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By David Levesque, Standard-Times staff writer
Whether he's dining at the Mattapoisett Inn or buying milk at the Marion General Store, the gray-haired gentleman with steel-rimmed glasses is not one to stick out in a crowd.
But say his name and heads turn.
"I'm one of the most unimpressive people around until I'm introduced. Say 'Dom DiMaggio' and people are totally shocked," says the former Boston Red Sox great who summers in Marion.
NEW BEDFORD -- Several local businesses have teamed up to provide area residents with answers to their recycling questions.
New Bedford's Acushnet Rubber Co. and Aerovox, along with the Fairhaven-based Nye Lubricants, are sponsoring E-Call, a statewide toll-free number that provides information about local communities' recycling programs.
Grants from the Acushnet Rubber Co. and Aerovox are enabling E-Call to include New Bedford's recycling information on their recorded message. Support from Nye Lubricants, Inc. is funding the service for Fairhaven, Marion and Mattapoisett.
WAREHAM -- Her friends have started calling her the electronic Grandma Moses.
Grace Campia first took up electronic "painting" -- with a mouse and computer screen instead of a brush and canvas -- about two years ago. She was 74 at the time.
"I got a computer to keep up with my grandchildren. I tried to teach myself the word processing program," she recalled. "I'd get stuck and while I was waiting to get help, I'd go into the paintbrush and play around."
The playing has developed into a passion for Ms. Campia.
NEW BEDFORD -- Bertha breezed by a few weeks back and right now, at least, the tropics look pretty tame.
Officials of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) say it's the perfect time to be talking about hurricanes.
From 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday
at New Bedford High School, representatives of MEMA, the National Weather Services and others with a special interest in tropical topics will be doing exactly that.
As chance would have it, I was reading Gilles Kepel's "The Revenge of God" on the day "First Things" (August/September) arrived in the mail. "Revenge" is a scholarly, unsettling examination of separate but ultimately linked eruptions in religious revivalism around the globe since the 1960s. The author, a French researcher and teacher of religion, reveals a special fascination with American fundamentalists and evangelicals.
By Susan Pawlak-Seaman, Standard-Times staff writer
MARION -- Dappled, gray, white or chestnut, dozens of majestic mares, geldings and prancing ponies filled Washburn Park yesterday.
But make no mistake. There was absolutely no horsing around.
Their nearly 60 young riders, members of Mattapoisett's 4-H Tails and Trails and other Southeastern Massachusetts and South Shore horse clubs, made sure of that as they firmly took the reigns for the local club's annual show.
So Joe Mac wants to give Tommy Finneran a heart attack. Or something.
Rep. Joseph McIntyre, the New Bedford Democrat, stood for three hours Wednesday and yelled at the speaker of the state House of Representatives at nearly every chance, like this: "Mr. Speaker! Mr. Speaker! Mr. Speaker!"
Rep. Finneran paid little attention -- on the surface -- to Rep. McIntyre, who on the last day of the legislative session had a showdown with the man who is supposed to be the leader of the same party.
With a certain joie de vivre (joy of life, enthusiasm), the House voted Thursday en masse (all together, collectively) to declare English the official language of the U.S. government for the first time.
"Part of becoming American involves English," House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., said. "It is vital historically to assert and establish that English is the common language at the heart of our civilization."
Bravo! (said in praise of a performance)
I couldn't have said it better. But we've heard it all before.
In the words of a great American, Yogi Berra: it's deja vu (already seen) all over again.
And I couldn't agree more with the Republican House's modus operandi (method of working) on such a truly important au courant (up-to-date) issue that addresses our real problems in America.
PRESCOTT, Ariz. -- At first, they thought it was a baby doll. Burned and blackened, covered still by bits of red, white and blue baby outfit, it sat upright with stiff arms outstretched toward the desert sky, as if it were reaching to the heavens.
Alan Kessler saw it first, amid an old busted-up TV and some other trash in a ravine in the southeast corner of the sprawling Orme Ranch. He rode by and was almost up the other side of the ravine when his son, J.B., riding behind him, cried out.
"Dad, it's a baby."
WASHINGTON -- Defense Secretary William Perry said yesterday he expects more terrorist attacks against U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf, and has therefore ordered about 700 military dependents and their school-age children to leave Saudi Arabia.
"We see our military forces in Saudi Arabia under terrorist attack," Mr. Perry told a group of defense writers. "We expect more terrorist attacks."
Accordingly, he said, U.S. forces throughout the region remain on the highest state of alert, more than 4,000 troops are being moved to a remote site south of the Saudi capital of Riyadh, and spouses and children will no longer be allowed to accompany most Defense Department personnel working in Saudi Arabia.
"We are taking very extensive measures to protect our military personnel," Mr. Perry said in an interview in his Pentagon offices.
EDITOR'S NOTE -- In a rural region of Ohio, millions of chickens are dutifully laying eggs to stock supermarket shelves. But there's an unwanted byproduct coming out of these giant egg farms, local residents contend. Flies. After an unusually wet spring, swarms of flies are causing many of the local folk to pack up and get out.
By Mitch Weiss, Associated Press writer
MOUNT VICTORY, Ohio -- Life used to be good for Larry Harder, a corn and soybean farmer who also raises cattle.
After a hard day's work on the farm he loves, Mr. Harder would head to the barn to check on his cattle. He'd take along his sons -- Jim, 14, and Phil, 16. The barn became a place for the three to unwind and catch up.
Mr. Harder doesn't spend much time in his barn anymore. He doesn't spend much time outdoors, he says, not since AgriGeneral Company L.P. opened an egg farm near his home.
Photo by The Associated Press
EAST MORICHES, N.Y. -- Divers in the TWA Flight 800 recovery effort mined a mother lode of wreckage yesterday, retrieving a huge double-decker chunk of the plane -- complete with seats, windows, even a coffee pot.
"It's a pretty graphic piece of evidence," National Transportation Safety Board Vice Chairman Robert Francis said at a briefing. "Wires dangling off, seats attached, pieces of galley, a coffee pot on the deck, almost everything that you can imagine."
The 40-by-60-foot piece of airplane -- 15 windows long -- was brought ashore by barges only hours after several other large, recognizable sections of fuselage were unloaded -- one with the red-and-white TWA markings clearly visible.
ATLANTA -- FBI agents took hair samples and fingerprints from security guard Richard Jewell yesterday, but were turned down by his lawyer when they asked to make a tape recording of his voice.
Mr. Jewell was in his apartment throughout the day, and investigators would not comment after coming out an hour later carrying only a small white trash bag.
Later, Mr. Jewell's lawyer, Watson Bryant, said, "They came in to get some hair samples and some fingerprints."
"We believe in giving them whatever the hell they want so they'll get out of our lives," Mr. Bryant said in a telephone interview.
By The Associated Press
PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- Former Boston Red Sox manager Butch Hobson, accused of possessing cocaine, reportedly admitted in court documents that he had used the drug.
In a signed statement obtained by The Pawtucket Times, Hobson said he received cocaine from a high school friend in an overnight package that arrived May 4. The package was sent to a motel where he was staying as manager of the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre Red Barons of the International League.
If convicted, Hobson faces up to three years in jail and a $5,000 fine.
BOSTON -- Avoid the long lines by going online.
Starting Monday, the Registry of Motor Vehicles will allow its 4.2 million customers to pay their speeding tickets and renew their car registrations via the World Wide Web.
"Our goal is to never have to see another customer again," said registry spokesman Aubrey Haznar.
STROUDSBURG, Pa. -- They're out there waiting for you to slip.
They're at busy airport terminals or malls watching you dial the phone. They look over your shoulder at the automated teller machines. They examine your mail or garbage.
Maybe not every day. Maybe not every moment.
But they only need one opportunity.
WAUWATOSA, Wis. -- Like many companies that have laid off workers, Briggs & Stratton Corp. has had its share of bad publicity. And the small-engine maker -- once the Milwaukee area's largest industrial employer -- has grudgingly accepted the media attacks.
But now the gloves have come off. Stung by what it calls an "extraordinarily mean-spirited and defamatory attack," the company and three officials have filed a $30 million libel and invasion-of-privacy lawsuit.
The target? The National Catholic Reporter.
By Patricia O'Connor, Standard-Times business editor
NEW BEDFORD -- For two weeks, the eyes of the world have been focused on Atlanta's Olympic Stadium and the Georgia Dome, venues that showcased the skill and endurance of the world's track and field athletes and the grit and determination of a petite American gymnast.
The employees of New Bedford's AFC Cable Systems had reason to feel a particular sense of pride as they watched the centennial Olympic games. Electrical cable created by AFC was used to supply power for those two facilities.
STROUDSBURG, Pa. -- You'd spot a swindle a mile away, right? No way you'd be suckered. Unfortunately, that's what many fraud victims think -- until they get taken.
There are millions of pitches and scams, all with the common goal of separating you from your money. Protecting yourself begins by being informed, which is why the U.S. Consumer Information Center offers a package of four publications alerting you to a variety of swindles, helping give you an edge on the con artist.
Over the years, my friend from New York and I have shared our lives, often through letters. We have known each other since we were 4-years-old and have a powerful connection -- our coming of age together, our shared history.
Our letters are full of magic and despair, like our adolescence, and more than a few of our sentiments go against the modern grain: Weren't we lucky to have grown up without computers? we giggle.
By Gretchen Fehrenbacher
Standard-Times staff writer
It's taken 104 years, but followers of the notorious Lizzie Borden tomorrow finally will get to peer behind the doors where the Fall River woman's father and stepmother were hacked to death in a case that continues to captivate armchair sleuths the world over.
Visitors, in fact, will be able to spend the night in one of the murder rooms -- and eat their eggs and sausage in the dining room where autopsies were conducted on the corpses. When the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast Museum opens at 92 Second St., Fall River, it will be the first time the house has opened to the public since the ghastly murders were committed on Aug. 4, 1892. Tours will be offered, as well.
On good days, Susan Moskowitz dreams of being the next Mrs. Fields. On bad days, she has nightmares of bankrupting her family.
A 50-year-old California mother and budding food entrepreneur, she is the founder and embodiment of Mrs. Moskowitz's Munchies, a kosher, natural-food snack made with nuts, honey, dried fruit and matzoh.
Comic George Carlin used to say there were seven words you couldn't say on television, but Bob Goodenow and Donald Fehr would insist that there are two that should never be said together in collective bargaining: salary and cap.
To these heads of professional players associations, no expression or combination of cuss words could be more obscene. A couple of years ago, the executive director of the NHL Players Association, Goodenow dug in his heals against a league that seemed prepared to torch a season to get a -- cover your ears -- salary cap.
By Rob Gloster, Associated Press writer
ATLANTA -- "Where Is Carl?"
The sign, held aloft by a fan at Olympic Stadium, posed the question of the evening.
Answer: Watching the men's 400-meter relay from a VIP suite high above the track, where the Lewis-less U.S. men suffered their first outright loss in Olympic history last night.
In a decision sure to be second-guessed for years to come, Lewis was passed over for a spot on the relay team in favor of a little-known, first-time Olympian.
Outcome: Canada winds up with a stunning victory; the United States finishes second.
BOSTON -- It's somehow fitting that in this upside-down, disappointment-filled season, the Red Sox could walk away from yesterday's day-night doubleheader split with the Minnesota Twins feeling more hopeful about the game which they lost.
After the Sox disposed of the Twins with relative ease, 5-3, in the afternoon game, the Sox were blanked, 6-0 in the nightcap.
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The optimist says the Patriots won the part that really mattered, the first half.
The pessimist says the Green Bay Packers won the game.
The optimist says quarterback Drew Bledsoe of the Pats looked sharp in completing 11 of his 12 pass attempts for 140 yards, the last of which was a 41-yard touchdown strike to Vincent Brisby that belongs on a highlight tape.
By Chris Sheridan, Associated Press writer
ATLANTA -- Maybe it was fear of the greatest upset and embarrassment in Olympic history that finally motivated the Dream Team.
The United States got a scare from Yugoslavia for the first 30 minutes of the gold medal men's basketball game Saturday night before pulling away for a 95-69 victory.
The Dreamers, led by David Robinson's 28 points and seven rebounds, made the United States the first repeat gold medalist in men's basketball since the American teams of 1964 and 1968.
By Steven Wine, Associated Press writer
STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. -- With no sweat and a couple of tears, Andre Agassi became a gold medalist yesterday.
The second-generation Olympian overwhelmed Sergi Bruguera of Spain 6-2, 6-3, 6-1, then succumbed to the emotion of the victory on the medal stand.
By Doug Chapman, New England Sports Service
FOXBORO -- In a game that had a little bit of everything, including the bizarre, the New England Revolution up-ended the New York/New Jersey MetroStars, 2-1, winning the shootout, 3-2, at Foxboro Stadium yesterday.
"We would have liked to have had all three points," said Revolution coach Frank Stapleton, "but the important thing is we still came out with a point (for winning the shootout)."
New England improved to 11-10 overall, but still trails the 10-11 MetroStars by 3 points for third place in the MLS Eastern Conference standings. The Revolution are 6-2 in shootouts; NY/NJ is 3-1 in extra sessions.
New Bedford City Councilor Thomas Hodgson is doing the city no favors by trying to force a referendum on the question of needle exchange. His delaying tactic only threatens to prolong and worsen the AIDS epidemic in this city while draining our attention away from other issues -- up to and including treatment for drug addicts who are seeking help.
Mr. Hodgson contends that he wants the city to pursue other methods, such as treatment and education.
Semenya McCord almost called her just-released, first-ever CD, "Don't Ever Doubt It." That's the name of the album's first cut, a song she wrote 20 years ago.
But time after time, when she told people she was finally making her first record, the reaction was, "Good for you!"
Eventually, she got the message and ended up titling the album, "Good for Me!"
SAN FRANCISCO -- There was a day not so long ago when Hollywood scouts wouldn't be caught filling seats at a lesbian and gay film festival.
Now it's schmooze city as such festivals gain stature as marketing tools and sources of new films and directing talent -- not unlike Robert Redford's Sundance Festival has done in the past few years.
By Karin Winegar, Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune
We strike at twilight, at dawn and at midday.
There are 14 of us, making up a movement that has the typical guerrilla elements of semi-secrecy, a hunger for justice and a passion to make the world -- or just that empty ground over there -- a better place.
By Paul Gately, Standard-Times correspondent
Holly Graybill Tolley is a muralist who works at home in an apple-green house with black shutters and a winding stairway leading to a set of raspberry-colored doors.
Obviously, she knows her colors. What some might say are outrageous blends, she routinely applies to walls -- with paint and pleasing results.
By Chris Casson Madden, Scripps Howard News service
Your foyer or entrance way provides visitors to your home a first impression of you, your family and your lifestyle.
No matter how small this space may be, a little creativity and attention to detail can make your foyer one of the main attractions in your home and a welcoming space for visitors.
Q: My house needs more wall insulation, but I do not want to lose any floor space. The exterior looks bad and needs work too. How effective is adding exterior insulation with the new stucco-like finish? - F. S.
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