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Ore. town getting back to normal after manhunt

WALDPORT, Ore. (AP) — This enclave for retirees and vacationers on Oregon's coast is trying to return to normal following last week's surge of law officers searching for a man accused of shooting a police officer.

For four days, tiny Waldport swarmed with dozens of police as three SWAT teams combed for clues about the whereabouts of 43-year-old David Anthony Durham of Portland.

But the mystery of what happened to the suspect still lingered Saturday: Could he be hunkered down in the area or did he escape days ago? Police hope fresh clues will come from television's "America's Most Wanted," which mentioned the case Saturday night.

Lincoln City Police Lt. Jerry Palmer said …

Uncle: No sign of trouble from killing suspect

A security guard accused of killing his sister, her husband and six others had a history of mental problems and imagined his sister wanted to kick him out of the home they shared, relatives and others who knew him said.

Police say Christopher Speight, 39, killed his sister, brother-in-law, niece, nephew and four other people early Tuesday before firing on a police helicopter, hiding in the woods and finally surrendering nearly a day later.

Speight had struggled since his mother died from brain cancer in 2006, his uncle Thomas Giglio said Thursday. Speight's father abandoned them some 30 years ago, and he and his mother were very close.

"There …

Anti-missile system passes test

An experimental Army rocket pinpointed a target missile over NewMexico and destroyed it 50 miles high, the Pentagon said.

The Theater High-Altitude Area Defense system is designed to useground-launched missiles to destroy high-altitude enemy missiles from800 miles away or more, a distance that current U.S. weapons cannotreach.

After six consecutive test failures for the system the …

'Bad rule' that hurt Webb Simpson under review

BETHESDA, Md. (AP) — Webb Simpson called it a "bad rule." He was penalized a stroke because the ball moved as he was addressing it on the green, costing him one stroke and perhaps his first PGA Tour victory.

The U.S. Golf Association appears to agree. Vice President Thomas O'Toole said Monday there will be talks to modify the rule, with any change taking place at the start of 2012.

"If some other agency — wind or gravity — is known to cause that ball to move, no penalty would be applied," O'Toole said at the U.S. Open media day at Congressional Country Club.

Simpson, leading by one shot, was less than a foot from the cup at the 15th hole on Sunday at the Zurich Classic …

Iran: regional countries should help Iraq

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran said Friday that regional nations should fill the security vacuum when the U.S. withdraws its troops from Iraq, but that there is no prospect of sending in Iranian forces.

The United States and Iraq have worked on a deal this year to try to ensure Iraqi security but have disagreed on timing for American troops to withdraw. Iraq has insisted on a timetable, but U.S. President George W. Bush has refused to accept one.

"The United States will soon leave the region, then regional countries should fill the security vacuum, there is no need for interference of other countries," Ahmadinejad said on the final day of …

Local & National scoreboard

AUTO RACING

NASCAR Sprint Cup

Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500

Monday

At Pocono Raceway

Long Pond, Pa.

Lap length: 2.5 miles

(Start position in parentheses)

1. (6) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 200 laps, 148.6 rating, 195 points.

2. (10) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 200, 104.3, 170.

3. (16) Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, 200, 94.1, 170.

4. (29) Sam Hornish Jr., Dodge, 200, 79.6, 160.

5. (8) Kasey Kahne, Dodge, 200, 122.4, 160.

6. (15) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 200, 97.6, 150.

7. (9) Mark Martin, Chevrolet, 200, 104.7, 151.

8. (3) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 200, 109.3, 142.

9. (4) Kurt Busch, …

FIRST OFF; At the Statehouse, the speed's thing

Faster than you can say Jay-Fack, the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee unanimously passed Governor Kempthorne's request for a 3 percent pay raise for state employees--in the first week of the legislative session. Rarely do JFAC decisions fail to become law, but the House and Senate do still have to pass the measures.

The Guv was happy. "The committee's unanimous, and fast, approval of my recommendation for expedited state employee raises sends the message that our employees are deeply appreciated as the backbone of our state government," Kempthorne said in a prepared statement.

But Democrats aren't content, and they plan to push for a 4 percent worker-pay increase …

Curacao's historic Jewish population dwindles

The southern Caribbean island of Curacao is home to what is billed as the oldest continually operating synagogue in the Western Hemisphere, but the Jewish community has been steadily declining for years.

Late on a recent Friday, Avery Tracht, cantor of the stately yellow Mikve Israel-Emanuel Synagogue, worried there wouldn't be the minimum 10 adults to hold the complete service.

But soon, nearly 20 trickled through the heavy wooden door and singing poured out into the narrow streets of Willemstad's waterfront Punda district.

Jews settled in the then-Dutch colony of Curacao in 1651. They were the descendants of Jews who fled the Spanish …

Green Trails in Lisle enters the final phase

Gallagher & Henry has launched the 72-home final phase of GreenTrails development in west suburban Lisle.

The company plans to build eight different home styles, withbase prices ranging from $170,900 to $237,500. (Prices are subject tochange without notice.)

When completed, the subdivision will have a total of 208 …

Former Russian Atomic Energy Minister Freed

MOSCOW - Russia's former atomic energy minister, who was extradited from Switzerland eight months ago, was released from detention Friday to face trial on charges of defrauding the government of hundreds of millions of dollars.

Yevgeny Adamov had been arrested in Switzerland in May last year after being indicted in the United States for expropriating $9 million in U.S. aid intended for security improvements at Russian nuclear plants.

He was extradited to Russia at the end of December. Russian officials had opposed his extradition to the United States, arguing he should face trial in his home country.

A smiling Adamov walked free from Moscow's Matrosskaya Tishina …

Blueberry virus strikes US research center

Two destructive viruses have struck the blueberry industry in the state of Michigan, home to a $124 million per year crop that is the largest in the United States.

Particularly upsetting to scientists is where one of the outbreaks occurred _ Michigan State University's agricultural research station in southwestern Michigan. An outbreak of blueberry shock is forcing scientists to destroy plants that represent two decades and millions of dollars of research.

It will take years for new plants to mature so research can resume, said Annemiek Schilder, an associate professor of plant pathology and blueberry researcher. Still, she said, "We can't risk having …

NKorea to issue special pardons for convicts

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea will issue special pardons for convicts to commemorate milestone birthdays of its two late leaders, state media said Tuesday, in the first such dispensations in more than six years.

The pardons come as North Korea's new leader, Kim Jong Un, moves to solidify his power in the wake of his father Kim Jong Il's death last month. Believed to be in his late 20s, Kim Jong Un has already picked up a slew of prominent titles such as supreme commander of the military, with top officials publicly pledging their loyalty.

The pardons will start Feb. 1 at the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, the official Korean Central News Agency said in a dispatch. KCNA did not say what sorts of crimes would be pardoned or how many inmates would be freed.

The decision is meant to mark the 70th anniversary of the birth of Kim Jong Il in February, and the 100th anniversary of the birth of his father, North Korea founder Kim Il Sung, in April, KCNA said.

Those birthdays are the two most important holidays in North Korea. Pyongyang has promoted this year's Kim Il Sung centenary as a significant milestone in the country's history.

Kim Jong Un is believed to have turned 28 or 29 on Sunday but his birthday hasn't been designated as a national holiday yet.

North Korea occasionally marks significant holidays by granting amnesties. South Korea's Unification Ministry says North Korea last conducted such a special pardon in August 2005 to mark the 60th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's colonial rule.

South Korea also marks special holidays with similar dispensations. On Tuesday, Seoul's Justice Ministry said it will pardon 955 convicts on occasion of the Lunar New Year's Day later this month.

Stocks turn higher in midday trading

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks reversed earlier losses and edged higher in midday trading Thursday, as investors weighed an unexpected jump in jobless claims against a strong manufacturing report.

The Labor Department said Thursday that the number of people filing for unemployment benefits rose 25,000 from the previous week. That was more than economists expected.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia reported that its index of manufacturing in the mid-Atlantic region jumped from 19.3 in January to 35.9 in February. Any number above zero signals growth.

The government also reported that consumer prices in January were slightly higher than forecast, largely a result of rising food and gas prices. The Consumer Price Index rose 0.4 percent. The core index, which excludes food and energy costs, looked relatively tame, rising 0.2 percent.

Forecasters had expected to see the price index rise 0.3 percent last month, and the core index inch up 0.1 percent.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 7 points, or 0.1 percent, to 12,295. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 2, or 0.2 percent, to 1,338. The Nasdaq composite rose 5, or 0.1 percent, to 2,829.

"The initial jobless claims data look disappointing," said Anthony Chan, chief economist at JPMorgan Private Wealth Management. "But from a longer-term perspective we're seeing a pickup in employment."

Chan said the most recent data appears bad compared to the previous week, when claims for unemployment benefits fell to the lowest level since July 2008. But that was partly a result of winter weather in many parts of the country that closed government offices and kept people from applying for benefits.

Chan said the trend is headed in the right direction. The four-week average for applications is slightly above the two-year low of 411,250 in the week ending Jan. 1.

Barrick Gold Corp., Duke Energy Corp. and J.M. Smucker Co. all rose after reporting stronger earnings results.

Barrick's quarterly profit jumped four-fold, helped by higher production and lower costs. The world's largest gold miner's stock gained 1.3 percent in early trading.

Duke Energy's net income grew 23 percent, boosted by gains from selling assets and rising customer demand. Duke gained 2 percent.

Profit fell at J.M. Smucker, maker of Jif peanut butter and Folgers coffee, but still beat analysts' expectations. The company also raised its earnings outlook for the year. J.M. Smucker rose 4 percent in early trading.

Travolta happy to have `Earth' in his hands

If John Travolta had his druthers, he would have flown himself toChicago to do two days of press interviews for his new film,"Battlefield Earth." After all, the actor also is known as a crackpilot and owns a couple of jets he loves to fly where and when hewants.

But even superstars can be grounded by reality_especially when itcomes to safety.

"Warner Bros. (the film's distributor) is supplying the jet thistime," Travolta said Thursday. While one of his jets "was available,it's the smaller one. The larger one is in its 12-year maintenanceprogram, which takes six months to complete."

Anyway, Travolta was in a jovial mood as he explained his passionfor "Battlefield Earth," opening May 12. It's based on the best-selling novel by L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Church ofScientology, of which Travolta is an outspoken disciple. He pointedout that the movie has nothing to do with his or the late Hubbard'sphilosophy.

"(Hubbard) was more more famous for his science fiction and hisfiction writing in general than he was for the philosophy (ofScientology)," Travolta said. "Most literate people know that. Ithink when you see (the movie), you'll see it doesn't have anythingto do with anybody's philosophy. This is pure entertainment."

Travolta laughs about the long time it took him to get"Battlefield Earth" produced. "When we started out, I was not goingto play the villain, I was going to be Johnny `Good Boy' Tyler. But Iwas younger then and shorter in the tooth.

"But thanks to the success of `Face/Off' and `Broken Arrow' (whereaudiences accepted Travolta as a bad guy), I thought it was the righttime to move into the role of the villain."

YOU NEVER KNOW . . . Don't be surprised if Liza Minnelli drops byto catch her collaborator, Billy Stritch, when the talented music manplays two gigs at Davenport's, 1383 N. Milwaukee, in between his workin "Minnelli on Minnelli" at the Shubert. He is slated to followKaren Mason beginning at 11:30 p.m. May 5 and will accompany JimCaruso at 9:30 p.m. May 7.

Adventurer's Calendar: Sunday-July 27

Sunday * The Putnam County Gun Club will host an action pistolmatch at the clubs range near Eleanor. 743-1548. Monday * Enjoy theholiday! Boat, fish, hike but be safe! July 10 * The Putnam CountyGun Club will host a blackpowder shoot at the clubs range nearEleanor. 776-1582. * The Rattlesnake 50k distance run will be held atKanawha State Forest. 558-3500. July 19 * The Putnam County Gun Clubwill host a cowboy action shooting match at the clubs range nearEleanor. 743-1548. July 20 * The Putnam County Gun Club will host ahigh-power match at the clubs range near Eleanor. 768-8066. July 25 *The state Natural Resources Commission will hold its quarterlymeeting, 1 p.m., at the Lakeview Golf Resort in Morgantown. 558-2754. July 27 * The Putnam County Gun Club will host a bulls-eyematch at the clubs range near Eleanor. 346-1841.

Does your club or organization have a meeting or importantfunction coming up? Put it on the Adventurers Calendar! Call us atleast 10 days in advance at (304) 348-1231, or drop us a line at:Adventurers Calendar Charleston Daily Mail 1001 Virginia St. E.

NH legislative panel nears FRM report deadline

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Several members of a New Hampshire legislative committee discussing changes to the law in the wake of a failed mortgage firm questioned Tuesday whether a final report could be issued, since they still don't know or fully understand everything that led to its collapse.

"I wonder if we're not building something on quicksand," said Rep. Rip Holden, R-Goffstown, a member of the House and Senate Commerce Committee, which was assigned to review the state's regulatory oversight over Financial Resources Mortgage of Meredith.

The firm closed nearly a year ago and left more than 150 investors with millions of dollars in losses. The former head of the firm and an assistant have pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges and await sentencing.

Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-Exeter, committee chairwoman, said she didn't think it was possible to know precisely what happened in such a short time frame, noting that federal criminal and Securities and Exchange Commission investigations were happening the same time the committee was charged with its task. The committee took testimony in May and June before preparing its report.

Hassan said the committee has made some recommendations that would be necessary "first steps" for the Legislature to proceed. She said such members' concerns about not knowing specific information about the investigations should be part of the report, but shouldn't necessarily stall it.

"We see a lot of layers here, and the issue is do we go after all of them first before we recommend anything — understanding that there are some limits in terms of our power, our resources and the conflicts with other investigations — or do we go after some of the obvious 'low-hanging fruit' to try to make things better for future generations of New Hampshire consumers, while still attending over time to the other issues that this very serious and very devastating series of events created?" Hassan said.

The legislative panel faces a Dec. 1 deadline to submit a final report to the next legislative session in January. It decided to take more comments through Nov. 8 before starting to make its revisions.

The draft report was critical of the state Banking Department, Bureau of Securities Regulation and Attorney General's Office for not following through on complaints about the firm. The draft followed an investigation by Attorney General Michael Delaney of what led to the firm's collapse.

Among the comments submitted to the committee was an 18-page response prepared Friday by the Bureau of Securities Regulation. It had a number of objections, among them that the committee's report strongly relies on an analysis of the bureau's role provided by the attorney general's office, which offered "a view quite different from that of the BSR."

The bureau is about to launch its own investigation of what led to the firm's failure and the fallout. An organizational meeting is scheduled for Wednesday.

The committee report recommends changing state laws to clear up ambiguity about who is in charge of addressing consumer complaints. It recommends that one regulatory agency have a lead role on specific complaints if more than one agency is involved in a case, and that a database be created where consumers can find information about documented complaints or violations against companies.

Tickets for Wimbledon test matches sell out quick

Tickets for the exhibition matches to be played under Wimbledon's new Centre Court roof sold out in five minutes Thursday.

The event, featuring former Wimbledon champions Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, as well as Kim Clijsters and Tim Henman, is to be played on May 17 in front of 15,000 spectators.

"The demand for tickets was truly exceptional and we are delighted to have a capacity Centre Court crowd for a great day," said Ian Ritchie, the chief executive of the All England Club.

The event _ dubbed "A Centre Court Celebration" _ is designed to test the new roof and air management system with live matches in front of a capacity crowd.

The program will feature a men's singles, a women's singles and a mixed doubles match. The matches will be played in a pro-set format _ the first to eight games, with a tiebreaker at 8-8.

The new sliding roof will help alleviate Wimbledon's perennial rain delays.

This year's Wimbledon tournament will be held June 22-July 5.

Yemen blocks ex-child bride's trip to Austria

Yemen has barred a former child bride from being honored in Austria, saying she is too young to travel alone.

When she was less than 10 years old, the girl was forced to marry a man at least three times her age. After being raped and abused by him, she successfully filed for divorce and traveled abroad to talk about her ordeal.

Thursday evening, the girl will be commended for her courage at an awards gala in the Austrian capital. But she cannot attend because Yemeni authorities have confiscated her passport, saying she is too young to travel by herself.

Antonio Maria Costa, executive director of the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, said Yemen's ambassador in Vienna told him a 10-year-old was not allowed to travel alone within Yemen or anywhere else.

But Georg Kindel, the founder and organizer of the Women's World Awards, said the girl's father, brother and uncle had all offered to travel to Austria with her.

"We definitely don't understand this," Kindel told reporters. "She is with us in our hearts and we will watch very closely what will happen to this girl."

The girl's name is not disclosed in this report in line with Associated Press policy on sexually related cases. Conference organizers said she is now 10. Kindel told reporters she was forced to marry when she was 8.

Kindel said Yemeni customs officials took the girl's passport when she returned home from Paris, where he said she had spoken "very openly" about what she went through.

Actresses Monica Bellucci and Claudia Cardinale _ who will also receive awards at Thursday's gala _ were among a slew of celebrities who voiced their dismay at the girl's absence.

"Out of her country, she can be dangerous and say things that maybe are dangerous for her own country _ that's why she's not here," Bellucci said at a news conference in Vienna.

Actor Christopher Lee and Nobel Peace Laureate Betty Williams called for a protest outside the Yemeni Embassy in Vienna.

Experts say thousands of underaged girls have been forced into marriages in Yemen, an impoverished tribal country at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula.

French President champions workers ahead of G-8

PARIS (AP) — French President Nicolas Sarkozy positioned himself as the defender of workers' rights and financial regulation Monday, claiming ground normally occupied by his Socialist opponents now in disarray over the loss of Dominique Strauss-Kahn as their best-hope challenger in next year's presidential elections.

The conservative president used a speech ahead of a summit he's hosting of leaders from the Group of Eight industrialized nations to push a message that workers need to be protected from the excesses of capitalism.

"There is no market without regulation," Sarkozy told a hastily arranged meeting in Paris on the "social dimension of globalization."

The president's words were a departure from his message during the previous election, when he championed the free market and said his country's generous labor rights and byzantine business bureaucracy were weighing down the economy.

"How can we accept that eight out of 10 people in the world don't have any access to social protection?" Sarkozy asked Monday.

On Saturday, thousands marched in the northern city of Le Havre to protest the upcoming G-8 summit in the plush nearby resort of Deauville. The meeting is seen by activists as a rich-club meeting that pays little heed to workers' needs.

Strauss-Kahn, the former IMF chief now facing allegations he sexually assaulted a hotel maid in New York, had been seen as the Socialist Party's strongest candidate to straddle the divide between the demands of business and labor unions. The party is now scrambling to rally behind a new figurehead for next April's vote.

Sarkozy blamed light-touch regulation for the recent financial crisis, and said social protection had served as a stabilizer that helped speed up economic recovery.

"Following the crisis I promised France that I would do everything to reform the financial capitalism that led us into disaster," Sarkozy said, adding that he would fight to prevent competition between countries trying to attract companies with minimal regulation.

"Let us not forget the pressure of migration, which today has its origins in social inequalities," he said, in a nod to French fears of mass immigration from North Africa in the wake of the popular uprisings there.

Friends hold lecture night

FRIENDS of Carmarthenshire Archives is holding a special talknext Wednesday night.

The lecture, entitled The Saga Of Sion House, by Stella Pederson,is being held at Carmarthenshire Archive Services, in RichmondTerrace, on May 11.

The talk starts at 7pm. The group is also holding its AGM on thesame night.

Gloucester winger Simpson-Daniel called into England training squad for Scotland match

Gloucester winger James Simpson-Daniel was called into England's training squad Sunday ahead of next week's Six Nations match at Scotland.

The 25-year-old winger was added to the squad alongside teammates Iain Balshaw, Lesley Vainikolo and Luke Narraway because David Strettle is set to miss the remainder of the tournament because of a broken foot.

Simpson-Daniel played the first of his 10 international matches in November 2002 but has failed to become a regular because of illness, injury and the emergence of rivals for the same spot.

A bout of glandular fever forced him to drop out of the team and he was unable to force his way back in for the 2003 World Cup, and has been picked only intermittently since.

Simpson-Daniel is the second addition to the squad after coach Brian Ashton this week called up uncapped scrumhalf Danny Care.

The 21-year-old Care plays for Harlequins, where he has ousted World Cup first-choice Andy Gomarsall from the team.

England won at France 24-13 last week and plays Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday.

___

England training squad:

Backs: Iain Balshaw, Danny Care, Danny Cipriani, Mark Cueto, Toby Flood, Charlie Hodgson, Paul Hodgson, Jamie Noon, Paul Sackey, James Simpson-Daniel, Mat Tait, Lesley Vainikolo, Richard Wigglesworth, Jonny Wilkinson.

Forwards: Steve Borthwick, George Chuter, Tom Croft, Louis Deacon, Nick Easter, James Haskell, Ben Kay, Michael Lipman, Lee Mears, Luke Narraway, Tim Payne, Mark Regan, Simon Shaw, Andrew Sheridan, Matt Stevens, Phil Vickery, Joe Worsley.

Sponsor of Arizona immigration law faces recall

PHOENIX (AP) — The sponsor of Arizona's controversial immigration law faces a recall election after opponents collected more than 10,000 voter signatures.

County Elections Director Karen Osborne says her office is certifying that the petitions have 10,365 valid signatures of voters from state Sen. Russell Pearce's legislative district in the Phoenix suburb of Mesa.

They needed 7,756 signatures to force a recall election.

The secretary of state issued its own certification later Friday. It's now up to Gov. Jan Brewer to formally call for the election.

Pearce, a Republican, is best known for sponsoring immigration measures including the 2010 enforcement law known as SB1070. A judge has placed key provisions of that measure on hold while they're challenged in court.

Cut-Deficit Drive Stings Beekeepers

CAMBRIDGE, Iowa Beekeeper Leroy Kellogg is buzzing mad.

For years, imported honey has been flowing into the UnitedStates from China and other countries, depressing the prices thatKellogg and other beekeepers are able to earn from the market.

And now a second sting could be on the way from the Clintonadministration's drive to cut the federal deficit.

The administration's budget plan would wipe out the honeysupport program. While other federal farm programs would be trimmed,the honey program is the only farm program that would be eliminated.

The administration says cutting the program is a way to chopseveral million dollars out of the federal budget without hurtingmany farmers. But to commercial beekeepers such as Kellogg, it'snothing less than a potential death blow to the domestic beekeepingbusiness.

"Without the program, a guy like me would be out of business,"said Kellogg, who runs Spencer's Apiary Inc. in Cambridge and sellshoney in central Iowa supermarkets. "Without it, we can't competewith imports."

"The U.S. Beekeeper is at Risk!" screamed a headline in arecent American Beekeeping Federation newsletter. The national grouphas been swarming around Washington, knocking on doors, bending earsand doing everything it can to save the honey price support program.

One of their points is that beekeeping benefits a lot of otherfarmers besides those who sell honey, said John Johnson, a beekeeperin Ames, Iowa. Beside producing honey, bees pollinate a large numberof crops, especially fruits and nuts, he said.

"The value of the pollination is tens of million of dollars.That's an essential point in this," he said.

There's no question the honey price support program is barely aspeck in the billions of dollars the government spends each year tosupport farm commodity prices. For fiscal 1993, the estimated costof the program is $14 million, down sharply from the $100 millionspent in 1988. But that's bee-sized compared to more than $4 billion the government estimates it will shell out oncorn price supports or the nearly $2 billion for the cotton program.

Yet the new administration says the honey program is expendable.The Clinton administration's budget blueprint says the honey programbenefits a relatively small percentage of the nation's beekeepers,said Dennis Kaplan of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's office ofprogram analysis. It also says that pollination is not a reason tokeep the honey support program because the fruit and nut growers cancontract with beekeepers to provide that service.

States that are big produce producers, California, Texas andFlorida, lead the nation in honey production, and there is also a bigoutput from the Dakotas and Minnesota.

While the collection season lasts only a few months, commercialbeekeeping is a year-round business, Kellogg said. The colonies mustbe checked every week to 10 days, and the bees must be fed corn syrupor sugar water to survive the winter.

If a lot of American beekeepers decide to shut down theircolonies, consumers could be left with only imported honey, Johnsonsaid. And they probably won't be happy with quality of the imports,he said.

"I've tasted some of it . . . it's awful," he said.

Icahn renews bid for Lions Gate after truce ends

Activist investor Carl Icahn declared an end to his brief truce with boutique film studio Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. on Tuesday, renewing his bid to take over the company and replace its board.

Icahn disclosed that he now controls 37.9 percent of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.'s shares. He has amassed enough of a stake that it could be difficult for the company's management to make major decisions without his OK.

And he said he will launch another tender offer for the stake he doesn't own, this time dropping his offer price by 50 cents to $6.50 per share. Icahn's latest bid values the company at about $767.7 million, based on the number of shares the company had outstanding as of June 1. It would cost him $476.7 million to buy up what he doesn't own.

Lions Gate shares fell more than 15 percent in the weeks after Icahn's previous tender offer expired, closing at $6.03 on Monday. The stock jumped 45 cents, or 7.5 percent, to $6.48 in morning trading, after the new offer was announced.

Icahn said the offer is conditioned on Lions Gate avoiding any major transaction outside the normal course of business. The company has been considering a bid for the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. film studio, a move Icahn opposes.

Icahn and Lions gate announced a 10-day truce beginning July 9 to give the two sides time to discuss acquisition options. That period ended Monday and apparently did not provide any breakthrough or improved relations.

In a statement Tuesday, Icahn said the company's management and board are refusing to let shareholders have a say in the company's future. As a result, Icahn said again that he will nominate his own slate of directors to replace the company's board.

Lions Gate released a brief statement saying only that it will consider Icahn's latest offer and make a recommendation to shareholders "promptly."

Lions Gate has pointed out that the majority of its investors have spurned Icahn's previous attempts to take control of the company.

It introduced a shareholder rights program, also referred to as a "poison pill," earlier this month to prevent a hostile takeover. The plan would allow other shareholders to buy extra shares at a discount in case of a hostile bid, which would dilute the stake of any hostile buyer.

Lions Gate is the studio behind the Oscar-winning movie "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' By Sapphire." It also owns the TV Guide network and produces television shows, including "Weeds" and "Mad Men."

The company is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, but has most of its operations in Santa Monica, Calif.

Third presidential finalist visits Marshall: Candidate to visit university's campuses in South Charleston and Huntington

A third presidential candidate is visiting Marshall University.

Charles E. Kupchella, president of the University of North Dakota,and one of four finalists for the Marshall presidency, will visit theuniversity's South Charleston and Huntington campuses today andThursday.

Kupchella will be the third finalist to visit the university.

John W. Bardo, chancellor of Western Carolina University, visitedlast week, and Thomas R. Hanley, vice president and professor ofchemical engineering at Auburn University, also is visiting thisweek.

Stephen J. Kopp, special assistant to the chancellor with the OhioBoard of Regents, and former provost of Ohio University, visits laterthis week.

Interim president Michael Farrell says he is not a candidate forthe job permanently as a condition from when he took the interim job.

Kupchella was meeting with the Marshall Graduate College facultyand staff at 3:30 p.m. today and then attending a reception withcommunity leaders at the Marshall University President's House at1040 13th Ave. in Huntington from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Presidential search committee co-chairs A. Michael Perry and MenisKetchum said involvement of Marshall personnel, in both Huntingtonand South Charleston, and the community is important in the searchprocess.

"We hope everyone takes advantage of this opportunity to meet withDr. Kupchella and hear his views on higher education and MarshallUniversity," Perry said. "These meetings are an important part of thesearch process."

Kupchella has been president of the University of North Dakota,where enrollment last fall was 13,187, since 1999.

Since 1999, the university had completed nearly $450 million inbuilding projects, some on campus and some as joint ventures withpublic and private partners.

Before going to North Dakota, Kupchella was provost and professorof biology at Southeast Missouri State University from 1993 to 1999.He was dean of Ogden College of Science, Technology and Health atWestern Kentucky University from 1985 to 1993, and professor andchairman of the Department of Biological Sciences at Murray StateUniversity for six years before that.

He also served at the University of Louisville and BellarmineCollege in Louisville earlier in his career.

Trucking firm to auction terminals

Earlier this month, Consolidated Freightways Corp. held an auction at its terminal near Carlisle to sell its equipment and unclaimed freight. But if you missed that event, there's still time to own a piece of the bankrupt trucking firm.

By the end of this year, the business hopes to sell its two terminals in the midstate through auctions, said Mike Brown, a spokesman for the trucking company. The business had employed about 900 workers at those defunct terminals, which are in Middlesex Township, Cumberland County, and Manchester Township, York County.

Consolidated Freightways abruptly closed Sept. 2 - Labor Day - and laid off 15,500 workers. The Vancouver, Wash.-based company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Sept. 3. It closed 350 terminals in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The trucking firm is continuing to liquidate its assets.

Jack Shepley, a partner with the Industrial Properties Group at NAI/Commercial-Industrial Realty Co., predicted that Consolidated's two area terminals would sell quickly. His real estate marketing firm is in Wormleysburg.

Trucking firms typically struggle to secure land-development approvals from the municipalities in which they wish to build terminals, Shepley said. Residents often raise concerns that truck terminals bring traffic and noise. Many trucking firms in the region want to move to larger terminals, but they are unable or unwilling to because of the difficult process to get approvals, he said.

"When you have a trucking terminal that exists, it's a real positive," Shepley said. "I don't think they'll have a hard time selling those properties."

An executive at a midstate trucking firm was less sure.

Chris Peters, vice president of operations at Carlisle Carrier Corp., said relatively few trucking firms would be able to use Consolidated's two area terminals.

The buildings were designed for Consolidated, which is a "less than truckload," or LTL, carrier. The business delivers goods that fill less than a truckload. Such carriers require multiple dock doors at their terminals because they receive goods from several trucks. Truckload carriers, which deliver full truckloads, do not need many dock doors.

Relatively few LTL carriers do business in Central Pennsylvania, Peters said. And a lot of the large ones that are capable of buying Consolidated's terminals already are in the region, he said. His truckload carrier is based in Hampden Township, Cumberland County. "The (Consolidated) terminal in Carlisle is in a spectacular spot, but only 10 companies could use it," Peters said.

The Middlesex Township terminal has 305 dock doors. The Manchester Township terminal has 124 dock doors. An average-sized trucking terminal in Central Pennsylvania has between 100 and 150 dock doors, said Jim Runk, president of the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association. His Camp Hill-based association represents trucking firms statewide.

In November, Consolidated began selling its 220 properties through auctions, The real estate has an appraised value of more than $400 million.

The company has sold 87 properties for $207 million, Brown said. That figure is 115 percent of the appraised value of those properties, he said. The trucking firm hopes to sell all of its properties by the end of this year, he said.

Consolidated places each property on the auction block after an interested buyer conducts due diligence studies on the real estate and bids for it, Brown said. That figure becomes the opening bid at the auction, he said.

Generally, Consolidated holds one auction per month, during which it sells between 10 and 20 properties, Brown said. The company held its most recent real estate auction June 18. The next such auction is scheduled for July 17.

The business has yet to determine when it will try to sell its terminals in Central Pennsylvania, Brown said. Representatives of Transportation Property Co., the company that Consolidated hired to market its real estate, could not be reached for comment. Transportation Property is based in Del Mar, Calif.