Will Smith News Blog @newzblogz.com

DALLAS - In what could be its last annual earnings report as a publicly traded company, utility TXU Corp. is expected to post a 2006 profit of about $2.5 billion when it discloses financial results Tuesday.

TXU, which announced Monday it has agreed to be acquired for about $32 billion in the largest private buyout ever, has been helped by high electricity rates in Texas.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial expected the company to report earnings of $1.20 per share in the fourth quarter and $5.54 per share for all of 2006.

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DALLAS (AP) -- In what could be its last annual earnings report as a publicly traded company, utility TXU Corp. is expected to post a 2006 profit of about $2.5 billion when it discloses financial results Tuesday. TXU, which announced Monday it has agreed to be acquired for about $32 billion in the largest private buyout ever, has been helped by high electricity rates in Texas. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial expected the company to report earnings of $1.20 per share in the fourth quar...

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The fate of Anna Nicole Smith's body is now in the hands of three appeals court judges who will decide whether to overturn a trial court ruling that meant the model would be buried in the Bahamas.

The Florida 4th District Court of Appeal is considering a petition filed Monday by the centerfold's estranged mother, Virgie Arthur, who challenged the trial court's decision last week that gave control of Smith's body to an attorney for Smith's infant daughter.

The advocate for the child, Richard Milstein, and the attorney for Smith's boyfriend, Howard K. Stern, have until 2 p.m. Tuesday to respond to the challenge. The appeals court will then review all the materials and may seek oral arguments or decide the case based on briefs.

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. The fate of Anna Nicole Smith's body is in the hands of three appeals court judges in Florida.They will decide whether to overturn a trial court ruling that meant the model would be buried in the Bahamas.Smith's mother Virgie Arthur is challenging a decision last week that gave control of Smith's body to an attorney for Smith's infant daughter.Arthur wants the former model buried in Texas, not the Bahamas.Lawyers have until this afternoon to respond to the appeal. A panel o...

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Carjacking suspect caught after search through woods and swamp water   

By: Beau Zimmer

Lakeland, Florida-- Covered in mud from head to toe, deputies loaded Anthony Raulerson out of a cruiser and into a cell at a Polk County Sheriff’s sub station Monday night.Grady Judd, Polk County Sheriff’s Office:“He was armed and dangerous. There was an elementary school nearby. We weren’t taking any chances.”

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DALLAS - Texans weary of high electric bills and environmentalists who fought TXU Corp.'s plans for more coal-fired power plants offered only muted criticism Monday of the proposed takeover of the state's largest electric utility.

If federal regulators and TXU shareholders approve the $32 billion bid, the investor group led by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and Texas Pacific Group will pull off the largest private buyout in history.

The buyers promised to cut electric rates by 10 percent, saving residential customers $300 million per year, and freeze those prices until September 2008. They also extended an olive branch to environmentalists by agreeing to drop plans for eight of 11 proposed new coal-burning power plants and make other green concessions.

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The fate of Anna Nicole Smith's body is now in the hands of three appeals court judges who will decide whether to overturn a trial court ruling that meant the model would be buried in the Bahamas.

The Florida 4th District Court of Appeal is considering a petition filed Monday by the centerfold's estranged mother, Virgie Arthur, who challenged the trial court's decision last week that gave control of Smith's body to an attorney for Smith's infant daughter.

The advocate for the child, Richard Milstein, and the attorney for Smith's boyfriend, Howard K. Stern, have until 2 p.m. Tuesday to respond to the challenge. The appeals court will then review all the materials and may seek oral arguments or decide the case based on briefs.

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WASHINGTON - The federal agency that's been front and center in warning the public about tainted spinach and contaminated peanut butter is conducting just half the food safety inspections it did three years ago.

The cuts by the Food and Drug Administration come despite a barrage of high-profile food recalls.

"We have a food safety crisis on the horizon," said Michael Doyle, director of the Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia.

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Britney Spears' first husband says he witnessed the singer abusing cocaine and nearly overdosing on ecstasy three years ago, according to excerpts of an interview printed in the New York Daily News.

Jason Alexander, to whom the pop star was married for 55 hours in 2004 after a Vegas quickie, claims he's drudging up the past because he doesn't want Spears to end up dead like Anna Nicole Smith.

"It freaked me out when I saw she had shaved off her hair; that was clearly a cry for help," Alexander, 25, told the Sunday Mirror of London, the Daily News reports. "She needs help."

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The fate of Anna Nicole Smith's body is now in the hands of three appeals court judges who will decide whether to overturn a trial court ruling that meant the model would be buried in the Bahamas.

The Florida 4th District Court of Appeal is considering a petition filed Monday by the centerfold's estranged mother, Virgie Arthur, who challenged the trial court's decision last week that gave control of Smith's body to an attorney for Smith's infant daughter.

The advocate for the child, Richard Milstein, and the attorney for Smith's boyfriend, Howard K. Stern, have until 2 p.m. Tuesday to respond to the challenge. The appeals court will then review all the materials and may seek oral arguments or decide the case based on briefs.

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PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Christ Church, a 280-year-old edifice with pews used by Benjamin Franklin, Betsy Ross, and George Washington when he worshipped in Philadelphia, will receive grants totaling $850,000 to help pay for fire protection, brick, woodwork and roof repairs.

A $500,000 challenge grant from the Pew Charitable Trusts and $350,000 grant from the National Park Service's Save America's Treasures program were announced at a news conference Monday in the 18th century church's light filled Georgian interior.

Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., Rebecca Rimel, Pew's president; and Dennis Reidenbach, superintendent of Independence National Historical Park, announced the grants, bringing the church within $500,000 of a $2.5 million goal for its preservation master plan.

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JACKSON, Miss. - Gov. Haley Barbour plans to announce Tuesday that Toyota Motor Corp. will build a manufacturing plant in northeast Mississippi, a person familiar with the topic of the news conference said, speaking on condition of anonymity because no announcement had yet been made.

The Nikkei, a Japanese business newspaper, said on its Web site Monday that Toyota had picked Mississippi for an $880 million sports utility vehicle plant.

Barbour spokesman Pete Smith, asked if the announcement involved Toyota, responded: "We're not saying anything about it." Daniel Sieger, spokesman for Toyota's North American manufacturing division, said there was "nothing to announce at this moment."

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James C. Colburn, 75, of Eagle, passed away Feb. 18 in Lansing.

He was born in Cambridge, Ohio July 13, 1931 the son of Leland and Edith (Hill) Colburn.

James was a veteran of the Korean Conflict, serving with the U.S. Air Force, a graduate of Lansing Central High School, retiring in 1987 from General Motors after 37 years of service as a general foreman. He was a life member and Past Master of the Wacousta-DeWitt Masonic Lodge #359 F & AM and a life member of the Wacousta O.E.S. #133. James loved his grandchildren, enjoyed shuffle board, Euchre and was an excellent woodworker.

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - A Florida appeals court issued a stay Monday in the dispute over Anna Nicole Smith's body, ruling that her remains cannot be moved to the Bahamas until the judges hear a challenge from the starlet's estranged mother.

The Florida 4th District Court of Appeal is considering a request by Virgie Arthur to overturn a trial judge's decision giving control of Smith's body to the attorney for the centerfold's infant daughter. That attorney decided Smith should be buried in the Bahamas beside her 20-year-old son, who died last year of apparent drug-related causes.

Arthur has been seeking to bury her daughter in her native Texas.

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- A Florida appeals court has temporarily blocked the removal of Anna Nicole Smith's body to the Bahamas.

Virgie Arthur, Smith's mother, has been engaged in a legal battle over where Smith should be buried. Arthur wants her daughter buried in her native Texas.

Smith's companion, Howard K. Stern, wants Smith buried in the Bahamas, alongside her 20-year-old son who died in Bahamas last year of complication from drug use.

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NASSAU, Bahamas - Legal experts predict Anna Nicole Smith's ex-boyfriend, Larry Birkhead, will have a tough time winning custody of her baby when the case moves to the Supreme Court of the Bahamas on Monday.

Howard K. Stern, the former model's partner, is listed on the birth certificate as the father and "there is a very strong legal presumption that what is stated in that document is accurate," said Thomas A. E. Evans, a prominent Bahamas attorney.

Birkhead, a Los Angeles-based photographer, also must contend with a competing claim from Virgie Arthur, Smith's mother, who has said she could provide a more stable home for Dannielynn than Stern and should therefore be awarded custody of the girl - who could inherit a fortune.

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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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LOS ANGELES - The trickle of celebrities on the red carpet had suddenly become a flood.

Jennifer Hudson passed and smiled warmly at the fans calling her name from the bleachers. Gwyneth Paltrow tilted her head and offered a regal wave. Will Smith dashed over the velvet rope to sign autographs for his admirers.

"This is why the wait is all worth while," said Kyle Wilson, the 45-year-old woman from San Diego whom I'd spent the previous eight hours with on a hard wooden bench, waiting for the stars to arrive at the Kodak Theatre for this year's Academy Awards.

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NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) -- Legal experts predict Anna Nicole Smith's ex-boyfriend, Larry Birkhead, will have a tough time winning custody of her baby when the case moves to the Supreme Court of the Bahamas on Monday. Howard K. Stern, the former model's partner, is listed on the birth certificate as the father and "there is a very strong legal presumption that what is stated in that document is accurate," said Thomas A. E. Evans, a prominent Bahamas attorney. Birkhead, a Los Angeles-based photog...

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LOS ANGELES - It was a celebrity mash-up backstage at the Academy Awards as A-list presenters and winners met and mingled in the crowded wings, stage right.

When the show ended, the hallway was jammed with some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including best-director winner Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg and Jack Nicholson, a star of Scorsese's "The Departed," which also won for best picture.

Reese Witherspoon teased the newly bald Nicholson, who shaved his head for a role.

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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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NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) -- Legal experts predict Anna Nicole Smith's ex-boyfriend, Larry Birkhead, will have a tough time winning custody of her baby when the case moves to the Supreme Court of the Bahamas on Monday. Howard K. Stern, the former model's partner, is listed on the birth certificate as the father and "there is a very strong legal presumption that what is stated in that document is accurate," said Thomas A. E. Evans, a prominent Bahamas attorney. Birkhead, a Los Angeles-based photog...

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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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The Suns are perfect in the East, where the Nets and Heat are trying to keep playoff hopes alive despite losing records.

Amare Stoudemire scored a season-high 43 points and Phoenix won its 13th consecutive road game against the Eastern Conference by beating the Atlanta Hawks 115-106 Sunday night.

The Suns have visits left to Indiana on Tuesday and Philadelphia on Wednesday as they try to become the first NBA team to sweep its interconference road schedule.

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LOS ANGELES (AP) -- It was a celebrity mash-up backstage at the Academy Awards as A-list presenters and winners met and mingled in the crowded wings, stage right. When the show ended, the hallway was jammed with some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including best-director winner Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg and Jack Nicholson, a star of Scorsese's "The Departed," which also won for best picture. Reese Witherspoon teased the newly bald Nicholson, who shaved his head for a role. "I lik...

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CHICAGO (AP) Baggy clothes and Mexican CDs line the aisles. Catfish bait and automobile decorations sit on the shelves. A local restaurant serves up fried chicken near the checkout stands.

After blanketing rural America, Wal-Mart is pushing into big cities with a new strategy: catering to local shoppers - in this case, black and Hispanic customers in a West Side Chicago neighborhood - while making efforts to help other local businesses survive.

There is a lot riding on Wal-Mart's success at this store that opened last September, both for the struggling neighborhood and the company.

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Many Iraq war soldiers, veterans and their families are not getting needed psychological help because a stressed military's mental health system is overwhelmed and understaffed, a task force of psychologists found.

The panel's 67-page report calls for the immediate strengthening of the military mental health system. It cites a 40 percent vacancy rate in active duty psychologists in the Army and Navy, resources diverted from family counselors and a weak transition for veterans leaving the military.

The findings were released Sunday by the American Psychological Association.

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It was a memorable but not completely triumphant Oscar night for black actors as Forest Whitaker and Jennifer Hudson won trophies but Eddie Murphy lost in an upset.

As expected, Whitaker won best actor Sunday for his frightful yet charismatic performance as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. Jennifer Hudson, a former "American Idol" contestant, scored the best supporting actress award for her debut performance in the musical "Dreamgirls."

"Receiving this honor tonight tells me that it's possible, it is possible for a kid from East Texas, raised in South Central L.A. and Carson, who believes in his dreams, commits himself to them with his heart, to touch them and to have them happen," Whitaker said as he accepted his award.

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You don't have to wait any longer to learn what dress Tipper Gore is wearing to the Academy Awards because she's spilling the beans now."I decided I would get a new dress for this very special occasion," Tipper says. "It is a chocolate brown long dress by Bill Blass. I feel excitement, not pressure. I never dreamed I would be on the red carpet at the Academy Awards, so it is a moment to savor."

And Al? "After much consideration, I have decided to go with black," he says. "And again, after much consideration, I thought I would wear a white shirt, and then I got stuck on the tie, but I decided to go with black there too."Did he spring for a new tux? "Well, I might, but I don't want to go into that." Don't read anything into that comment: It won't be a surprise. "All tuxes look the same to me, don't they to you? When you see me, if you see me, you'll say, 'Hmm, that tuxedo looks like all ...

Mariah Carey filming movie here

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An investigation by the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission resulted in the arrest of a Milton couple on methamphetamine charges.

James Stephen Smith, 56, and Dawn Patrice Smith, 47 -- both of the 5900 block of Clear Creek Road -- were arrested Friday evening after an investigation that began when James Smith was photographed by a deer camera trespassing on a private hunting club carrying an assault rifle.

When investigators identified Smith from the photograph, a criminal history check revealed he was a convicted felon, investigators said Saturday in a news release.

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The Belmont/DeVilliers district was packed with people Saturday ready to celebrate black history through the arts.

Conducted by Cox Communications, the fourth annual Black History Arts Festival had vendors lining the streets, performers throughout the day, and provided fun stuff for children.

Books, art and jewelry were for sale under tents, and the smell of barbecue and other common festival fare filled the air.

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Get $75 when you open a checking account with direct deposit-apply nowwww.chase.com

Free Callaway Golf Club Set

Act now and get a Callaway Golf Club set! For a limited time only.sports-fitness-rewardpath.com

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A 14-year-old girl was in critical but stable condition Saturday night after she was stabbed in the side by her 12-year-old cousin, police said.The stabbing occurred Saturday afternoon at a home on Clare Avenue. Police say the younger child, also a girl, stabbed her cousin with a large knife during an argument.

Authorities did not release the names of the two children involved Saturday. Police were still investigating the stabbing Saturday night, and it was unclear whether charges would be filed. CLAY CAREY

Fire at apartments displaces 8 people

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NEW YORK - Greg Paulus scored 19 points and DeMarcus Nelson added 14 points and seven rebounds to lead No. 18 Duke to a 67-50 victory over St. John's on Sunday.

The victory was Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski's 775th, breaking a tie with Dean Smith for the most wins in 32 seasons.

Jon Scheyer had 11 points, and David McClure grabbed seven rebounds to help Duke (22-7) win its fourth straight since a four-game losing streak knocked the Blue Devils out of the Top 25. Paulus shot 6-for-10 from the field, including 5-for-7 on 3-pointers.

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DENVER Investigators are trying to find out why a keeper at the Denver Zoo apparently failed to follow a ban on entering exhibits when a big cat is inside.The zookeeper was attacked and killed by a jaguar after she opened the door to its enclosure yesterday. A zoo spokeswoman describes her as "an experienced animal keeper" who had worked with cats before.The six-year old jaguar, a 140-pound male named Jorge, had no history of unusual behavior. The cat was shot to death by a zoo employee when he ...

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Matt Kenseth took control in the closing laps Saturday night at California Speedway, driving off with his fourth NASCAR Busch Series victory in 12 tries on the 2-mile oval.

Casey Mears grabbed second place 12 laps from the end and gave a big effort to try to catch Kenseth, but the Roush Fenway Racing driver wouldn't let Mears get close enough for a serious challenge, driving across the finish line about five lengths ahead.

"It was really a lot of fun," said Kenseth, who earned his 22nd Busch victory in his 200th series start. "I owe a lot of this to my former teammates Mark Martin and Jeff Burton. I learned a lot about these tracks from them. And I'm real excited to get this team back where they belong."

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Is there a Detroit institution more misunderstood than the UAW?

Talk to people on the street, read my e-mail, listen to the radio, and you'll routinely hear the labor union, its leaders and members skewered as militant, greedy, clueless and inflexible. What nonsense.

Advertisement

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Steve and Erin Strobel opened Dynamics Gymnastics LLC on Oct. 1. The gymnastics studio is located in a 19,000-square-foot building at 2100 E. Pythian St., formerly The Reef volleyball facility south of Cooper Sports Complex. Erin Strobel has been a gymnastics coach for 10 years. She and five other coaches teach competitive gymnastics and cheerleading to students ranging in age from 18 months to 18 years, Steve Strobel said. Beginning students pay $32 per month. Hours: 9 a.m.9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m.2 p.m. Saturday. Phone: (417) 890-0946.

CrossBreed Holsters

Mark Craighead relocated CrossBreed Holsters LLC on Feb. 1 to 818 E. State Highway 174 in Republic. After just one year in business designing and manufacturing gun holsters, Craighead moved to a 1,200-square-foot light manufacturing commercial space from a 400-square-foot home garage. Craighead and two part-time employees have made about 2,000 holsters since January 2006. The holsters, which cost $55 to $68 each and are designed to conceal handguns under clothing, are sold at Kelleys Police & Ta...

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WASHINGTON — Many Iraq war soldiers, veterans and their families are not getting needed psychological help because a stressed military's mental health system is overwhelmed and understaffed, a task force of psychologists found.

The panel's 67-page report calls for the immediate strengthening of the military mental health system. It cites a 40 percent vacancy rate in active duty psychologists in the Army and Navy, resources diverted from family counselors and a weak transition for veterans leaving the military.

The findings were released Sunday by the American Psychological Association.

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STANFORD, Calif. - The Stanford players put on their Pac-10 championship T-shirts, cut down the nets and celebrated another title. As good as that accomplishment felt, coach Tara VanDerveer wasn't about to risk the health of star Candice Wiggins to achieve it.

With Wiggins resting a nagging hamstring injury, the eighth-ranked Cardinal rode the strong inside play of freshman Jayne Appel to beat Southern California 56-53 on Sunday to win the outright conference title. Appel scored 12 of her 14 points in the second half, including a go-ahead basket with 36 seconds left.

"We've got the No. 1 seed. Even if we didn't, I could not justify risking Candice in that situation," VanDerveer said. "It would not make any sense. I was not going to entertain even listening to her telling me how good she felt."

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(Created: Wednesday, February 21, 2007 10:08 PM CST)

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DALLAS - Dirk Nowitzki fell two assists short of his first triple-double and the Mavericks stretched their club-record home winning streak to 19 games with their second-highest point total of 2007.

Still, the post-game topic in the Dallas locker room was defense.

Nowitzki had 31 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists as the Mavericks won their 11th in a row overall with a 115-95 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night.

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SALT LAKE CITY - While Mitt Romney condemns polygamy and its prior practice by his Mormon church, the Republican presidential candidate's great-grandfather had five wives and at least one of his great-great grandfathers had 12.

Polygamy was not just a historical footnote, but a prominent element in the family tree of the former Massachusetts governor now seeking to become the first Mormon president.

Romney's great-grandfather, Miles Park Romney, married his fifth wife in 1897. That was more than six years after Mormon leaders banned polygamy and more than three decades after a federal law barred the practice.

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Video replay helped the New York Knicks get a victory, and almost cost the Memphis Grizzlies one. Channing Frye made two free throws after a video review put 0.8 seconds back on the clock, and New York beat Milwaukee 95-93 on Friday night, handing the Bucks their season-high seventh straight loss.

With the game tied, Stephon Marbury was short on a jumper as time was running out, but the officials called a loose-ball foul on Bucks center Andrew Bogut. After reviewing video of the play, the officials found the foul for holding off Frye came with time remaining.

"My reason for going over to the replay was to determine that the foul that was blown during the game, to make sure there was time on the clock when the foul occurred," official Ken Mauer said.

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ATLANTA - The Atlanta Hawks, who have missed the playoffs seven straight years, believe they could join the postseason fun in the weak Eastern Conference this year - if only they could win more at home.

The Hawks earned a rare impressive home win Friday night as Joe Johnson scored 31 points and Atlanta survived a late scare to beat Tracy McGrady and the Houston Rockets 105-99.

The Hawks, tied for the second-most road wins in the conference with 12, ended a four-game home losing streak.

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -- From the state that brought you the hanging chad, now comes the crying judge. Some members of the bar and other court-watchers are cringing over the way Judge Larry Seidlin wept - no, sobbed - on live, national TV as he announced a ruling Thursday in the dispute over where Anna Nicole Smith should be buried.

Some are accusing the brash former New York cab driver of showboating for the camer

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NEW YORK If Will Smith or Leonardo DiCaprio wins an Oscar Sunday night, odds are no one will be talking about them running for president. But if a movie about Al Gore wins, then you might hear that kind of chatter.The film is called "An Inconvenient Truth." It portrays the former vice president's crusade against global warming and it's a favorite to win the Oscar for best documentary feature.Should the movie win, it would be the director who would accept the famous golden statuette. But Gore is ...

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After feuding over where to bury Anna Nicole Smith, the former Playboy Playmate's mother and boyfriend are now preparing for another fight — this time in the Bahamas, for custody of Smith's 5-month-old daughter.

The grandmother, Virgie Arthur, claims she could provide a more stable home for the infant, who could inherit a fortune. She wants to wrest guardianship from Howard K. Stern, who is listed as Dannielynn's father on the birth certificate but faces a three-way paternity dispute.

A hearing on Monday is not likely to resemble Thursday's bizarre courtroom scene in Florida, where a weeping judge announced before news cameras that he wanted Smith buried in the Bahamas.

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Anna Nicole Smith's funeral will not take place before Tuesday, the court-appointed attorney for the starlet's baby daughter said Saturday.

Richard C. Milstein said in a statement he was working as quickly as possible on the funeral details for the former Playboy centerfold, who died in a Florida hotel Feb. 8 at age 39.

Circuit Judge Larry Seidlin ruled Thursday to let Milstein decide where to bury Smith. Milstein agreed with Smith's longtime companion, Howard K. Stern, to bury her in the Bahamas next to her son.

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TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Peruvian president Alan Garcia said he will try to reopen the investigation into the 1989 slaying of a reporter from The Tampa Tribune who had been probing links between guerrillas and drug traffickers. Garcia's discussed his interest in reviving the investigation into Todd Smith's death following a meeting with U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson on Thursday. Peru's Supreme Court would ultimately decide if another investigation should be opened. "We'll work with the justice system to ...

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AUSTIN, Texas Republican Governor Rick Perry has been under fire lately for executive orders he issued speeding up the permitting process for coal-fired power plants and requiring girls to receive a vaccine against a virus that causes cervical cancer.Texas governors before him of both political parties issued executive orders on a variety of topics. Here are the number of orders by governors during their single or multiple terms dating back to 1971:-- Rick Perry: 65-- George W. Bush: 45-- Ann Ri...

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - J.R. Reynolds scored 25 points and Tunji Soroye had a key putback to help No. 24 Virginia beat Georgia Tech 75-69 on Saturday.

Sean Singletary added 24 points for the Cavaliers (19-8, 10-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), who got key baskets and three-point plays by Soroye and Jason Cain in the final minutes to secure the comeback victory.

With the win, Virginia kept pace with Virginia Tech in second place in the conference pending leader North Carolina's game at Maryland on Sunday. The Cavaliers also clinched a critical bye in the first round of the 12-team ACC tournament.

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Anna Nicole Smith's funeral will not take place before Tuesday, the court-appointed attorney for the starlet's baby daughter said Saturday.

Richard C. Milstein said in a statement he was working as quickly as possible on the funeral details for the former Playboy centerfold, who died in a Florida hotel Feb. 8 at age 39.

Circuit Judge Larry Seidlin ruled Thursday to let Milstein decide where to bury Smith. Milstein agreed with Smith's longtime companion, Howard K. Stern, to bury her in the Bahamas next to her son.

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. Anna Nicole Smith's funeral won't take place before Tuesday.That word today from the court-appointed attorney for Smith's baby daughter. Richard Milstein (MIL'-steen) says he's working on the funeral details.A Florida judge left it up to Milstein to decide where to bury Smith. Milstein agreed with Smith's longtime companion, Howard K. Stern, that she should be buried in the Bahamas next to her son.Smith's mother filed an emergency motion yesterday asking the judge to recons...

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