The Record, Bergen County, NJ

Newark Set for Post-Sept. 11 Travel Record [Corrected 07/07/05] ; but Passenger Delays, Crowds Rising, Too

Newark Liberty International Airport is expected to accommodate 33 million passengers this year, the highest level since the 2001 terrorist attacks, the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey said Thursday. Overall in 2005, about 100 million passengers are projected to use the authority's three main airports: Newark, John F. Kennedy International and La Guardia. That's a 6 percent increase over 2004 and the second straight record year for the Port Authority.

$28b Budget Deal Agreed Upon ; Middle-Class Homeowners Would Get Smaller Rebates

Middle-class New Jersey homeowners would get smaller rebate checks than last year under a $28 billion budget deal reached Thursday night by state lawmakers. Details of the rebate checks - a key sticking point in this year's budget impasse - had not been worked out, but sources said the average checks will hover "in the middle $300s," which would mean about half the amount that residents received on average last year.

Around the World

Kyrgyz ex-leader faults U.S. clout MOSCOW - The former president of Kyrgyzstan accused the United States on Thursday of engineering his ouster to expand its clout in Central Asia, and he warned that the regime change could encourage Islamic radicals to overthrow other secular governments in the region.

Ucc Likely to Endorse Same-Sex Unions

ATLANTA - The United Church of Christ is poised to become the largest Christian denomination to endorse same-sex marriage, but as with other Protestant churches, taking a stand on homosexuality could come at a price. "I don't think it's possible to overestimate the prophetic role that the passage of the resolution would have," said the Rev. Rebecca Voelkel of Cleveland, national interim director of the UCC Coalition for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns.

Book Says Felt Denied in '76 Being Deep Throat

WASHINGTON - A new book about "Deep Throat" by Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward says W. Mark Felt denied being the Watergate source during a 1976 grand jury appearance, according to USA Today. The book, "The Story of Watergate's Deep Throat," says Felt hastily withdrew his denial when a Justice Department official reminded him he was under oath, according to the newspaper, which said it obtained a copy from a Virginia bookstore that mistakenly put copies out for sale. The book is due in ...

Time, Times Split Over Notes ; Magazine to Hand Them Over in Probe of Leak

NEW YORK - Breaking ranks with The New York Times, Time magazine said Thursday that it would comply with a court order to hand over the notes of a reporter threatened with jail for refusing to cooperate with an investigation into the unmasking of a CIA operative. Time relented just days after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected appeals from its White House correspondent Matt Cooper and New York Times reporter Judith Miller, who have been locked in an eight- month battle with the government to pro...

Troops Remove Gaza Protesters

White House Probing Iranian Leader's Past ; Do Photos Link Him to 1979 Hostage Crisis?

WASHINGTON - The White House said Thursday it was investigating whether Iran's new president played a role in seizing the American Embassy and holding 52 U.S. captives a quarter-century ago. President Bush said the allegation by former hostages "raises many questions." The administration was reviewing its files on Iranian President- elect Mahmoud Ahmadinejad after the hostages' comments were brought to light by The Associated Press.

Study Shows Street Gangs' Reach Into Suburbia ; No Community Is Immune, Says N.J. Attorney General

TRENTON - Street gangs are growing in New Jersey, and anyone who thinks the problem is limited to urban areas is wrong, state law enforcement officials said Thursday. It just depends on your definition.

Nj Transit Trainers Speak in Perfumed Tongues

In a strange twist that suggested doublespeak, NJ Transit has begun training employees in how to be sensitive to the homeless, but it turns out that classroom instructors are doing so without using terms like "unkempt," "smelly" and "poorly groomed." As for "homeless"? They don't mention that either.

People in the News

Young comes back Neil Young will mark his return onstage by performing at Canada's Live 8 concert Saturday, three months after he was treated for a brain aneurysm.

Boys Who Died in Car Laid to Rest

CAMDEN - Mourners released balloons and white doves Thursday as the bodies of two of the three young boys who died in a car trunk last week were laid to rest. After a short ceremony at a city church, a funeral procession and hearses carrying the white caskets of Jesstin Pagan, 5; Daniel Agosto, 6; and Anibal Cruz, 11, rolled through the streets as dozens of people stood on sidewalks and stoops watching.

Around New Jersey

E-ZPass accounts offline for now Thinking of checking your E-ZPass balance before heading away this weekend?

White Teen Arrested in Alleged Hate Crime ; Black Man Robbed, Beaten with Bat in Queens

NEW YORK - A black man was hospitalized with a fractured skull and a white teenager was jailed without bail Thursday after a baseball bat assault that drew instant comparison to one of New York's most heinous racial attacks and praise for the city's markedly different response. Nicholas Minucci, an unemployed 19-year-old, was charged Thursday with first-degree assault as a hate crime, robbery and weapons possession. Detectives also arrested Anthony Ench, 21, whom they described as Minucci's a...

Son of Sam Journals to Be Printed As a Book ; Notorious Killer Wrote in Prison

ALBANY, N.Y. - The prison journals of David Berkowitz, the imprisoned "Son of Sam" killer who terrorized New York City for 13 months in 1976 and 1977, will be published in a book this September. Lawrence Jordan, president of New York City-based Morning Star Communications LLC, said Thursday the company will publish Berkowitz's journal because it is "a testimony to the Christian faith and to how God can change a person."

Aclu Gets Involved in Suit Against Gadflies

NEWARK - When a pair of local gadflies felt their part-time elected officials in Mount Olive were not entitled to health benefits, they sued to have the money returned to the township. Now, the current and former Town Council members being sued want to examine the hard drive of Scott and Charlene Uhrmann's computer to see if the couple posted derogatory statements online about the officials. A court has ordered that the drive be turned over.

State Settles Fraud Suit with Sellers of Tv Goods ; Sponsors to Correct Infomercial Abuses

NEWARK - Companies that marketed steam-cooking products and exercise equipment through television infomercials have settled a fraud lawsuit by providing refunds or replacement merchandise to nearly 400 consumers, the state Division of Consumer Affairs said Thursday. The companies also paid the state $236,530 to cover investigative costs and agreed to change their practices regarding refunds and replacements, the state said.

Signing Kyoto Would 'Wreck' U.S. Economy, Bush Says ; Tells Danish Tv Dependence On Oil Hurts Security

COPENHAGEN, Denmark - President Bush said in a Danish TV interview aired Thursday that adhering to the Kyoto treaty on climate change would have "wrecked" the U.S. economy, and he called U.S. dependence on Gulf oil a "national security problem." "I couldn't in good faith have signed Kyoto," Bush told the Danish Broadcasting Corp., noting that the treaty did not include other nations - including India and China - that he called "big polluters."

Dumont Marine Badly Hurt After Suicide Attack in Fallujah ; One of 11 Women Wounded in Convoy

DUMONT - A 20-year-old Marine from Dumont is in critical condition after last week's suicide attack on a convoy of female Marines returning to their base in Iraq, her family said. Cpl. Angelica Jimenez suffered severe burns to her face and body when the convoy she was riding in was ambushed in Fallujah.

Nasa Sets Shuttle Launch for July 13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - After 2 1/2 years of frustrating setbacks and delays, NASA officially set July 13 as the launch date Thursday for the first space shuttle flight since the Columbia tragedy. NASA Administrator Michael Griffin announced the news after a two- day space agency review of Discovery's readiness to blast off.