The Record, Bergen County, NJ

N.J. Pollutes a Third Below U.S. Average ; State Releases Greenhouse Gas Survey

New Jersey residents produce almost one-third less pollution than the average American, according to the state's first survey of emissions blamed for global warming. New Jersey's gross emissions of greenhouse gases grew by 13 percent from 1990 to 2005, 3 percent less than the U.S., according to the report released today by the state Department of Environmental Protection. Transportation was the largest source, accounting for 35 percent of the state's emissions and 75 percent of the growth in ...

Trees Vs. Solar Power ; Neighbor Wants Redwoods Chopped

SUNNYVALE, Calif. In an environmental dispute seemingly scripted for eco-friendly California, a man asked prosecutors to file charges against his neighbors because their towering redwoods blocked sunlight to his backyard solar panels. But the couple next door insisted they should not have to chop down the trees to accommodate Mark Vargas' energy demands because they planted the redwoods before he installed the solar panels in 2001.

0-for-10 Clinton Desperate for Win ; Texas, Ohio Could Be Her Final Stand

WASHINGTON She's still fighting, but it's awfully hard to find encouraging news for Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Democratic homestretch. She's behind in money, delegates and momentum. She's selling experience when everyone seems to want change. And all the cheering for the man who could be the first black president is drowning out any excitement for the first female.

Archaeologists Dig to Heart of Jerusalem ; Palestinians Angry Over City of David Excavation

JERUSALEM Underneath the homes and ragged streets of the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan lie the remnants of a glorious Jewish past: coins, seals, a water tunnel hewn by a Judean king 2,700 years ago, a road that led to a biblical temple. But archaeology is hard-wired into the politics of modern-day Arab-Israeli strife, and new digs to unearth more of this past are cutting to the heart of the charged argument over who owns the holy city today.

Saudi Religious Police Under Fire for Detention ; American Woman Jailed for Sitting with Male Colleague

BEIRUT, Lebanon Saudi Arabia's religious police are under attack again over what critics consider heavy-handed enforcement of the country's gender segregation policies and other strict social rules. This time the case involves an American businesswoman who went with a male colleague to a Starbucks branch in the Saudi capital and ended up in jail for sitting in a coffee shop with a man who is not a close relative.

Oxford Study Will Delve Into Mankind's Link to Almighty

LONDON University of Oxford researchers will spend nearly $4 million to study why mankind embraces God. The grant to the Ian Ramsey Center for Science and Religion will bring anthropologists, theologians, philosophers and other academics together for three years to study whether belief in a divine being is a basic part of mankind's makeup.

Culling of Wild Horses Outrages Many Australians ; Overpopulation Puts Strain On Land

BELLINGEN, Australia Adam watched as his mother and father were gunned down. Rosie was just 4 weeks old when her mother died after being caught in a trap. She almost didn't make it.

The Itch to Switch ; Obama Chipping Away at Clinton's N.J. Support

New Jersey's presidential primary may have ended three weeks ago, but the politics is going into overtime. A bloc of Democratic officials from South Jersey, including two super delegates, announced Wednesday they believe Sen. Barack Obama's 10 straight victories since Feb. 5 make him the inevitable nominee and the party needs to unite behind him.

Thanks to Calendar Quirk, Bishops Get Their Irish Up ; St. Patrick's Events Nudged by Early Easter

That famous saint named Patrick will have his green-drenched party this year, but it's unclear when the guests are supposed to arrive. For the first time since 1940, St. Patrick's Day will fall during Holy Week, the sacred seven days preceding Easter.

Autism Aid Is Back On the Table ; Bills Would Support Therapies, Outreach

New Jerseyans with autism would gain a government advocate, insurance coverage for promising treatments and help with living arrangements under a second wave of legislation detailed Wednesday. In all, Assembly leaders say, they will propose six bills to support adults and children diagnosed with the neurological disorder. A similar effort in 2007 resulted in an eight-bill package signed by Governor Corzine that added millions of dollars for research, among other initiatives.

Dep Bowing to Builders, Activists Say ; New Exemptions Offered On Waterway Development

Developers may have more leeway in building near some of North Jersey's most sensitive streams, rivers and reservoirs after the state changed a water protection policy last month. The rule rewritten by the state Department of Environmental Protection covers when builders can disturb the 300-foot buffers around so-called Category One waters such as the Pequannock and Pompton rivers and the Oradell and Wanaque reservoirs.

Threat Led to College Campus Lockdown ; Text-Message System Alerted Students

Police were reviewing security camera footage of a St. Peter's College administrative building where a threatening note was found Wednesday morning, triggering an hours-long lockdown of the school's Jersey City campus. School officials alerted students within minutes of finding the note, which referenced the Virginia Tech massacre, by using the college's new text-message alert system installed after the April 2007 shooting in Blacksburg, authorities said.

Grandpa Accused of Using Girl to Take Purse Indicted

A Teaneck man who allegedly enlisted his granddaughter to steal a purse from a boardwalk arcade in Seaside Heights in September has been indicted on multiple charges, authorities said Wednesday. Daniel Twomey, 52, was charged Tuesday with theft, child endangerment and other offenses, said Capt. Michael Mohel, a spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.

People in the News

Driving case stalls A Los Angeles judge put the brakes on Britney Spears' driving- without-a-license case Wednesday after her lawyers said they don't believe the troubled pop star is capable of resolving the matter.

Talks Delay Plea Deal in Body Parts Case

NEW YORK Prosecutors have told a Brooklyn judge they are still finalizing a plea deal for the former Fort Lee dental surgeon accused of harvesting body parts from cadavers and selling them to tissue banks. Michael Mastromarino, owner of BioMedical Tissue Services of Fort Lee, was supposed to plead guilty Wednesday but instead prosecutors asked the judge for more time. The judge gave prosecutors another week to hammer out the deal.

Bill Would Notify Parents On Soil Woes

Members of the state Senate's Environment Committee will meet today to discuss a bill that would require prompt parental notification when contaminated soil is found on school grounds. The bill was drafted after soil with pesticides was found at West Brook Middle School in Paramus and at several other school sites in North Jersey.

Hospital Closings Worrying Public ; Disaster Response a Concern in Region

Half of New Jerseyans, particularly residents of North Jersey, are concerned that nearly 20 hospitals in the state closed in the past decade, a Rutgers study said. Seventy-eight percent of New Jersey residents worry at least somewhat about whether the remaining hospitals in New Jersey can respond to mass casualty emergencies, according to the study released Wednesday by the Center for State Health Policy at Rutgers.

Local Firm Fined $290,000 Over Tank Tests ; Lacked Approvals for Gas Station Checks

New Jersey has fined an Elmwood Park business $290,000 for inspecting underground petroleum tanks at local service stations without the proper certifications. The illegal inspections by ABC Environmental Inc. raised the risk that underground leaks could have gone undetected, threatening local water supplies, the Department of Environmental Protection said Tuesday.

2 Held, 2 Others Sought in $250,000 Clothing Theft ; Warehouse Used to Store Trailer Loads

NEWARK - FBI agents arrested two men Wednesday and were searching for two others in connection with the theft of tractor-trailer loads of men's and women's apparel and other goods with a combined wholesale value of more than $250,000. Agents were looking for Luis Marin, 39, of North Bergen and Juan E. Martinez, 38, of Elizabeth, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Deborah Gannett.

Corzine's Ex-Girlfriend Seeks Top Union Post

TRENTON A local state workers union president who once dated Governor Corzine is running for a top Communications Workers of America post that could one day place her in direct negotiations with Corzine's office. Carla Katz wants to be vice president of Communications Workers of America's District 1, which represents more than 190,000 members in 327 CWA local unions in New York, New Jersey, New England and eastern Canada.