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WESTPORT -- A sun-draped afternoon, a glass of wine, and a sumptuous variety of appetizers.
You couldn't have had it much better than that yesterday as some 350 wine and food lovers discovered at the 4th Annual Celebrate Chardonnay festival at the Westport Rivers Vineyard and Winery.
The festival is to salute the Chardonnay grape, often called the Royal Grape of Grapes, and to support the concept of sustainable agriculture and preservation of the area's natural resources.
FALL RIVER, Mass. -- Thousands of people flocked to the city's waterfront yesterday to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of Fall River Celebrates America, an annual festival that has grown into one of the largest and most anticipated happenings of the summer.
By Susan Pawlak-Seaman, Standard-Times staff writer
NEW BEDFORD -- A video crew from French television one week, a team from a Boston station the next. Factor in a 7 percent increase in visitors thus far this year and you get a sense of what's happening at one of the city's oldest tourist attractions.
Simply put, it's no longer your father's Whaling Museum.
Under the direction of Anne B. Brengle, who this month marks her second anniversary at the helm, the museum has been charting a new course. While some physical changes have been made -- with more in store -- the difference is also in philosophy.
By William Corey, Standard-Times staff writer
CAMBRIDGE -- It was more than two years ago when Cambridge officials first took a stand against the spread of AIDS by adopting a needle exchange program.
Although it had the support of the mayor, the city manager and even police brass -- support New Bedford's needle plan lacks -- allowing known drug addicts to legally carry hypodermic needles and other drug paraphernalia took some getting used to.
"In the beginning, some people were arrested and their cards were confiscated," said David Lopez, a Cambridge Cares About AIDS staff worker who helps run the needle exchange program in a city world-renowned for its higher institutions of learning. "The most difficult obstacle was to have the community recognize that it was not going to be negative for the community."
By David Levesque, Standard-Times staff writer
NEW BEDFORD -- The event's mission was AIDS awareness.
One by one, people impacted by the virus -- whether themselves a carrier or maybe the loved one of a victim -- took to the small stage at Buttonwood Park yesterday to send that message.
During five hours of speeches and pleas for understanding, there were 30 seconds of silence that summed it up.
"It's a moment of silence for the people who we lost over this year," Gerald S. Ribeiro, a champion for AIDS prevention, told a crowd of more than 150.
By Keith Regan, Standard-Times staff writer
WAREHAM -- Call it a not-so-modest proposal.
David Blackwell envisions the town running a hotel and convention center, capturing tourist business and lining itself up to capitalize if an Indian gaming casino comes to New Bedford.
The fast-talking Wareham resident brought his idea to selectmen this week, calling it a way to "make a lot of money."
By Paul Gately, Standard-Times correspondent
ACUSHNET -- If Hollywood ever decides to make American Graffiti East, the Acushnet Wheelers can provide the cars -- and more.
The car club holds Cruise Nights from May to September. Members gather on Sundays at The Highlander.
The gatherings are scenes out of the early 1960s -- complete with music. The oldies never stop. "Blue Moon." "Mona Lisa." "Peggy Sue." "Hot Rod Lincoln." "Let's Go, Little Darling." "Barbara Ann."
St. Aidan's summertime chapel
Keeping the Sabbath can be like a day at the beach. Or, you might say, "should be." And you will know it "could be" if ever you start your day at worship in a summertime chapel.
By Paul Gately, Standard-Times correspondent
ACUSHNET -- Russell Memorial Library remains a busy -- if inadequate -- place.
Circulation has tripled and operating hours have doubled in the past few years. Space, however, is at a premium, especially when youngsters descend or when eight to 10 adults try to sit and read. There is no elbow room.
By Ben Dobbin, Associated Press writer
ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- The nationwide search for a 4-year-old girl with dimples and waist-length blond hair who vanished from outside her front door ended with the arrest of a man who lived 100 yards away.
Police said security guard Mark Christie confessed to strangling Kali Poulton on the night of her disappearance in May 1994 from a secluded housing estate in Pittsford, a Rochester suburb.
Hours after he was charged with second-degree murder, police found a badly decomposed body in a 30,000-gallon water tank that they drained early yesterday. An autopsy was performed, but DNA tests may be needed to make a conclusive identity.
RUSSELL, Kan. -- A beaming Bob Dole introduced his running mate to a boisterous hometown rally yesterday, and Jack Kemp graciously accepted the uphill challenge facing the Republican ticket.
"Our goal is not just to win but to be worthy of winning," Mr. Kemp said.
"These are two four-letter words you can teach your children: Dole-Kemp," Mr. Dole told a crowd of several thousand in front of the courthouse where he began his political career four decades ago as county attorney.
Mr. Kemp returned the compliment, saying the GOP presidential candidate had "unfurled our banner of growth and opportunity and hope and cultural renewal ... We have a great mission for a great cause."
The two candidates stood triumphantly with their wives, Elizabeth Dole and Joanne Kemp, on a platform in front of a huge American flag. The Russell High School band played patriotic music, red, white and blue balloons filled the air and fireworks rocked Main Street. Small American flags on parachutes descended from the bursts.
By Trudy Tynan, Associated Press writer
SPRINGFIELD -- When dairy farmer Chip Hager signed up for a new state program to preserve farms and farmland, he figured he had two choices.
"We were at the point financially where it was either go out of business or do something different," said Mr. Hager, of Colrain.
The aim of the program -- in which farmers lease the development rights to their land for five to 10 years, in return for the help of experts in farm diversification and management -- is to buy time for hard-pressed family farmers to get back on their feet without selling off their land.
As part of the program, Mr. Hager is leasing for 10 years and $40,000 the development rights to 750 acres of farmland near the Vermont border that have been in his family for 100 years.
BOSTON -- Massachusetts Republicans head to the GOP convention in San Diego this weekend united in their support of Bob Dole for president but split over the contentious issue of abortion.
The state's delegation, traditionally one of the most unified and liberal at party conventions, this year comprises a core of conservatives who want to push the GOP to the right. Their presence has fueled weeks of political infighting that has left many party regulars at odds with Gov. William F. Weld, especially over the abortion issue.
Despite the rift, local Republicans go to San Diego hopeful that by next January Mr. Dole will occupy the White House and Republicans will have seized nearly half of Massachusetts' seats in Congress.
NEW YORK -- When the Ethics Resource Center in Washington, D.C., surveyed 100,000 American workers, it found that about one in three employees witnessed behavior on the job that either violated their company's code of conduct or broke the law.
Among the transgressions: 56 percent saw employees lying to supervisors; 41 percent viewed records being falsified; and 35 percent observed stealing. Such misconduct, in addition to raising serious moral questions, takes a huge financial toll on businesses: Occupational fraud costs U.S. firms $400 billion a year, according to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.
Given these statistics, it's no surprise that many companies -- and the individuals who fill their halls and factories -- are becoming increasingly concerned with business ethics.
By Katie Fairbank, Associated Press writer
IRVING, Texas -- Boone Pickens, who used Mesa Inc. to lead some of the most notorious takeover bids of the 1980s, is moving on, retiring after four decades with his beloved oil and gas company.
Mr. Pickens says he won't be looking back -- there'll be no regrets when he leaves the nation's largest independent natural gas producer, which he founded with a $2,500 stake and used for the hostile takeover attempts that made him famous and sometimes hated.
By Victoria Brett, Associated Press writer
PORTLAND, Maine -- With a name like Penobscot Blend, it sounds like a hip new coffee concoction from a gourmet roaster.
And with ingredients like Atlantic salmon, Maine mussels and blueberries, you may not believe that this fancy feast is nothing more than designer dirt for your garden's consumption.
"People always ask me `Uh, am I supposed to eat this?"' said Carlos Quijano, a former investment banker who came up with the idea for the gourmet compost and now heads Coast of Maine Organic Products Inc., which sells it.
NEW YORK -- For most of the 1990s, retailers have waited for U.S. consumers to shed the miserly habits of the last recession and start spending again. A leading Wall Street economist said last week the wait may be as long as 25 years.
The problem, said Donald H. Straszheim, chief economist for Merrill Lynch & Co., is demographics. The retail industry boomed when the 76 million postwar baby boomers were in their thirties and forties, the prime spending years. Now they are moving into their fifties and saving money for their retirement condos in Florida.
NEW YORK -- Tax-cut proposals make clever politics. Can they make sense too?
The answer to that question distills into one vast issue an entire approach to government: Whether society's needs are best handled through Washington or dealt with through the private sector?
WASHINGTON -- The size of the American farm is increasing as the family farm of yesteryear passes from the landscape.
The Census Bureau reports that farms with sales of $100,000 or more increased sixfold over a quarter century, from 51,995 in l969 to 333,865 in 1992.
At the same time, the number of farms dropped from 2.7 million to 1.9 million, according to the report released Monday.
It's a disturbing trend, said Bill Christison, whose farm outside Chillicothe, Mo., has about $300,000 in sales. Farms can no longer survive if they are too small.
The clients at Friendly Harbor in Fairhaven take pride in their "home away from home." After 10 years of meeting in a club basement, they have moved into a new building that's wonderfully light and airy, on Sconticut Neck Road, next to the Chowder House. They have plenty of lawn, a patio and a charming fish pond.
They landscaped the pond themselves -- with help. And today they are going to stock it with fish.
Couples who "dump" on each other may find that such displaced anger can ruin a relationship.
Dumping involves rerouting anger from its proper place, and according to psychologist Carol Kops of Westport, Conn., it can lead to a fight that has nothing to do with the real issues troubling the couple.
The nasty words mask deeper feelings that both are afraid to discuss.
The 1970s gave us pet rocks and Farrah haircuts.
The decade brought the end of the Vietnam War and a surge in the women's movement. Watergate and hostages in Iran. Eight-track tapes and "The Godfather." Long lines at the gas pump. The Bicentennial. Ecology. Like any decade, the '70s was chock full of tragedy and frivolity, of struggles and progress.
So why is it that when you say "'70s," people immediately think "DISCO!"
MILWAUKEE -- Pitching. Defense. Key home runs.
Those are three things that pennant winners are made of, and the Red Sox seem to have realized that -- too late it seems.
Last night in Milwaukee, Jeff Frye hit his seventh homer in 948 major league at-bats, Tim Wakefield was sharp for the second straight start and all four Boston infielders made spectacular plays to rob the Brewers of hits.
The end result? A 3-2 win, the ninth in the last 11 for the Sox.
The Sox are now 56-61, five games behind second-place Baltimore in the American League East and eight games behind the White Sox for the wild-card spot.
NEW YORK -- For the first time in their 3½-year labor war, baseball players and owners said yesterday an agreement is in sight.
Negotiators began meeting at 10 a.m. Friday and the talks turned into a series of round-the-clock sessions that continued until 8:30 p.m. last night.
The lawyers, exhausted from about 35 hours of nearly non-stop talks and caucuses, recessed until midday today. Both sides sounded upbeat.
The worst loss in Miami Heat history can be blamed on the coach.
Hard to believe, but so is life on Mars.
Pat Riley went on a free-agent shopping spree, and when he exceeded his budget, it cost the team Juwan Howard.
The loss reverses the direction of a franchise that was on the verge of becoming a major force in the NBA, and it may take years for the Heat to recover.
NEW BEDFORD -- At 28, Marc Dubois of Woonsocket, R.I., isn't ready to become just another former champ.
He had won the Compass Bank Tennis Class A championship three times, but none since 1992. Until yesterday.
The three-time champ became the four-time champ yesterday, combining off-speed shots with a strong serve-and-volley game to upset local favorite and defending champion Alex Howard of South Dartmouth, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, under a scorching sun at Buttonwood Park.
The worst loss in Miami Heat history can be blamed on the coach.
It's hard to believe, but so is life on Mars.
Pat Riley went on a free-agent shopping spree, and when he exceeded his budget, it cost the team Juwan Howard.
The loss reverses the direction of a franchise that was on the verge of becoming a major force in the NBA, and it may take years for the Heat to recover.
MARION -- It was 50 years ago, yet the images and the radio play-by-play of the 1946 World Series are hard to forget for veteran Red Sox fans.
Johnny Pesky holding the ball as St. Louis' Enos Slaughter made his famous sprint home to win the series is a standout.
But for Dom DiMaggio, the Sox' star center fielder, it was a play the inning earlier that he'll remember.
DEL MAR, Calif. -- It was a day for mixed emotions.
The upset victory over Cigar by Dare and Go in the Pacific Classic at Del Mar even left the winning jockey a little unhappy.
"We're glad to have won," said Alex Solis, "but it was kind of sad. Cigar was kind of a hero for us on the racetrack."
Cigar's second-place finish snapped a 16-race winning streak and kept him tied with Citation for the longest victory string by a North American-based horse this century.
Link to the: Dole '96 Web Site
This being Republican National Convention week, I thought it would be fun to go online at my employer's expense and visit the Bob Dole for President web site on the Internet, otherwise known as the Get A Life Computer Time-Killer.
But this was no waste of time, no sir. Bob Dole for President, Inc. has sunk a ton of money into what they call the first-ever interactive political web site. It sure is snazzy, by which I mean it has lots of snazz, by which it means that it looks like the Republicans have spent a lot of money on it.
When Bob Dole said he was looking for a "10" as a running mate and had decided on an "11," he may have been exactly right. Former Congressman Jack Kemp fixes so many problems for Mr. Dole, and answers so many questions, that tapping him for vice president may have few drawbacks -- or none at all.
For one thing, Mr. Kemp is just 61 and looks younger. That takes some of the edge off the age issue, one that made 73-year-old Mr. Dole's choice of a possible successor all the more important.
For another thing, Mr. Kemp remains an articulate defender of Reaganomics, or supply-side economics, and is a champion of the 15 percent across-the-board tax cut proposed by Mr. Dole. If Mr. Dole, the lifetime deficit hawk, can't be taken seriously as a gung-ho tax-cutter, Mr. Kemp can, and he'll sell the idea once again the way he's been selling it to audiences on the lecture circuit (in the manner of pre-presidential Ronald Reagan.)
By Robert Lovinger, Standard-Times staff writer
Tonight, you and the family head to the multiplex. Between admisssion, food and drink, you're light $43 before the coming attractions hit the screen.
That's a significant chunk of change, but you may be surprised to learn that for the most part, the cost of movie tickets hasn't risen locally for five years.
In fact, if you take inflation into account, nationwide it's actually cheaper to go to the movies today than it was in 1971.
Q: I am considering installing a whole house fan to use in the evening instead of my air conditioner. Will using one really save much electricity overall? What is the best design and features to get? - U. G.
By Paul Gately, Standard-Times correspondent
The traditional front yard of the redwood Cape with the grape-purple door in Fairhaven offers no hints about the delights out back in "The Garden of Weeden.''
"It all started with the digging of a little water hole,'' Patricia Brown said. "I thought we'd mound up the site around our new fish pond and put in a few plants to make it all look natural. We just kept going ... and going.''
Good fences may make good neighbors, but there's nothing like a lawsuit to iron out a dispute with the folks next door. Branches overhanging into your yard? Call your lawyer. Treetops obscuring that million-dollar view? Tell the zoning board. Boundary line laid a foot on the wrong side? Sue.
While there are no reliable national figures on neighbor-to-neighbor legal disputes, lawyers and town officials see an increase in complaints that can poison relationships and tarnish life in a dream home, not to mention consume thousands and thousands of dollars in legal bills.
Major Noodle is a $650 chair made out of corrugated cardboard sanded to a velvety finish.
By Barbara Mayer, For The Associated Press
At the supermarket checkout, the clerk often asks, "Plastic or paper?"
The same question could be asked in furniture stores, not as a wrap of choice but as tables, chairs, even beds.
Cardboard furniture and woven paper fiber rugs have joined a plethora of synthetics as new market entries. Woven paper upholstery fabric and wall coverings are in the works.
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