Inside Report



WASHINGTON — President Bush reached out to the famously contentious Republican Sen.-elect Tom Coburn of Oklahoma to congratulate him on being elected and to seek his support. The response was somewhat barbed. “Tom,” said the president, “I’d appreciate your help.” Coburn, a conservative who often clashed with the party leadership during his six years in the House (1995-2000), replied: “Mr. […]

It might play music, but it’s still just a hard drive



“What’s an iPod?” Somebody asked me that a few days ago. I couldn’t believe they didn’t know.“Are you serious?” I queried back. Turns out they were. “Isn’t that a hard drive or something?” they wanted to know. At first I thought about telling him that it is a device designed for portable music purposes. It’s supposed to be the ultimate […]

Have You Considered …

Prepare for life

My friend Linda told me of a wonderful week she and her husband had enjoyed in Cancun, Mexico. “But, there were some unexpected events,” she said laughing loudly. She continued: “One evening after dinner we were walking around the pool area. There was a wading walkway containing several inches of water around the pool. I removed my shoes, held up […]

Cartoon



Rebels kill 17 Iraqis working for coalition forces



Associated Press Writer BAGHDAD, Iraq — Gunmen ambushed a bus full of Iraqis working for the U.S. military, killing 17 civilians and wounding 13 in Tikrit on Sunday, while a car bomb and a gun attack killed four members of the Iraqi security forces elsewhere in northern Iraq. The violence was the latest in a string of deadly attacks targeting […]

Carolina Ledger

BMW to shut down production at Greer for two months

GREENVILLE, S.C. — BMW Manufacturing Corp. will shut down production at its Greer plant for about two months next year while the company converts its operations from two assembly lines to one line, a company official said. There will be no layoffs among the plant’s 4,600 employees, BMW spokesman Bobby Hitt said. Suppliers have been notified, he said. The shutdown […]

The Edger



Sweet, sweet justice is served HARRISBURG, Pa. – Police followed a trail of doughnuts to find a stolen Krispy Kreme delivery truck. “It has a happy ending,” Swatara Township Sgt. Robert Simmonds said. “The evidence was brought back to the police station, and the cops are eating the doughnuts.” It was 12:45 a.m. Thursday when Krispy Kreme deliveryman Tim Trostle […]

Military recruiter says ruling will make it harder to lure best and brightest



AP Education Writer BOSTON — Maj. Rachel VanLandingham’s job sounds like one of the toughest in the military — persuading law school graduates to pass on high-paying private sector jobs and become Air Force judge advocates for about $40,000 a year. But VanLandingham, chief of recruiting for the Air Force Judge Advocate General Corps, says she often succeeds in luring […]