The Record, Bergen County, NJ

All in a Day's Work: New Legislation, Farewells

The state Legislature dispatched a flurry of bills Monday, the final voting day of the two-year session. Lawmakers voted to allow the state to charge power plants for greenhouse gas emissions and made New Jersey the first northern state to apologize for slavery.

Bush's Trip to Key On Iran ; Mideast States Fear Tehran's Intentions

CAIRO, Egypt Iran is the one issue where President Bush and Arab leaders have shared concerns. Ahead of the president's Mideast trip, Arab nations are eager to contain growing Iranian power, though they're wary of doing so militarily. Arab countries, particularly those in the Gulf region, are worried the long standoff between Iran and the U.S. could escalate into military action and that they could get caught in the crossfire and their vital oil exports could be disrupted.

Control of State's Three Toll Roads Would Shift Under Corzine Proposal

Governor Corzine's plan to raise highway tolls to pay down state debt could turn over control of the state's toll roads to a public benefits corporation for the next 75 years. A union official who attended a briefing Monday with top state transportation officials also said they were told no union jobs would be lost in the change in management.

On the Web

Clemens Strikes Out with Tale of the Tape

Roger Clemens is losing the biggest game of his life. The more he talks, the more he falls behind. The more he pleads his case to the American public, the more it sounds like he has no case to plead. At a news conference in Houston on Monday, the day after he made body language experts dizzy with his twitchy performance in the "60 Minutes" lights, Clemens played the tape of a phone conversation he had with Brian McNamee, his former trainer and Boy Friday who accused Rocket of fueling up on st...

Game Turned Deadly ; Speed Duel Devastates 3 Families

A driver will likely face charges for playing a high-speed game of cat-and-mouse that triggered a fatal weekend crash in North Bergen, shattering the lives of three hardworking immigrant families, authorities said Monday. The Sunday afternoon accident killed Maria Leyton, 79, a passenger in her daughter's SUV, which collided head on with a Honda Accord driven by George Ghebrial, 19, of Jersey City.

Around the State

January thaw breaks record Temperature records are being broken as mild air covers New Jersey.

People in the News

Britney show nixed Television's "Dr. Phil" McGraw has pulled the plug on plans for a one-hour show that was to examine Britney Spears' latest public meltdown.

Inmate's Surrender Near? ; Sharpton Tries to Arrange Escapee's Peaceful Arrest

NEWARK A day after the Rev. Al Sharpton said he was asked to arrange the surrender of an escaped inmate, the Union County police chief said he believes the civil rights leader could arrange a peaceful surrender for Otis Blunt. Officials said Sharpton's office spoke with Union County authorities Monday about a request Sharpton said he received to arrange the surrender of an escaped inmate.

Heart Disease Linked to Stress of 9/11 ; Higher Rates Reported Three Years Later

NEW YORK Americans who said they became anxious and stressed after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks some just from watching the collapse of the Twin Towers on television reported higher rates of heart disease up to three years later, researchers said. Although several studies have found high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety in first responders or attack survivors, most of the nearly 2,000 people randomly selected nationwide for the study had no direct connection to Sept. 11.

One More Week to Register for N.J. Presidential Primary

If you are unregistered as a voter but want to cast a ballot in the Feb. 5 presidential primary in New Jersey, you have until next Tuesday to get your name on the voter rolls. Voter applications are available at the elections offices of Bergen, Passaic and Morris counties, and through municipal clerks.

Obama to Cultivate Votes in Garden State

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will head to New Jersey, which has been solid Hillary Clinton territory, after today's New Hampshire primary. Obama will headline a "rally for change" at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday at St. Peter's College in Jersey City, his campaign announced Monday night.

Challenge to Execution Drugs Divides Court ; Kentucky Death Row Inmates Cite Risk of Excruciating Pain

WASHINGTON The Supreme Court appeared divided Monday over whether the drugs commonly injected to execute prisoners risk causing excruciating pain in violation of the Constitution. Several justices indicated a willingness to preserve the three- drug cocktail that is authorized by three dozen states that allow executions. Such a decision would allow lethal injections, on hold since late September, to resume quickly.

Cruise's Studio, Writers Seal Deal ; Strike Continues Against Others

LOS ANGELES Striking Hollywood writers have reached a deal with Tom Cruise's production outfit, United Artists Films, to resume working while the strike continues against other studios. The deal announced Monday was the first reached with big-screen producers by the Writers Guild of America, which has been on strike since Nov. 5. Terms were not disclosed.

Around the Nation

Newscaster fired; allegedly hit cop PHILADELPHIA A TV station fired a local newscaster who has been off the air since she was charged with striking a New York City police officer.

Candidates Sprint to Finish Line in New Hampshire ; Romney Driven, Clinton Reflective On Eve of Primary

NASHUA, N.H. Republican Mitt Romney stormed across New Hampshire on Monday in a last-ditch effort to eke out a win today in a state that's considered crucial to his presidential bid, while Democrat Hillary Clinton battled hard, and at times emotionally, to prevent a runaway Barack Obama victory. The day was marked by overflow crowds for Illinois Sen. Obama, a 36-hour campaign marathon by former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, an energetic pitch by Arizona Sen. John McCain to the state's hu...

Israel Will Make New Pledge On Outposts ; Officials to Tell Bush of Intent for Removal

MIGRON, West Bank Israel will tell President Bush during his visit this week that it is committed to "expeditiously" evacuating unauthorized settlement outposts in the West Bank, a spokesman for Israel's premier said Monday. Bush has said he expects Israel to comply with its five-year-old pledge to remove the outposts, tiny encampments seen by the Palestinians as a major impediment to a peace deal. Bush arrives Wednesday on a three-day mission to push for progress in recently restarted Israe...

Elephant Killed After Being Taunted Into Rampage

HARARE, Zimbabwe Tusker, a towering 50-year-old bull elephant who had become a favorite for safari camp visitors, was shot dead after New Year's partygoers provoked the animal into trampling several cars, conservationists said Monday. Tusker was executed Sunday by rangers at the Charara camp on the shores of Lake Kariba, 230 miles northwest of Harare, parks officials and the independent Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force said.

Around the World

Kenya rivals call off protests, plan talks NAIROBI, Kenya Kenya's president and his chief rival made key concessions Monday to end their election dispute, calling off protests and agreeing to talks under pressure from the United States as the death toll from a week of violence neared 500.

Million-Dollar Ditches Put Rte. 17 Flood Relief On Hold

Call them the million-dollar ditches. Covered in 2 feet of dirt and thick vegetation, two old, man- made ditches in Rutherford and East Rutherford are a crucial part of a project to drain storm water from perennially flooded Route 17.