Augusta Chronicle, The

Today Is Thursday, May 6, the 127th Day of 2004.

1861 Arkansas seceded from the Union.

House Votes to Hold Back Tax

At least 9 million taxpayers would escape the alternative minimum tax next year under a bill the House passed Wednesday. The alternative minimum tax, designed to trap high-income tax evaders, ensnares more middle-income taxpayers each year. About 3 million taxpayers, some of whom live in high-tax states or have numerous children, paid the tax this year.

In the Spotlight

Madonna disputesBritish open land law LONDON - Not in my back yard, says Madonna.

House Panel Shuns Calamity Proposal

A proposed constitutional amendment on replacing lawmakers killed or incapacitated in a terrorist attack was sent to the House by a committee that urged its defeat. With the chairman and his Republican colleagues united in opposition, the House Judiciary Committee on a 17-12 party-line vote Wednesday reported the proposal "adversely" to the full House. It would amend the Con-stitution to allow for temporary appointment of House lawmakers if a majority of the 435-member body is killed or inc...

Optical Discs Might Be Less Immortal Than Once Thought

Dan Koster was unpacking some of his more than 2,000 CDs after a move when he noticed something strange. Some of them, which he always took good care of, wouldn't play properly. Mr. Koster, a Web and graphic designer for Queens University of Charlotte, N.C., took one that was skipping badly and held it up to the light.

Mosque Vandals Receive Probation

Two of the four teenagers who desecrated a Lubbock mosque in March received probation during a court hearing. "I'm very satisfied," said Mohamed El-Moctar, the mosque's spiritual leader. "I believe they are too young for punishment. I hope they will benefit from probation."

The Nation

Work to begin July 4at trade center site NEW YORK - Saying New Yorkers can "begin to reclaim our skyline," Gov. George Pataki on Wednesday set a July 4 date to break ground on the 1,776-foot Freedom Tower at the World Trade Center site.

The Nation

Work to begin July 4at trade center site NEW YORK - Saying New Yorkers can "begin to reclaim our skyline," Gov. George Pataki on Wednesday set a July 4 date to break ground on the 1,776-foot Freedom Tower at the World Trade Center site.

Rebuilding a Wetland ; Research Scientists Work to Restore Phinizy Swamp to Its Natural State

Oscar Flite and Amanda Garman spend their afternoons planting trees along the fringe of a former strip mine off Gordon Highway. So far, 600 seedlings have hit the dirt. By this fall, the count will be more than 5,000. In more ways than one, the gradual restoration of disturbed industrial land is like money in the bank.

Bush Vows Justice for Abuse

Acknowledging mistakes but stopping short of an apology, President Bush told the Arab world Wednesday that Americans are appalled by the abuse and deaths of Iraqi prisoners at the hands of U.S. soldiers. He promised that "justice will be delivered." "The people in the Middle East must understand that this was horrible," Mr. Bush said, trying to calm international outrage. He went on two Arabic-language television networks to take charge of the administration's damage-control efforts.

The World

Israeli warplanes fireon hideout in Lebanon BEIRUT, LEBANON - Israeli warplanes fired missiles at a suspected guerrilla hideout in south Lebanon on Wednesday, shortly after Hezbollah gunners fired on Israeli jets, security officials said.

Cvs Chief Calls for Drug Imports

Breaking with others in his industry, the chief executive of CVS/ pharmacy called Wednesday for temporarily legalizing imports of prescription drugs. "While many in our industry believe that importation is a fundamentally flawed concept and oppose it without exception, I have come to a slightly different view," Thomas Ryan, CVS' chairman and chief executive officer, said in prepared testimony for a government task force on drug importation.

Today in History

1861 Arkansas seceded from the Union.

State Budget Gets a Boost

The state's financial picture took a dramatic turn for the better last month, with tax collections increasing $168.8 million, or 18 percent, over the same month a year ago, officials said Wednesday. In addition, a change in the way the state collects withholding taxes from employers pumped an additional $202 million into the treasury, boosting the month's gain from all sources to $370.8 million, up 39 percent, over April 2003.

Colleges Note Rise in Work Extensions

And then there was the Penn State student who used the "death in the family" excuse once too often. "It was an Italian student," recalled Carol Shloss, an English professor of 30 years who now teaches at Stanford. "Every time he had a paper due he had a grandmother who had died. That was a three- strikes-you're-out rule. You don't have three grandmothers - not in an Italian family."

Around the Block

Newcomers meet The Aiken Newcomers' Club will meet at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Houndslake Country Club, 1900 Houndslake Drive. Herbal Solutions' Jeri Barret will discuss the herbal medicine cabinet. The installation of officers for 2004-05 will take place. Lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m. The cost is $10.50. Reservations must be made by noon Thursday. For more information, call 641-6732.

Nuclear Cleanup Measure Debated

A Senate committee is considering a measure that could allow the government to avoid removing hundreds of thousands of gallons of highly radioactive sludge from sites in three states. The Energy Department has been stymied in an attempt to reclassify some of the 90 million gallons of radioactive waste kept in tanks in Washington state, Idaho and South Carolina so it would not have to ship it to a special high-level waste repository.

Mayor's Prayer Breakfast Unites Denominations

More than 100 residents, civic and religious leaders came together to pray Tuesday. With a theme of Blessed is the Nation Whose God is the Lord, the 15th annual Mayor's Prayer Breakfast at the North Augusta Community Center reached across racial and denominational boundaries as pastors from Catholic, Baptist, United Methodist and Lutheran churches led prayers for the nation, its people, the military, the mayor and the city council.

City Council Approves Measures On Land for Church's New Facility

Grace United Methodist Church is a few steps closer to enlarging its facilities on Georgia Avenue. On Monday, the North Augusta City Council voted on three measures that would allow the church to use adjacent properties for constructing a 27,000-square-foot multipurpose building that will be called the Wesley Center.

Mail Carriers Help Stamp Out Hunger by Participating in Food Drive

Mail carriers will collect nonperishable food items on their routes Saturday. "We love our letter carriers," said Laurie Roper Harmon, the volunteer coordinator for the Golden Harvest Food Bank.