The Record, Bergen County, NJ

Ex-Agents Sue Over Depiction in 'Gangster' ; Dea Retirees Say Film Demonized Them

NEW YORK A group of retired federal drug enforcement agents sued NBC Universal on Wednesday, saying the movie "American Gangster" falsely portrayed them as villains in the story of a Harlem heroin trafficker. The suit, filed in federal court in Manhattan, claims that the movie defamed hundreds of DEA agents and New York City police officers by claiming at the end that Frank Lucas' collaboration with prosecutors "led to the convictions of three-quarters of New York City's Drug Enforcement Age...

Anti-Hunt Protesters Stymie Whaling Fleet ; Activists Board Japanese Harpoon Boat

TOKYO Protesters scored a victory in a high-seas campaign to disrupt Japan's whale hunt in the Antarctic, forcing the fleet to a standstill Wednesday while officials scrambled to unload two activists who used a rubber boat to get on board a harpoon vessel. The face-off was a rapid escalation of the annual contest between the fleet that carries out Japan's controversial whale hunt in southern waters and the environmentalist groups that try to stop it.

Bill Would Let States Back Up Voting Data ; N.J. Among Those Without Paper Record

TRENTON Stopgap legislation set to be introduced today in Washington would dedicate $600 million to voting districts that convert to paper ballots or put in audit systems in time for the November presidential election. The measure, sponsored in the House by New Jersey Rep. Rush Holt, is designed to ensure that every vote is properly counted. Voters in all or parts of 20 states including New Jersey now cast ballots electronically without backup paper verification, Holt said.

Egypt's Leader Backs Bush's Mideast Peace Agreement ; President Winds Up Eight-Day Sojourn

SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt President Bush's fast-track plan for a Mideast peace agreement got a welcome endorsement Wednesday from a nation long seen as a key Arab mediator. Bush responded by pulling his punches on the human rights backpedaling in Egypt. The president closed an eight-day Mideast trip well-fed from several lingering meals with his Arab hosts and upbeat about what even some of America's closest allies say is an unexpected and ambitious drive. An Israeli-Palestinian agreement has el...

Restoring Lincoln's Retreat ; Workers Want Cottage Ready by Presidents' Day

WASHINGTON Workers rolled out sod amid snow flurries this week, determined that the summer home where President Abraham Lincoln and his family spent more than a quarter of his Washington life will look fully restored by Presidents' Day. The sprawling Gothic Revival cottage, likely to be Washington's next niche tourist attraction, lies only three miles north of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. But it's 300 feet higher than the swamp-level White House, hence breezier and as much as 7 degrees cooler, acc...

Big On Pollution ; Texas Stands Alone On Global Warming

Everything's big in Texas big pickup trucks, big SUVs and the state's big carbon footprint, too. Texans' fondness for large, manly vehicles has helped make the Lone Star State the biggest carbon polluter in the nation.

Gene Combo May Signal Prostate Cancer ; Finding Could Lead to Predictive Blood Test

Scientists have taken a key step toward revealing the causes of prostate cancer, finding that a combination of five gene variants dramatically raises the risk of the disease. Added to family history, they accounted for nearly half of all cases in a new study. The discovery is remarkable not just for the big portion of cases it might explain, but also because this relatively new approach looking at combos rather than single genes may help solve the mystery of many complex diseases like cance...

Man Jailed for False Bomb-Plot Report

NEW YORK A jeweler was sentenced Wednesday to six months in jail and fined $5,000 for falsely reporting that five Arab men were plotting to bomb the subway system, a scheme meant to cause trouble for his former business associates. State Supreme Court Justice Maxwell Wiley imposed the sentence on Rimon Alkatri, 35, after telling him, "I believe your conduct does deserve imprisonment."

Don't Let Bedbugs Drive You Insane ; N.Y.C. Offers Help to the Infested

NEW YORK Faced with thousands of complaints about bedbugs in the past few years, the city announced a series of seminars Wednesday to teach people how to deal with the apple-seed-size vermin that have been bloodsucking their way through the city and nation in growing numbers. "It's about quality of life," said Luiz Aragon, deputy commissioner in the Department of Housing and Preservation. "We know that people are sometimes attempting to deal with this problem, but they don't know how to."

500-Pound Cop Won't See Boost in Pension

NEW YORK A judge says a retired 500-pound police officer cannot increase his pension check by blaming his disability on an accident when a medical board "rationally" found it was related to his obesity. State Supreme Court Justice Judith Gische said the Police Pension Fund medical board's decision to deny Paul Soto a larger accidental disability retirement pension was "based upon credible medical evidence."

50 Protest at Police Station in Paterson

PATERSON About 50 people gathered at the Public Safety Complex late Wednesday night and staged a protest over the way police handled a domestic dispute earlier in the day. Protesters chanted "Enough abuse" and "No Justice, no peace" at the complex on Broadway.

Towns Vie to Be Known As 'Ice Box of the Nation' ; a Cold War Over a Motto

FRASER, Colo. A feud between Fraser and International Falls, Minn., over who owns the trademark "Ice Box of the Nation" is heating up. Fraser Town Manager Jeff Durbin said the Minnesota town has replied to a lawsuit filed by Fraser with a countersuit.

New Song Could Replace State Anthem Some Call Racist ; Florida Lawmakers to Decide Whether to Scrap 'Swanee River'

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. No one will ever be offended by the ballad chosen to be the next state song of Florida. Then again, no one is likely to recognize it either.

Cold Meds a Danger to Tots ; Kids Under Age 2 at Risk, Fda Says

WASHINGTON Parents should not give sniffling babies and toddlers over-the-counter cough and cold medicines they're too risky for tots so small, the government will declare today. The Food and Drug Administration still hasn't decided if the remedies are appropriate for older children to continue using, officials said.

New Jersey Abortion Rate Remains 2nd in U.S.

New Jersey has the second- highest rate of abortion in the nation, surpassed only by New York, according to a study to be released today. About 34 abortions were performed in New Jersey in 2005 for every 1,000 women ages 15 to 44, compared with a national rate of 19, the Alan Guttmacher Institute reported. That translates to 61,150 abortions in New Jersey and 1.21 million across the nation.

Corzine's Carrot for Mayors: $30m for Better Roads ; Pitches Toll Hikes with a Local Spin

Governor Corzine is dangling up to $30 million more in annual state aid for local transportation projects before New Jersey mayors in an effort to win their support for his financial restructuring plan. The governor addressed a group of more than 100 mayors and municipal officials in Trenton on Wednesday, saying future transportation aid and property tax relief is at stake and that includes the popular, beefed-up property tax rebate checks.

Trump's Daughter On Board ; Casino Agency Oks Appointment

ATLANTIC CITY She's hired. The state Casino Control Commission gave final approval Wednesday to Ivanka Trump's serving on the board of directors of Trump Entertainment Resorts, which operates three casinos here.

Man Charged with Theft of $469,000 From Avaya ; Non-Employee Got Pay Deposits in Error

TRENTON A $469,000 payroll error at Avaya Inc., the Basking Ridge-based telecommunications provider, has earned an Illinois man a date with police. Anthony Armatys of Palatine, Ill., was arrested Wednesday on theft charges after allegedly receiving electronic payroll bank deposits from Avaya, which he never worked for, authorities said.

Correction

People in the News

'Rent' will close "No show runs forever" was one of the more astute observations of Broadway director-choreographer Michael Bennett, the man behind "A Chorus Line," itself a model of longevity.