The Record, Bergen County, NJ

Near Compound, Neighbors Wait and Worry ; Predict Chaos Without Him to Unify Rivals

RAMALLAH, West Bank - No crowds of well-wishers massed Thursday outside the Mukata, the mostly ruined compound where Yasser Arafat has been confined for the past two years. Only a throng of reporters assembled, peering through the smoked windows of sedans carrying officials to a frail old man who still embodies the national aspirations of many Palestinians. As Arafat battled a still-undisclosed illness inside the compound's high walls, his neighbors here in the Palestinians' political capital...

Arafat Flying to Paris for Medical Care ; Cause of Illness Still Unknown

JERUSALEM - Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat will leave his Ramallah compound today to receive emergency medical treatment in Paris for an undetermined ailment that has left him weakened and unable to eat, according to Palestinian and Israeli officials. Israel's prime minister, Ariel Sharon, has guaranteed that Arafat, 75, will be allowed to return to Ramallah after medical procedures are completed, said Nabil Shaath, the Palestinian foreign minister. Arafat has not left his battered headquar...

Survey Says Iraqi Death Rate Soared by 100,000 Since Invasion ; Notes 'Limited Precision' of Data

LONDON - A survey of deaths in Iraqi households estimates that as many as 100,000 more people may have died throughout the country in the 18 months since the U.S.-led invasion than would be expected based on the death rate before the war. There is no official figure for the number of Iraqis killed since the conflict began, but some non-governmental estimates range from 10,000 to 30,000. As of Wednesday, 1,081 U.S. military personnel had been killed, according to the U.S. Defense Department.

Arabs in N.J. Looking Ahead ; Praise Arafat, Hope Succession Is Quick

For generations, he has embodied the Palestinian struggle, a defiant, scrappy leader rarely seen without his signature headscarf. So when Yasser Arafat took ill Wednesday, Arab-Americans in North Jersey were quick to acknowledge him as a towering figure - the founding father of their national movement.

Around the World

Emperor opposes forced patriotism TOKYO - Wading into a controversy over patriotism in schools, Japan's emperor said Thursday that no one should be forced to face the flag and sing the national anthem - both potent symbols of Japan's brutal 20th century invasion of Asia.

Unpaid Postage Bill Delays Passaic Ballot Requests

About 1,150 applications for absentee ballots sat in postal limbo until Monday because Passaic County hadn't paid a postage bill - leaving those voters little time to take part in a tight presidential race. "I'll rely on overnight mail or FedEx," said Brian Murphy, a graduate student at the University of Virginia who still hadn't received his ballot on Thursday. "How many people are going to do that?"

Within Their Grasp ; Bush, Kerry Vie for Votes Across Key Midwest States

WESTLAKE, Ohio - President Bush tried to soften his image Thursday but still sharpened his attack against Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, branding him "the wrong man for the wrong job at the wrong time." Kerry, meanwhile, basked in the glow of Bruce Springsteen's stardom at packed joint appearances with the rock star in two Midwest college towns.

If Bush Wins, Thank (Blame) the Redskins

The winner of Tuesday's presidential election will be decided on Sunday. If the Washington Redskins beat the Green Bay Packers, George W. Bush will be reelected. Yeah, right, you say. What does a football game have to do with an election that will determine the fate of the world?

Party Boss Had Police Chauffeurs, Officers Say ; Ferriero Taken to Casino and Stadium, They Claim

Bergen County Democratic Chairman Joseph Ferriero was chauffeured by county police officers to a Yankee playoff game and an Atlantic City hotel in the past month, according to police sources. Ferriero was driven to the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa on Sept. 30 and to Yankee Stadium on Oct. 19 in an unmarked county sport- utility vehicle used to transport elected officials and visiting dignitaries on official business, the sources said. The officer who drove incurred overtime pay on both trips, a...

N.J. Army Base Is a Virtual Battleground ; From Drawing Board to Circuit Board to Iraq

They look like they're ready for an arcade, not a war. While their counterparts patrol Baghdad toting machine guns, the 6,000 civilian and military personnel at Fort Monmouth tap on keyboards, wear 3-D glasses and virtual-reality headgear, and "simulate" the war zone.

Fbi Examining Halliburton's No-Bid Awards

WASHINGTON - The FBI has begun investigating whether the Pentagon improperly awarded no-bid contracts to Halliburton Co., and is seeking an interview with a top Army contracting officer and collecting documents from several government offices. The line of inquiry expands an earlier FBI investigation into whether Halliburton overcharged taxpayers for fuel in Iraq, and it elevates to a criminal matter the election-year question of whether the Bush administration showed favoritism to Vice Presid...

Woman, 90, Declines Flu Shot ; Tells Garfield Nurse Others Need It More

GARFIELD - The 90-year-old woman was eligible for a flu shot, but she passed up an opportunity to get one Thursday morning. "She told me she didn't want it, that I should give the shot to someone who really needs it," said Darleen Reveille, the city's public health nurse.

Correction

Safest Roads in U.S. Here? Car Insurers Don't Think So

You probably didn't know that you drive on the nation's safest roads. But there it is in black and white on Page 159 of the November issue of Self magazine, just below the picture of the California cyclist in the bikini top and towel: Bergen and Passaic counties combined have the safest roads in the country. Self attributes its stunning claim to strict enforcement of seat belt laws and police and hospital efforts "to make sure new mothers know how to install car seats properly."

People in the News

Rip Torn acquitted Rip Torn was acquitted of drunken driving charges Thursday by a jury that deliberated less than two hours - and then was treated to a personal thank you from the Emmy-winning actor in a courthouse hallway.

School Bus Diesel Fumes to Be Reduced

NEWARK - Children face some of the worst air where they should be the safest - on school buses. The emission levels from the diesel- powered engines can be quadruple the pollution outside, according to recent studies. New Jersey took a step toward fixing that Thursday, announcing a $200,000 project to retrofit 46 Newark school buses to cut diesel fumes. State officials hope to expand the program to other districts.

Ex-Hudson Official Admits to I.D. Scheme ; Pleads Guilty to Creating False Birth Certificates

The former deputy registrar of the Hudson County Office of Vital Statistics pleaded guilty Thursday to creating bogus birth certificates that illegal immigrants used to apply for U.S. passports. Jean Anderson, 40, of Jersey City, admitted during a hearing in U.S. District Court in Newark that a man she knew as "Raj" paid her in January 2000 to make him a false birth certificate. During the next two years, Anderson said, she created six to 24 fake birth certificates for "Raj," who supplied her...

Rutgers Sets Up New Eatery After Dining Hall Fire ; Staff Quick to Serve Meals in Gym

All-nighters are nothing new on a college campus, so when Rutgers University's main dining hall was ravaged by fire Wednesday night, the dining services staff went into overdrive. At 1 a.m., 800 chairs were ordered and by 4 a.m., the tables were set up and a plan was in place to cater nearly 5,000 meals daily to a makeshift dining hall at the College Avenue Gymnasium. "I had breakfast with students at the gym at a little after 7 this morning," said Greg Blimling, vice president for student af...

Fbi Reportedly Interviews Cipel in Israel for 4 Hours ; Mcgreevey Filed Extortion Claim

TRENTON - More than two months after Governor McGreevey said he would resign in the wake of an extramarital gay affair, federal investigators have interviewed the former aide implicated in the governor's sex scandal, according to a broadcast report. FBI agents in Israel spent more than four hours on Wednesday questioning Golan Cipel, WNBC-TV's "News 4 New York" reported Thursday, citing Cipel's lawyer, Paul Batista.

Guard Unit Gets Rousing Send-Off ; Headed for Iraq, Hailed by Hundreds

HAMMONTON - Hundreds of schoolchildren and townspeople gave a National Guard unit bound for Iraq a rousing send-off Thursday, waving flags and exchanging good wishes with soldiers parading through streets aboard flatbed trucks. With their own spirits high, but leaving their loved ones worried, 59 members of the Army's 119th Corps Support Battalion said goodbye before heading to Fort Dix for training prior to a yearlong tour in Iraq.