CURRENCY WARS — Fears of an emerging currency war flare as the euro hits $1.40 for the first time in eight months and the U.S. steps up pressure on China to let its currency rise.
HUNGARY-SLUDGE FLOOD
KOLONTAR, Hungary — Red sludge flows into the mighty Danube, threatening a half-dozen nations along one of Europe’s key waterways. Monitors take samples every hour to measure damage from the toxic spill of industrial waste and emergency officials declare one Hungarian tributary dead. There’s also encouraging news: The Danube is apparently absorbing the slurry with no immediate harm. By George Jahn.
AP photos, video.
PAKISTAN
KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — Two suspected suicide bombers attacked the most beloved Sufi shrine in Pakistan’s largest city Thursday, killing at least 10 people, wounding 65 others, and sending a stark reminder of the threat posed by Islamist militants to this U.S.-allied nation.
AFGHANISTAN
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Airstrikes and ground operations by NATO and Afghan troops killed dozens of insurgents, including a senior Taliban leader who spearheaded attacks against security forces, the alliance said Thursday as the war in Afghanistan entered its 10th year.Sixteen militants were killed in air raids and ground fighting overnight in the Darqad, Yangi Qala and Khwaja Bahawuddin districts of Takhar province, Gen. Shah Jahan Noori, provincial police chief, told The Associated Press. More than a dozen insurgents were wounded.
NOBEL LITERATURE
NEW YORK — The biggest surprise about Mario Vargas Llosa’s winning the Nobel prize is that it took so long. The 74-year-old author and political activist, a charter member of the Latin American “Boom” of the 1960s, has for decades been regarded as one of the world’s greatest writers, a masterful and provocative mixer of literature and social consciousness in his work and in his life.
NOBEL PEACE PRIZE
OSLO, Norway (AP) — Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo tops speculation for the Nobel Peace Prize — one betting site has already declared him the winner — though some experts expect a more low-key choice on Friday.
Two women are also hot candidates in this year’s Nobel buzz: Afghan women’s rights activist Sima Samar and Russian human rights activist Svetlana Gannushkina.
ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS
JERUSALEM — In the clearest sign that a deal may be emerging to keep the Mideast peace effort alive, a top Palestinian official says his side would accept a U.S. proposal for Israel to avoid new settlement construction for two months. The Israeli prime minister is placating hard-liners with a seemingly unrelated issue — a new loyalty oath to the Jewish state. By Josef Federman.
HONEYBEE QUESTIONS-SHOOTING
LOWELL, Ind. — Each case followed the same pattern: A disheveled man approached people in rural towns and asked nonsensical questions about honeybees — then he started shooting. One person has been killed and two wounded, and authorities have set off on a two-state manhunt to find a gunman some have dubbed “the Honeybee Shooter.” By Tom Coyne.
PHILADELPHIA-FLIGHT HALTED
Transportation security officials removed passengers from a Bermuda-bound flight Thursday at Philadelphia International Airport after reports that someone was helping to load the plane without a security badge.
IRAQ
BAGHDAD (AP) — Back-to-back bombings at a vegetable market south of Baghdad on Thursday afternoon killed at least five people, including a policeman who was searching for explosives, Iraqi security and medical officials said.
GULF OIL SPILL-LUCRATIVE LAWSUITS
MIAMI — More than 100 attorneys are scrapping for a chance to be the superstars representing Gulf of Mexico oil spill victims, seeking leadership roles and more of the money from what could be a multibillion-dollar gusher of litigation against BP and other companies. A judge in the next few days will pick the elite corps of about a dozen lawyers to represent thousands of fishermen, restaurateurs, hotel operators and property owners who say their lives were upended by the spill. By Curt Anderson.
1. MARCO RUBIO — Nuts and bolts story about his campaign event 4 p.m. Thursday at Barnes and Noble.
SHUMAKER w/ assigned art
2. RUBIO REACTION — I’m going to get crowd reaction at the Rubio rally Thursday at Barnes and Noble/Lake Sumter Landing. FORREST w/ assigned art
3. TEASE to PHOTO ESSAY INSIDE A
BOTTOM READ
ADVANCE ITALIAN FEST GOLF CART DECORATION — I’m going to talk with some people prepping for the Italianfest parades Friday. I’ll also include basic information. SHUMAKER w/ assigned art AND MAPS (NEED TO UPDATE), tease to ITALIAN-AMERICAN CLUB ADVANCE STORY.
A BOTTOM GRAPHIC
1. Ribbon
2. Today’s 5
3. Pop Culture
A INSIDE
BRIEFS PACKAGE — State Government News — DESK
ADVANCE — ITALIAN-AMERICAN CLUB — Talking to members of the club about the upcoming ItalianFest 4:45 p.m. Friday at both Town Squares. Forrest w/file art
• • • • • •
C SECTION
(8 pages; 1 full-page ads)
FULL-PAGE AD: C8
WEATHER: C2
C1 JUMP PAGE: C3
LOCAL: C4-C5
BUSINESS: C6-C7
C FRONT
CENTERPIECE
FANTASY OF FLIGHT POW — Local WWII veteran Jack Cheppo is going to appear on a panel at Fantasy of Flight Friday and Saturday for the attraction’s Living History Symposium Series. I’m going to talk with him about his story and his participation in this. SHUMAKER w/ assigned art
RAIL-RIGHT-TOP
MEDICARE — Humana’s recent decision to discontinue a popular Medicare plan used by many veterans in The Villages reinforces the message that all Medicare beneficiaries should begin reviewing their health plans during now in advance of the upcoming open enrollment period. CORDER w/breakout box - TEASE to MEDICARE SCAM
RAIL-RIGHT-BOTTOM
ADVANCE - TUSCANY DAY SPA HEAD-SHAVING EVENT — Tuscany Day Spa is hosting a head shaving event on Oct. 30 to raise funds for St. Baldrick’s which supports cancer patients. Patty Bonnie provides details. MOON w/breakout box
RAIL-LEFT
COLUMN - MARTHA MADDOX — “prepared” foods not always ready to eat. No art.
BOTTOM READ
PADDLE TENNIS DEMOS — Professionals from the American Platform Tennis Association will host clinics and demonstrations for Villages residents Wednesday at SeaBreeze Rec Center. I’ll talk with the pros, participants, and audience members about the opportunity to see some of the sport’s top athletes. SHUMAKER w/ assigned art
C BOTTOM GRAPHIC
1. Today in Villages History
2. Villager of the Day
3. Inside Today
C INSIDE
MUST RUNS
must run — OBITS - WILLIAMS - 17”
must run — AAC — The AAC met Wednesday for their regular meeting. I’m going to focus on the performing arts center angle — the developer is donating the Church on the Square/adjacent land to be renovated. SHUMAKER (no art)
must run — MEDICARE SCAM — SHINE officials have notified me of a medicare scam that involves someone posing as a medicare person asking cardholders to get their checkbook because they’ll be getting a special card in the mail. Talk to SHINE and Renico about this scam. BACKMAN w/ tip box
must run —BRIEF- MASTER GARDENER PLANT SALE — The Master Gardeners’ Fall Gathering Plant Sale will be held 8 a.m. to noon Saturday Oct. 9 at the Uf/IFAS office in Ocala. Items for sale include shade trees, fruit trees and more. MOON
LAW ENFORCEMENT NEWS
BRIEF — CPR CLASSES — The Villages District Public Safety Department has some CPR classes coming up. BACKMAN
BRIEF — SPAGHETTI DINNER — Marion County Sheriff’s Office is hosting a spaghetti dinner Oct. 8. The proceeds benefit youth programing. BACKMAN
BRIEF HIT AND RUN — There was a vehicle vs. pedestrian hit and run on Griffin and 441. The pedestrian had minor injuries. BACKMAN
BRIEF CHASE — Florida Highway Patrol made an arrest as the result of a high speed chase that was on I-75 in Marion/Sumter counties. BACKMAN
BUSINESS
RUBY_TUESDAY — Investors apparently anticipated good news from Ruby Tuesday as its stock price increased gradually over the past few days during trading on the New York Stock Exchange. And the Maryville, Tenn.-based restaurant chain, which operates an eatery in Spanish Springs Town Square, met their expectations late Wednesday evening with a positive earnings report. CORDER, with file art moved and Orton graphic
BUS-CALENDAR-DESK
TRI-COUNTY BRIEFS
BRIEF — DISARMING DIABETES - Villages’ resident Kae Borrero, who is also a nurse, will be presenting a 6-week seminar on disarming diabetes starting Nov. 8 at the Villages Public Library. TOLER
TRICOUNTY TODAY — 10”
TRICOUNTY BACKUP — 43”
IF SPACE IS AVAILABLE
BUFFALO PRIDE MEETING — I am covering the Buffalo PRIDE meeting at The Villages Charter Middle School Tuesday night, Oct. 5 at 6 p.m. A speaker will be present to discuss tobacco awareness. MOON w/assigned art
VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION LUNCHEON - The SCSO held a luncheon on 10/6 to honor its local volunteers. STANFORD w/RPT. art
STANDALONE -- Starter shack golf personnel dressed in pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month -- HORSFORD
JERUSALEM - In the clearest sign that a deal may be emerging to keep the Mideast peace effort alive, a top Palestinian official says his side would accept a U.S. proposal for Israel to avoid new settlement construction for two months. The Israeli prime minister is placating hard-liners with a seemingly unrelated issue - a new loyalty oath to the Jewish state. By Josef Federman.
AFGHANISTAN
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Airstrikes and ground operations by NATO and Afghan troops killed dozens of insurgents, including a senior Taliban leader who spearheaded attacks against security forces, the alliance said Thursday as the war in Afghanistan entered its 10th year. Sixteen militants were killed in air raids and ground fighting overnight in the Darqad, Yangi Qala and Khwaja Bahawuddin districts of Takhar province, Gen. Shah Jahan Noori, provincial police chief, told The Associated Press. More than a dozen insurgents were wounded.
CENTERPIECE PACKAGE
1. MARCO RUBIO — Nuts and bolts story about his campaign event 4 p.m. Thursday at Barnes and Noble.
SHUMAKER w/ assigned art
2. RUBIO REACTION — I’m going to get crowd reaction at the Rubio rally Thursday at Barnes and Noble/Lake Sumter Landing. FORREST w/ assigned art
3. TEASE to PHOTO ESSAY INSIDE A
BOTTOM READ
ADVANCE ITALIAN FEST GOLF CART DECORATION — I’m going to talk with some people prepping for the Italianfest parades Friday. I’ll also include basic information. SHUMAKER w/ assigned art AND MAPS (NEED TO UPDATE), tease to ITALIAN-AMERICAN CLUB ADVANCE STORY.
A2 - NATION/WORLD
BRITAIN TITANIC
Rare Titanic survivor letter to be auctioned
AP Photo LON812, LON811
LONDON (AP) — She heard a terrible rumbling noise, then anguished cries for help as her rowboat pulled away from the sinking ocean liner Titanic that dreadful night in 1912. Now Laura Francatelli’s first person account of the disaster, in the form of a signed affidavit that was given to a British board of inquiry, is set to be auctioned.
JAILED OVER PLEDGE
Miss. judge jails attorney for not reciting pledge WITH MUG
A3 - SECOND FRONT
CLASS SIZE LAWSUIT
Florida class size amendment challenge rejected
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Supreme Court has rejected a teachers union’s challenge to a ballot issue that would loosen the state’s class size limits.
HUNGARY-SLUDGE FLOOD
KOLONTAR, Hungary - Red sludge flows into the mighty Danube, threatening a half-dozen nations along one of Europe's key waterways. Monitors take samples every hour to measure damage from the toxic spill of industrial waste and emergency officials declare one Hungarian tributary dead. There's also encouraging news: The Danube is apparently absorbing the slurry with no immediate harm. By George Jahn.
AP photos, video.
PHILADELPHIA-FLIGHT HALTED
Transportation security officials removed passengers from a Bermuda-bound flight Thursday at Philadelphia International Airport after reports that someone was helping to load the plane without a security badge.
BRIEFS
Bush’s book
Chile mine
California budget
A4- C2C
A5 - JUMP
ADVANCE — ITALIAN-AMERICAN CLUB — Talking to members of the club about the upcoming ItalianFest 4:45 p.m. Friday at both Town Squares. Forrest w/file art
A6 - JUMP
ENTERTAINMENT BRIEFS OF YOUR CHOOSING
A7 - JUMP
FLORIDA BRIEFS AS NEEDED
— JURY INSTRUCTIONS — A sharply divided Florida Supreme Court has reversed a criminal conviction because the judge instructed jurors they couldn’t ask to have testimony read back to them.
— BUS STOP SHOOTING — A 13-year-old boy Tampa boy is being treated at a hospital after being shot in the arm at a school bus stop.
— ELDERLY-FATAL BEATING — An 82-year-old man from Delray Beach is being questioned after he told authorities he beat and killed his girlfriend during a fight at their home.
— TROPICAL WEATHER — Otto, which had been a subtropical storm, has transitioned to a tropical storm as it meanders over the Atlantic and could reach hurricane strength.
— SCHOOL SHOOTING — A 17-year-old girl is being treated in the hospital after being struck by a car as she tried to avoid shots that were fired at her Miami Gardens school.
— COURT FEE LAWSUIT — Two lawyers for the state have defended the practice of diverting a portion of court filing fees from a trust fund that helps pay for the judicial system.
— SOLDIER DEATH — A Fort Campbell soldier who twice enlisted in the Army died this week when he was hit by an improvised explosive device while patrolling on foot in southern Afghanistan.AP Photo.
— MAYORAL RECALL — A Miami businessman has been given the go ahead to begin collecting signatures for a ballot initiative to oust Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez.
— FATAL CAR BURGLARY — Authorities say a Florida Gulf Coast man is dead after confronting several suspects who were breaking into cars outside his apartment building.
— UNIVERSITY TRUSTEES — A Board of Governors panel is seeking applicants for openings at boards of trustees at all 11 of Florida’s public universities.
— HELICOPTER-EMERGENCY LANDING — A helicopter landed safely in the median of a Brevard County expressway after a bird struck its blades.
— SMOKING TRIAL — A jury decided that several tobacco companies are not responsible for causing a mans laryngeal cancer after he smoked cigarettes for about 37 years.
— DRUG TRAFFICKING-BOATS — A Colombian native faces at least 10 years in federal prison after admitting that he sold and outfitted “go-fast” boats for drug dealers.
— BEAR ATTACKS GOAT — Wildlife officials are warning against leaving food outdoors after a bear attacked a family’s goat in central Florida.
— ARMS TRAFFICKERS — Two men have pleaded guilty in a Florida federal court to an illegal plot to ship AK-47 assault rifles to Somalia.
A8 - STATE/JUMP
GULF OIL SPILL-LUCRATIVE LAWSUITS
MIAMI — About a dozen attorneys will be given a giant task and the promise of a huge payoff when a judge picks from more than 100 lawyers seeking leadership roles in the gusher of litigation against BP PLC and other companies involved in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. By Curt Anderson.
STATE GOVERNMENT BRIEFS
A9 - WASHINGTON
CURRENCY WARS - Fears of an emerging currency war flare as the euro hits $1.40 for the first time in eight months and the U.S. steps up pressure on China to let its currency rise. (with art, but not good art)
STIMULUS CHECKS
WASHINGTON (AP) — A government investigator says 89,000 stimulus payments of $250 each went to people who were either dead or in prison.
OBAMA INTELLIGENCE
WITH SHADED BOX: Obama veto
A10 - RUBIO PHOTO PAGE
A11 - NATION
HONEYBEE QUESTIONS-SHOOTING
LOWELL, Ind. - Each case followed the same pattern: A disheveled man approached people in rural towns and asked nonsensical questions about honeybees - then he started shooting. One person has been killed and two wounded, and authorities have set off on a two-state manhunt to find a gunman some have dubbed “the Honeybee Shooter.” By Tom Coyne.
WITH PHOTO and Sketch of suspect being sought
A thick waist figures big in onset of diabetes, study finds
MED-DIABETES:LA—Although Americans and Brits have similar rates of many diseases, middle-aged and older American men and women have almost twice the rate of diabetes. Americans’ large waists appear to explain much of this difference, according to a new study.
Researchers at Rand Corp. along with British scientists analyzed various risk factors for diabetes and compared these characteristics with diabetes rates in the United States and England. The diabetes rate among American men is 16 percent compared with 11 percent for British men. U.S. women have a rate of 14 percent compared with 7 percent for British women.
The conventional factors related to diabetes risk — age, smoking, socioeconomic status and body mass index — were similar among the Americans and Brits. But the one factor that differed was waist circumference, researchers reported.300 by Shari Roan in Los Angeles.
BRIEFS
City hall shooting
Nevada senate angle with mug
US Obama
Trans hudson tunnel
A12- NATION/WORLD
NOBEL LITERATURE
NEW YORK - The biggest surprise about Mario Vargas Llosa's winning the Nobel prize is that it took so long. The 74-year-old author and political activist, a charter member of the Latin American “Boom” of the 1960s, has for decades been regarded as one of the world's greatest writers, a masterful and provocative mixer of literature and social consciousness in his work and in his life.
NOBEL PEACE PRIZE
OSLO, Norway (AP) - Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo tops speculation for the Nobel Peace Prize - one betting site has already declared him the winner - though some experts expect a more low-key choice on Friday.
Two women are also hot candidates in this year's Nobel buzz: Afghan women's rights activist Sima Samar and Russian human rights activist Svetlana Gannushkina.
Brazil Rio Violence
A13 - NATION/WORLD LATE PAGE
Budget deficit
Border lake shooting with art
Briefs
A14 - WORLD
IRAQ
BAGHDAD (AP) - Back-to-back bombings at a vegetable market south of Baghdad on Thursday afternoon killed at least five people, including a policeman who was searching for explosives, Iraqi security and medical officials said.
PAKISTAN
KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) - Two suspected suicide bombers attacked the most beloved Sufi shrine in Pakistan's largest city Thursday, killing at least 10 people, wounding 65 others, and sending a stark reminder of the threat posed by Islamist militants to this U.S.-allied nation.
BRIEFS
Haiti earthquake
Iran kurds
Chile mine shaft
AR A15 - NATION
Falling through the cracks of the military’s disability system
DISABLEDVETERANS:SL—Army Reserve Spc. Michael Pyatt mounted a machine gun on the turret of his Humvee in August 2005 for another mission into the volatile city of Hillah, Iraq. As he stepped off the bumper, he landed awkwardly, injuring his hip and back, and leaving him crippled.
Back home, he asked for a medical discharge.
In July 2007, his unit tried to deploy him a second time, even though he wore a knee brace and used a cane.
Just months later, the Department of Veterans Affairs declared Pyatt permanently and totally disabled. Yet today, more than five years after he was hurt, the Army still has not declared Pyatt unfit for duty, which would make him eligible for disability retirement pay and medical insurance for his wife and daughter.
Pyatt’s story is an example of a military disability system that Congress and others contend is woefully unprepared to deal with the hundreds of thousands of troops injured while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
2050 (with trims) by Philip O’Connor in St. Louis. MOVED
PHOTOS SLUGGED: disabled1 and disabled2 (use one on each page)
BE SURE TO INSERT SUBHEADS
JUMP TO A16
AR A16 NATION
Feds get help translating Ebonics, reigniting debate
DEA-EBONICS:RA—The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s decision to hire nine Ebonics translators for the Southeast region briefly reignited a 40-year debate over whether African-American speech constitutes a separate language.
The translators are expected to help the agency decipher wiretapped telephone conversations of suspected drug dealers who speak in the African-American vernacular, which some people think of as little more than slang.
650 by Thomas I. McDonald in Raleigh, N.C. DIVERSITY. MOVED
Jump from A15
Marcetti, Thomas 10/7/10
A17 WORLD ADV
Administration criticized for offering too much to keep Mideast talks going
USMIDEAST:TBW—Only a month into a new round of peace talks, the Obama administration is drawing criticism from allies and veteran diplomats that it is giving away too much just to keep negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians from collapsing.
Administration officials have offered an assortment of inducements to persuade Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to extend a freeze on Jewish construction in the West Bank for two months. Palestinian officials have threatened to break off the talks, perhaps as early as this week, unless Israel extends the freeze that expired Sept. 26.
700 (with trims) by Paul Richter in Washington. MOVED
Notorious Tijuana jail to be just a dark memory
TIJUANA-JAIL:LA—If the walls of this Mexican jail could talk, they would curse in Spanish, and English.
Decades ago, when Americans visited this border city in hard-partying hordes, more than a few drunk sailors and brawling bar patrons ended up in one of these dank, fetid cages. They would share cellblocks with drug kingpins, assassins, child molesters and thieves.
There were escapes and riots, fights and bribes.
But Tijuana will soon close the jail and adjoining police headquarters, eager to slam the door on a dark chapter in the city’s history.
1100 (with trims) by Richard Marosi in Tijuana, Mexico. DIVERSITY. MOVED
PHOTOS
Marcetti, Thomas 10/7/10
A18 SCIENCE
Scientists find more efficient, safer way to reprogram cells
SCI-CELLS:MW—Almost three years after the first scientists reprogrammed human cells in Madison, Wis., and Kyoto, Japan, researchers in Boston have developed a new process that appears to eliminate one of the major safety concerns while dramatically increasing the efficiency of the process.
The method, which uses RNA rather than inserted genes, was not only successful in returning adult human cells to the embryonic state, but also in guiding these powerful cells to different fates and even in changing skin cells to muscle cells directly. Such a technology, if proven completely safe, could provide an alternative to embryonic stem cells, allowing scientists to create and bank different cells for therapies, drug testing and the study of diseases.
800 (with trims) by Mark Johnson in Milwaukee. MOVED
SCI BEE DISEASE
Report: Virus, fungus new suspects in bee disease
WASHINGTON (AP) — Researchers have a pair of new suspects in the mysterious collapse of honey bee colonies across the country.
The widespread damage to the bees has caused concern because the insects are needed to pollinate scores of crops.
WITH AP IMAGES PHOTO SLUGGED: bee disease.jpg
Customize cutline so it goes with this story
SCI Ignition facility
A19 AD
A20 AD
BUSINESS C6-7
RAIL: WALL STREET
CENTERPIECE
RUBY_TUESDAY — Investors apparently anticipated good news from Ruby Tuesday as its stock price increased gradually over the past few days during trading on the New York Stock Exchange. And the Maryville, Tenn.-based restaurant chain, which operates an eatery in Spanish Springs Town Square, met their expectations late Wednesday evening with a positive earnings report. CORDER, with file art moved and Orton graphic
BOTTOM READ
ECONOMY
WASHINGTON — Companies are laying off fewer workers and advertising more job openings. Both are encouraging signs a day before the government issues the September jobs report. But economists say employers aren’t ramping up hiring quickly enough to reduce the unemployment rate, which is forecast to rise to 9.7 percent. By Economics Writer Christopher S. Rugaber.
