Yanks Top Red Sox to Climb Out of Cellar

BOSTON - The New York Yankees are trying to break another one of baseball's unwritten rules, the one that says a double-digit deficit on Memorial Day is insurmountable. One game after Alex Rodriguez offended some baseball purists by distracting a fielder during a popup, the Yankees built on that victory by beating the Red Sox 9-5 on Friday and climbing out of the AL East cellar.

No longer tied for last with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, New York still trails Boston by 12 1/2 games.

"I think we need to be a little more fiery," said New York manager Joe Torre, who was ejected for arguing a caught stealing in the fifth and was joined by reliever Scott Proctor after his errant …

Police: 3 dead in California hospital shooting

A hospital worker shot and killed two employees and then killed himself at a medical center, sending panicked people fleeing, police and witnesses said.

The gunman was identified as Mario Ramirez, 50, who died Thursday of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.

The victims were Hugo Bustamante, 46, who died at the scene, and Kelly Hales, 56, who was taken to the hospital's emergency room in critical condition and died several hours later.

Police Chief Anthony Batts said the gunfire erupted just before noon at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. He said the motive remained under investigation but noted the violence came amid a …

Collins will look to Northern again

Sometime in the not-too-distant future, DePaul assistant coachRobert Collins will interview for the coaching vacancy at NorthernIllinois University.

Collins has done that before. When Jim Rosborough's contractwas not renewed two years ago, Collins, then an assistant at NIU, wasnamed interim coach and applied for the job. The interview he wasgranted was more gesture than serious consideration.

Things are different this time.

Collins, 43, generally is regarded as the favorite for the NIUopening, which was created when Jim Molinari, another former DePaulassistant, took the Bradley job.

"I feel I'm qualified," Collins said. "I've done all …

French strikes, protests against cutbacks

PARIS (AP) — Strikes disrupted some French trains and schools on Tuesday as unions across France protested government austerity measures.

President Nicolas Sarkozy's conservative government says the cost-cutting measures are essential to reducing the country's debts and allowing France to remain a pillar of the troubled eurozone.

Despite tensions, the turnout for strikes in 39 cities and 193 protest marches was lackluster.

In August, the French government announced a euro11 billion package of spending cuts and tax increases in a bid to ensure that France doesn't miss a vital pledge to cut its deficit.

Besides a new tax on higher earners and the closing of some …

Tenor Ben Heppner trying on Siegfried in Aix-en-Provence

When tenor Ben Heppner wanted to try the grueling role of Tristan for the first time back in 1997, he chose a spot that he described as "off the beaten path."

Those first performances in Seattle were a huge success, and he has gone on to portray the hero of Richard Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde" in opera houses around the world.

So when Heppner decided to take on another Wagnerian role notorious for its difficulty _ the title character in "Siegfried" _ he didn't do it in New York, Vienna or Paris, but at the annual summer festival in this town in southern France.

His performance at Saturday night's premiere was in …

Israelis delay cooperation with UN on Jenin camp fact-finding mission

JERUSALEM--In a reversal, Israeli officials on Tuesday decided topostpone helping the United Nations conduct a fact-finding proberegarding the Jenin refugee camp because Israeli diplomats feared thecountry may be set up.

But UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan refused to accept the decisionlate Tuesday, directing a team of investigators to arrive in theMideast by Saturday.

The Jerusalem Post is reporting in today's editions that PrimeMinister Ariel Sharon, after meeting with Defense Minister BinyaminBen-Eliezer, and representatives from the defense and foreignministries, decided not to go ahead.

The paper, citing a senior diplomatic official, said "Israelreceived …

Viability, convenience improves for residential recycling pick up

Minus a few snags, collection is going smoothly and participation is high for residential recycling collection, which resumed in October, according to Hallie Clemm, interim program manager in the D.C. Recycling Office. Waste Management runs the program under a two-year contract that pays it a per-ton fee. Revenue for paper and beverage containers is shared when it rises above certain floor prices.

Recyclables are picked up weekly on the same day as trash. Accepted materials include OCC, HDPE, PET, newspaper, magazines, catalogs, phone books, kraft bags, mixed office and computer paper, aluminum foil, metal UBCs, and clear, brown and green glass.

Biweekly curbside …