The Record, Bergen County, NJ

Menendez Added to Corruption Lawsuit ; Doctor Says He Was Pressured for Donations

U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez has been added as a defendant in an ongoing lawsuit being brought against Hudson County by a Union City psychiatrist. The revised federal suit, filed Wednesday by psychiatrist Oscar Sandoval, says that Menendez, as a congressman in the late 1990s, spearheaded a coordinated campaign by Hudson County officials to squeeze political donations and favors from Sandoval, a county contractor.

People in the News

Same band, new name The Black Sabbath boys are back, as the new band Heaven and Hell.

Wounds Claim N.J. Marine Serving in Iraq ; Roxbury Resident Was On Track for Promotion in a Few Days

A Marine from Morris County who was scheduled to be promoted next month died Wednesday from wounds he suffered during combat in Iraq, the Pentagon announced Thursday. Donald S. Brown, 19, of Succasunna was wounded when an IED improvised explosive device struck his Humvee armored vehicle in Al Anbar province, military officials said.

Expanded Wtc Search Sought ; Officials Want Streets Dug Up

NEW YORK Officials investigating the recovery of human remains at the World Trade Center site will recommend expanding the search to several roads near Ground Zero for additional body parts that may have been missed, The Associated Press learned Thursday. A proposal to be sent to Deputy Mayor Edward Skyler today will not advise an expanded search at Ground Zero itself, according to an official familiar with the plan, who was not authorized to speak publicly before the proposal was announced.

Underpants-Clad Girl 'Superheroes' Dismay Principal ; Trio Sent Home for Leotard Costumes

LONG BEACH, N.Y. A high school principal has decreed that Captain Underpants has no place in an institution of learning. Three 17-year-old girls were told to leave Long Beach High School on Wednesday after they showed up on Superhero Day costumed as the subject of the best-selling children's books.

Injury From Fall Can't Stop Opera Singer ; Licitra Goes On As Clown in 'Pagliacci'

NEW YORK A rising opera star who gained fame by subbing for Luciano Pavarotti suffered an accident on a Manhattan street. But tenor Salvatore Licitra was ready to take the stage Thursday with his entire arm in a sling, singing the role that was Enrico Caruso's trademark. On Tuesday night, the 38-year-old Italian was en route to a party when he stepped out of a taxi on West 44th Street and headed toward the sidewalk, between two parked cars.

Around the Nation

Bush authorizes fencing at border WASHINGTON President Bush signed a bill Thursday authorizing 700 miles of new fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border, hoping to give Republican candidates a preelection platform for asserting they're tough on illegal immigration.

Death After Face-Lift May Have Been Murder ; Nurse Thought Victim Stole High School Boyfriend, Cops Say

CHARLOTTE, N.C. For five years, the death of Sandra Baker Joyner after a mini-face-lift was attributed to medical error. But last month, investigators proposed a more sinister explanation. As she lay bandaged in the recovery room, Joyner was poisoned by a nurse anesthetist who believed Joyner had stolen her boyfriend back in high school some 30 years ago, authorities say.

Whopper of a Snowstorm Socks Colorado

Rumsfeld Tells War Critics to 'Just Back Off'

WASHINGTON Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Thursday that anyone demanding deadlines for progress in Iraq should "just back off," because it is too difficult to predict when Iraqis will resume control of their country. During an often-combative Pentagon news conference, Rumsfeld said that while benchmarks for security, political and economic progress are valuable, "it's difficult. We're looking out into the future. No one can predict the future with absolute certainty."

U.S. Deaths in Iraq Reach Worst Monthly Total in a Year

BAGHDAD, Iraq American troop deaths in Iraq hit their highest monthly total in a year Thursday, but as U.S. forces clamped down on the capital, militants struck in a city to the north, where 30 police and gunmen were killed in a series of shootouts. The latest U.S. deaths occurred Wednesday in volatile Anbar province west of Baghdad, a hotbed of Sunni resistance to U.S. forces and Iraqi government allies, when a sailor and four Marines were killed.

Survey Hints Big Slippage for Gop ; Middle-Class Voters Backing Democrats

WASHINGTON Middle-class voters who deserted the Democratic Party a dozen years ago are now giving the party its best chance to reclaim the House since the GOP swept Democrats from power in 1994. Motivated by anger at President Bush and the Republican- controlled Congress, 56 percent of likely voters said they would vote on Nov. 7 to send a Democrat to the House and 37 percent said they would vote Republican. Voters in the latest Associated Press- AOL News poll rated Iraq and the economy as t...

Brothel Restored to Ancient Glory

POMPEII, Italy It was the jewel of Pompeii's libertines: a brothel decorated with frescoes of erotic figures believed to be the most popular in the ancient Roman city.

Islamic Leader Is Unruffled by Outrage ; Cleric Won't Quit Over Rape Remarks

SYDNEY, Australia Australia's most prominent Islamic cleric vowed Thursday to stand strong against widespread outrage over his description of women who don't wear head scarfs as "uncovered meat" who invite rape. Sheik Taj Aldin al-Hilali, long a lightning rod in strained relations between the government and the Muslim minority, apologized for any offense he caused women in making the comments a month ago during a sermon marking the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. But he said he had no intenti...

4 Firefighters Die, Arsonist Is Blamed ; Fifth has Burns Over 95% of His Body

POPPET FLAT, Calif. A wind-whipped wildfire started by an arsonist killed four firefighters Thursday and stranded up to 400 people in an RV park when flames burned to the edge of the only road out, officials said. "Everybody is hunkered down here. They're fighting the fire around us. It's across the street from us," said Charles Van Brunt, a ranger at the station at the entrance to Silent Valley Club, the recreational vehicle park near Palm Springs. The residents were in no immediate danger,...

Corzine, Codey Endorse Civil Unions ; but Governor Wouldn't Veto Same-Sex Marriage

Governor Corzine and key lawmakers Thursday endorsed granting same-sex couples full legal rights as "civil unions," a setback for gay-rights advocates lobbying for the legal classification of "marriage." "His preference is for 'civil union,' " said Corzine's spokesman, Anthony Coley. "But if the Legislature approves the term 'marriage' in this context, he would not veto it."

Bet Your Biology Class Was Never Like This

The bear's paws were easy enough to slice off. Then, trouble: None of the teachers or students had anticipated that you can't dissect the rest of a frozen black bear carcass until you thaw it out.

Killer: 'I Am Sorry' ; He Breaks Decades-Long Silence in Murder of Parents

He sits stiffly in a dank, windowless room, his milky white arms folded tightly atop a wooden table. Behind large, plastic-framed glasses, his eyes give off a blank stare. "I want to take this chance to apologize to all the people I've hurt," he says, haltingly.

Neighbors Sue to Block Nets Project ; Brooklyn Tenants, Homeowners Facing Eviction

A group of Brooklyn property owners and tenants facing eviction for the Atlantic Yards project, which includes an arena for the New Jersey Nets, filed a federal lawsuit Thursday charging the seizure of their property under eminent domain was unconstitutional. "This is a case about a conscious effort to circumvent community input and the lawful processes of open government; about the misuse of the government's power to take property by eminent domain; and, ultimately, about a betrayal of publi...

Two Major Bridge Projects Planned in South Jersey

TRENTON State officials kicked off construction Thursday of the new Route 52 Causeway Bridge, which will replace a string of four aging bridges linking Ocean City and Somers Point. The $400 million bridge will have four 12-foot travel lanes, eight-foot shoulders and a concrete median barrier. A new visitors' center, new sidewalks for bicyclists and pedestrians, and several fishing piers also are part of the project.