces under U.S. command if war should break out again.

After a meeting Friday between Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Korean Defense Minister Kim Jang-soo, the countries announced that South Korea, starting April 17, 2012, would keep wartime command of its own forces, with the U.S. military acting in support.

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Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has announced that she will not accept public financing for the Democratic primaries or the general election campaign. Sen. Barack Obama is expected to forgo public funds at least for the primaries.

That will free them to spend as much as they can raise. They haven't faced much political backlash, which confirms that the public financing system has become politically irrelevant.

Contributions to the Presidential Election Campaign Fund have been declining. In 1980, some 28 percent of taxpayers checked the box on their federal income tax return to send $3 to the fund. That has shrunk to less than 10 percent in recent years. The public has taken a walk on this campaign finance "reform," and so have the major candidates.

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United Parcel Service and Airbus agreed that either company can cancel an order this year for 10 A380 freighters after repeated production delays.

UPS, the world's largest package shipper, will decide whether to retain the $2.8 billion order after getting new delivery dates from the plane maker, UPS spokesman Mark Giuffre said Friday. The companies declined to provide details of the accord.

Airbus' ability to void the order heightens chances that the manufacturer may scrap the troubled cargo version of the world's largest commercial jet amid cost overruns and customer cancellations. Atlanta-based UPS is now the only buyer for the A380 freighter.

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Despite a two-year delay in the rollout of the new A380 double-decker jet, UPS Inc. continued Friday to focus on the new plane's potential by working out an agreement with Airbus revising delivery dates for its 10-plane order and allowing either party to terminate the purchase order later this year.

In contrast, UPS rival FedEx Corp. responded to the new plane's delays by canceling its A380 order with Toulouse, France-based Airbus in November and announcing it would purchase 15 U.S.-made Boeing 777 freighters with an option to buy 15 more.

UPS, the world's largest shipping carrier, ordered its first 10 A380F jets in January 2005 for use on U.S.-Asia routes. The deal included an option to buy 10 more planes. Deliveries originally were to begin in 2009 and run through 2012.

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ATLANTA - Despite a two-year delay in the rollout of the A380 double-decker jet, UPS continued Friday to focus on the new plane's potential by working out an agreement with Airbus revising delivery dates for its 10-plane order and allowing either party to terminate the purchase order later this year.

In contrast, UPS rival FedEx Corp. responded to the delays by canceling its A380 order with European plane maker Airbus in November and announcing it would buy 15 U.S.-made Boeing 777 freighters with an option to buy 15 more.

UPS, the world's largest shipping carrier, ordered its first 10 A380F jets in January 2005 for use on U.S.-Asia routes. The deal included an option to buy 10 more planes. Deliveries originally were to begin in 2009 and run through 2012.

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- It's more legal trouble for Busta Rhymes. The rapper was charged Thursday with driving with a suspended license after New York City police said they stopped him for running a red light. Rhymes, whose hits include "Dangerous," was taken into custody around 5:30 a.m. EST. Rhymes already is accused of assault in two cases and is considering a deal that would allow him to perform community service instead of jail time.

- Swiss conductor Charles Dutoit, 70, has been named to the new post of chief conductor and artistic adviser to the Philadelphia Orchestra, beginning in fall 2008 and running through 2012. He fills the void left by Christoph Eschenbach, who will leave at the end of next season after a brief (five years) and controversial tenure. A frequent guest conductor at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Dutoit is next scheduled to direct the CSO March 22-April 3.

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WASHINGTON, Feb. 24 ? As the National Governors Association began its winter meeting, 13 governors expressed alarm on Saturday that they were about to run out of federal money for a popular program that provides health insurance to children.

They appealed to Congress and the Bush administration for swift action to protect hundreds of thousands of children who could lose benefits. The full association is poised to endorse that appeal.

In a letter to the Democratic and Republican leaders of Congress, the 13 governors said that ?health insurance for some of our states? most vulnerable citizens is in jeopardy.?

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A new light is about to burn more brightly: the stubby, squiggly fluorescent bulb. Environmentalists love it, Wal-Mart is promoting it and Australia is eyeing it as an easy way to save energy and curb global warming.

Now, California lawmakers are giving it some wattage by considering a ban on the sale of old-fashioned incandescent bulbs beginning in 2012.

The proposed switch represents a revolution in a lampshade, because incandescents account for 95% of light bulb sales. Replacing each descendant of Thomas A. Edison's invention with a low-energy, long-lasting, compact fluorescent bulb would slash electricity consumption by 75%, proponents say.

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ATLANTA - Despite a two-year delay in the rollout of the new A380 double-decker jet, UPS Inc. continued Friday to focus on the new plane's potential by working out an agreement with Airbus revising delivery dates for its 10-plane order and allowing either party to terminate the purchase order later this year.

In contrast, UPS rival FedEx Corp. responded to the new plane's delays by canceling its A380 order with Toulouse, France-based Airbus in November and announcing it would purchase 15 U.S.-made Boeing 777 freighters with an option to buy 15 more.

UPS, the world's largest shipping carrier, ordered its first 10 A380F jets in January 2005 for use on U.S.-Asia routes. The deal included an option to buy 10 more planes. Deliveries originally were to begin in 2009 and run through 2012.

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ATLANTA - UPS Inc., the world's largest shipping carrier, said Friday it has signed an agreement with Airbus over the company's order of new A380 super-jumbo jets.

The agreement made by the Atlanta-based company specifies changed delivery dates for the new freighter jets and allows either party to terminate the original purchase agreement later in 2007.

UPS ordered its first 10 A380F jets in January 2005. Deliveries were originally to begin in 2009 and run through 2012. The shipping company said it wanted the jets to expand the capacity of its air network to accommodate strong international growth.

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United Parcel Service, the world's largest package shipper, and planemaker Airbus agreed that either company can cancel a pending order for 10 A380 freighters following repeated production delays.

UPS will decide this year whether to retain the $2.8 billion order after getting new delivery dates from Airbus, UPS spokesman Mark Giuffre said today in an interview. The companies declined to provide details of the accord.

Atlanta-based UPS's order is the last surviving contract for the freighter model of the enormous, troubled jet.

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WASHINGTON -- President Bush plans to inspect a fully electric pickup truck and a yet-to-be identified plug-in hybrid model on the south lawn of the White House today as the administration touts electric vehicles as part of the solution to lowering the nation's reliance on foreign oil.

Bush is trying to drum up support for his plan to reduce the nation's gasoline usage 20 percent by 2017. The proposal -- which includes forcing automakers to dramatically increase the fuel efficiency of their vehicles -- faces its first test during a Capitol Hill hearing Wednesday. Bush, who drives a Ford F-250 pickup on his ranch in Crawford, Texas, will look over a fully electric pickup built just three weeks ago by California-based Phoenix Motorcars Inc., said chief financial officer Dennis H...

Phoenix Motorcars' midsize pickup should be certified by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for road use by mid-April and deliveries to customers will begin later this year, Hogan said.

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CARROLLTON Kevin Spears has a new five-year contract as superintendent of Carrollton Exempted Village Schools.

Spears' new contract, approved Monday by the Board of Education, takes effect Aug. 1. He is in the final year of a three-year contract.

"He earned a five-year contract," said Joe Carlisle, board president. "He has done an excellent job. He has worked very diligently to bring all aspects of the community together. I think you will see in our school district some significant changes that will bring us forward and make us better. I am not at liberty to say what those are. He has presented them to the board."

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Walt Disney Co. announced Thursday that it has commissioned two new cruise ships, doubling its fleet after years of waiting for the right time to expand its cruise business.

"We've always said that a number of factors needed to come together for us to move forward, not the least of which was the contract price we could negotiate with the shipyard," said Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. "What has never been in doubt is the success of the business. This is a very successful business for us, one we always looked to for expansion."

The company said it signed a letter of intent with German shipyard Meyer Werft to build new 122,000-ton liners that will be two decks taller than the two original ships known as the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder. Disney would not say how much the ships are expected to cost, but dropped the Italian builder it used in the past.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and South Korea on Friday said they would dissolve by 2012 an arrangement dating from the Korean War under which Seoul's military forces were put under the control of U.S.-led U.N. forces.

South Korea remains technically at war with North Korea because the 1950-1953 war ended in a truce instead of a peace treaty.

At that time, Seoul ceded wartime command to U.S.-led U.N. forces that helped fight off a North Korean invasion. Seoul assumed peacetime command over its troops in 1994.

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LEXINGTON, S.C. - A judge will rule Monday on whether to release a former mortgage company executive while he appeals his convictions on securities fraud.

Ronald Sheppard was sentenced earlier this month to 20 years in prison for his role in defrauding investors in one of the state's largest bankruptcies.

Sheppard led HomeGold Financial, which collapsed in 2003 along with its subsidiary, Carolina Investors. More than 8,000 investors lost about $275 million dollars.

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ATLANTA -- UPS Inc., the world's largest shipping carrier, said Friday it signed an agreement with Airbus changing delivery dates on the company's order for the delay-plagued A380 super-jumbo jet and allowing either party to terminate the purchase order later this year.

UPS ordered its first 10 A380F jets in January 2005 for use on U.S.-Asia routes. The deal included an option to buy 10 more planes. Deliveries originally were to begin in 2009 and run through 2012.

Both UPS and Airbus officials declined Friday to disclose the new delivery dates. The agreement was signed Thursday, UPS said.

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Bellbrook Mayor Mary Graves says things are well in Bellbrook. So well, the mayor took time during her annual State of the City Address to thank and recognize those in the city's administrative department who help make the city run so smoothly.

"City services continue at their usual high level. Our budget is balanced and we have no general obligation debt and our community is well and healthy," stated Graves. She then began to give descriptions of those people and departments that work hard to "make Bellbrook the best it can be."

Graves deferred the technical breakdown of the State of the City address to Bellbrook City Manager David Hamilton who will present that portion at the city's next council meeting on Monday, February 12.

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LANDING FIELD: A new study from the Navy still seeks to build a jet landing field on 30,000 acres in Washington and Beaufort counties in eastern North Carolina, near a wildlife refuge.

GOVERNOR OPPOSES: Gov. Mike Easley asked the state's congressional delegation to block funding for the project at the proposed site, saying the landing field should be built farther south in Carteret County.

NAVY NEED: The Navy said the field in needed at the proposed location because it is between two bases that will host new and better F/A-18 Super Hornet jet fighters. The landing strip could be operational by 2012.

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If they do - which I rather doubt - they're probably called E-Z Bake these days, because everything has to have some cutesy spelling.

The reason I doubt that they exist is that the Easy-Bake Oven of my day - shortly after the discovery of electricity but before the invention of the internal combustion engine - was highly dangerous.

Mosey back with me to the 1940s, Clyde, and remember the Easy-Bake Oven.

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A Texas company plans to develop an $80 million biodiesel fuel plant in Clovis, Gov. Bill Richardson announced Thursday.

Dallas-based American Renewable Fuels, a subsidiary of Australian Renewable Fuels Ltd., plans to begin construction on the plant this summer. It would be Clovis' second biodiesel plant.

Ross Garrity, chief executive of American Renewable Fuels, said one of the reasons his company chose New Mexico was that the state doesn't have a large biodiesel industry.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio - The mayor wants to put the city's largest bond package ever before voters next year to generate money for building recreation centers, improving infrastructure and reclaiming old manufacturing sites.

Mayor Michael Coleman said in his annual State of the City address Thursday that he wants a series of new initiatives to be completed for the city's bicentennial in 2012. He did not say how much money would be involved in the bond package, which would allow the city to borrow money that would be paid back through taxes. Voters approved a $605 million package in November 2004.

"Voter approval of this Bicentennial Bond Package would allow neighborhood investments like never before in infrastructure, public facilities and public improvements," said Coleman, a Democrat. "We will lift up neighborhoods. We will create jobs. And we will keep our age-old promise not to increase our taxes to pay for bond packages."

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ORLANDO -- The Walt Disney Co. announced plans Thursday to add two new ocean liners to its Disney Cruise Line fleet, enabling the company to deploy ships to new markets like California and Europe.

With 1,250 staterooms, the still-unnamed ships will be significantly larger than Disney's Port Canaveral-based Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, which have 875 and 874 staterooms, respectively. The new ships also will be two decks taller, the company said Thursday.

They are scheduled for service in 2011 and 2012.

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LOS ANGELES (AP) -- As expected, The Walt Disney Co. is expanding its fleet of cruise ships, more than doubling the capacity of what has proven to be a highly popular - and profitable - business. Disney said Thursday it has signed a letter of intent with Meyer Werft shipyard of Papenburg, Germany, to negotiate a contract to build two 122,000-ton cruise liners. The ships will each be two decks taller than the two existing Disney cruise ships, Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, which are based in...

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LOS ANGELES (AP) - As expected, The Walt Disney Company is expanding its fleet of cruise ships, more than doubling the capacity of what has proven to be a highly popular -- and profitable -- business.

Disney announced today it has signed a letter of intent with Meyer Werft shipyard of Papenburg, Germany, to negotiate a contract to build two 122-thousand-ton cruise liners.

The two ships will each be two decks taller than the two existing Disney cruise ships -- Disney Magic and Disney Wonder. The ships are expected to be ready by 2011 and 2012.

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Jim Rogers wants to do something about global warming. But the chief executive of Duke Energy Corp. also has a growing customer base that needs power now, and he says that means building more coal-fired plants.It’s a dilemma faced by many in a position to significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and one highlighted by President Bush’s visit to North Carolina on Thursday to tout cellulosic ethanol — a fuel that has the potential to reduce gasol...

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RALEIGH, N.C. - As governments around the world look for ways to fight global warming, North Carolina lawmakers are eyeing a simple set of green guidelines that supporters hope will be the first steps in a successful war against greenhouse gases.

A blue-ribbon panel that has spent the past year discussing climate change is to meet Thursday to draw up an interim report for state lawmakers on possible actions North Carolina can take to address global warming.

The Legislative Commission on Global Climate Change has 16 options on the table meant to help reduce greenhouse gases, ranging from making government buildings more energy efficient to providing technical help and education for the public.

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The Los Angeles Unified School District broke ground Wednesday on a new high school on the Eastside, the first to be built in the area in 85 years. About 500 Boyle Heights-area parents, students, school district and civic leaders celebrated construction of the school with a Mexican breakfast, trumpets and balloons.

Residents and officials rejoiced that the new school would provide much-needed relief to overcrowded Roosevelt High School, which is currently the only regular Los Angeles Unified high school in the area.

"I'm born and raised in Boyle Heights, and it's been like forever since we've had a new school," said Mary Najera, 50. "It's a big step and a big step in the right direction."

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CARACAS, Venezuela - As analysts try to dissect the latest twists in Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's quixotic revolution and fiery rhetoric, which have included favorable references to Marx, Lenin, Trotsky and Mao, one name keeps popping up: Cuban President Fidel Castro.

The question, analysts say, isn't whether Chavez is emulating Castro, his longtime mentor, but exactly what pieces of Castro's regime is Chavez trying to reproduce in Venezuela.

The issue has taken on added importance because of Castro's illness and disappearance from public life since July, Chavez's acceleration of his own "21st Century Socialism" at home and his seeming attempt to inherit Castro's mantle as leader of the Latin American left when the Cuban leader dies.

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A 10-year-old Inglewood Elementary School student was arrested after school officials said she brought a .22-caliber pistol to school in her sock.A teacher took the unloaded gun from the girl about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday after students told school officials she had it. A live bullet was later recovered from her desk.

The girl was sent home with a baby-sitter, and police were called more than an hour later.The girl was not at home when police went to arrest her, but she came home in about 20 minutes and a lawyer arrived shortly after. The lawyer told police the girl wouldn't be answering any questions.The girl was charged at the Juvenile Detention Center with carrying a gun on school property. Police have not determined where she got the gun. KATE HOWARD

Historic home has fire at storage barn

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