The Record, Bergen County, NJ

State Probes Ru Finances ; Secret Payouts to Coach Cause Concern

The state comptroller's office opened an investigation Monday into the fiscal policies of Rutgers University's athletic department, officials said. The inquiry follows news reports last week that the university has been funneling an extra $250,000 to its head football coach, Greg Schiano, through a marketing company. News of the arrangement, which pushed Schiano's total compensation to $1.95 million, came a week after Rutgers announced that tuition for full-time students will increase by 8 pe...

At a Glance

Lawmaker in probe of kid porn resigns Assemblyman Neil Cohen, D-Union, resigned Monday, five days after colleagues reported finding child pornography in his district office. Cohen, 57, of Roselle, has not been charged with any crime related to the computer printout of a young girl, allegedly discovered by an office staffer.

Corrections

Sheryl King is U.S. economist at Merrill Lynch & Co. in New York. A Bloomberg News article on foreclosures in Saturday's editions misstated her title. ***

Female Suicide Bombers Up Sharply in Iraq; Latest Attacks by Women Bring Total to 27 This Year

BAGHDAD Four female suicide bombers attacked religious pilgrims in Baghdad and political protesters in ethnically mixed Kirkuk on Monday, killing dozens of people and wounding hundreds in a reminder of how raw Iraq's divisions remain despite a sharp drop in violence. A four-year low in violence has prompted senior U.S. officials in Iraq to describe Sunni militants as a spent force no longer capable of toppling Iraq's Shiite-led government. But Monday's attacks on Shiites in the capital and K...

Where Karadzic Case Is Headed

The new Western-leaning Serbian government that recently captured war crimes suspect Radovan Karadzic near Belgrade after more than a decade on the run has focused new attention on the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, established in 1993 by the U.N. Security Council. Karadzic, the former Bosnian Serb chief, had grown a long white beard to conceal his identity and had lived freely in the capital before his arrest. The psychiatrist-turned-Serbian nationalist is accused...

People in the News

Romijn has twins It'll be twins for Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O'Connell, Romijn's publicist Lewis Kay said Monday.

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Uss Forrestal On Fire

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Around the Nation

Novak diagnosed with brain tumor BOSTON Conservative political commentator Robert Novak announced Monday he has been diagnosed with a brain tumor, less than a week after he struck a pedestrian with his Corvette and drove away.

Justice Aides Broke Law in Hiring, Inquiry Finds ; Report Faults Political Bias in Filling Career Posts

WASHINGTON For nearly two years, a young political aide sought to cultivate a "farm system" for Republicans at the Justice Department, hiring scores of prosecutors and immigration judges who espoused conservative priorities and Christian lifestyle choices. That aide, Monica M. Goodling, exercised what amounted to veto power over a wide range of critical jobs, asking candidates for their views on abortion and same-sex marriage and maneuvering around senior officials who outranked her, includ...

Legislator Resigns Over Kiddie Porn ; Cohen Hasn't Been Charged, but Seeking Psychiatric Help

A veteran Democratic lawmaker resigned Monday, five days after colleagues reported finding child pornography in his district office. The one-sentence statement from Assemblyman Neil M. Cohen arrived at the State House about 9:30 a.m.: "Please accept this letter as my formal resignation from the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey, effective immediately."

Menendez Pushes His Detainee Care Bill ; Visits State's Largest Immigrant Lockup

ELIZABETH U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez toured New Jersey's largest immigrant detention facility Monday, urging Congress to back his proposal for improving detainee health care. "The responsibility remains with the federal government to ensure that a detention never ends up being a death sentence," he said.

Heavyweights Advise Obama On Economics ; Bradley, Corzine On Round Table

Two prominent New Jersey Democrats who might have prominent jobs in Washington if Barack Obama becomes president joined a round table of heavyweights Tuesday to offer the presumptive nominee economic advice. Former Sen. Bill Bradley, who has been mentioned as a potential vice presidential candidate, and Governor Corzine, a potential treasury secretary, said Obama mostly listened during the two-hour closed-door meeting at a Washington hotel.

Craft Is Unveiled to Boost Tourists to Edge of Space ; Virgin's Mother Ship Ready for Tests

MOJAVE, Calif. The space tourism race marked a milestone Monday as British mogul Sir Richard Branson and American aerospace designer Burt Rutan waved to a crowd from inside the cabin of an exotic jet that will carry a passenger spaceship to launch altitude. The photo-op was the public unveiling of the White Knight Two mother ship before a crowd of engineers, dignitaries and space enthusiasts at the Mojave Air & Space Port in the high desert north of Los Angeles.

Alleged Shooter Hates Liberals ; Motive Suggested in Church Killings

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. An out-of-work truck driver accused of opening fire at a Unitarian church, killing two people, left behind a note suggesting that he targeted the congregation out of hatred for its liberal policies, including its acceptance of gays, authorities said Monday. A four-page letter found in Jim D. Adkisson's small SUV indicated he intentionally targeted the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church because, the police chief said, "he hated the liberal movement" and was upset ...

Around the World

Iranian president sees changed U.S. TEHRAN, Iran Iran's president said in an interview broadcast Monday that he sees "common ground" with the West over his country's disputed nuclear program, and "new behavior" from the United States that could merit a positive response.

Wanna Party? Try U. Of Florida ; Gators Earn No. 1 Rating; Byu's Top Sober School

GAINESVILLE, Fla. The University of Florida can raise a glass to another national title best party school in the country. The Gators, known for wild celebrations following national championships in football and basketball, wrested the party title away from West Virginia University and beat out the University of Mississippi and Penn State University, in the Princeton Review survey of 120,000 students released Monday.

Benedict Welcomed in Two Languages ; Will Spend 2 Weeks Resting in North Italy

BRESSANONE, Italy Hundreds of admirers greeted Pope Benedict XVI on Monday at the start of his vacation in a hamlet in German-speaking northern Italy where he often spent holidays when he was a cardinal.

Israel Needs More Time for Peace Pact

JERUSALEM Israel's prime minister backed away Monday from a target date announced with great fanfare at a U.S.-hosted Mideast peace conference last November for reaching a deal with the Palestinians by year's end. Ehud Olmert said the sides will need more time to bridge differences over Jerusalem, long the toughest sticking point in Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking.