Augusta Chronicle, The

Left-Wing Wackies Are Still Dear to the Dems

The press release hinted at fireworks, what with Michael Moore and Howard Dean scheduled to speak. It was a slow afternoon otherwise, and the event - sponsored by one of the new lefty organizations popping up like crab grass - seemed likely to throw open a window on what has been called the "wackadoo wing" of the Democratic Party. I wasn't disappointed. Dean and Moore both delivered slabs of red meat to a hungry crowd that wolfed down every word.

Westminster Schools of Augusta

Address: 3067 Wheeler Road, Augusta, GA 30909 Grades: Pre-K to 12

Langley-Bath-Clearwater Middle School

Address: 29 Lions Trail, Bath, SC 29816 Grades: 6-8

Victory Christian

Address: 620 W. Martintown Road, North Augusta, SC 29841 Grades: 4K-12

Aiken Preparatory School

Address: 619 Barnwell Ave. N.W., Aiken, SC 29801 Grades: 4K-12

Aquinas High School

Address: 1920 Highland Ave. Augusta, GA 30904 Grades: 9-12

Worms Feed On Bones of Whales

WASHINGTON - Two strange new species of worms, without eyes or stomachs or even mouths, have been discovered living on the bones of dead whales in California's Monterey Bay. "Who knows what we can learn here?" researcher Robert Vrijenhoek said.

Allawi Calls for Muslim Troops

JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia - Joined by Secretary of State Colin Pow- ell, Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Al-lawi urged Muslim nations Thurs- day to dispatch troops to Iraq to help defeat an insurgency that he said threatens all Islamic countries. Mr. Allawi made the appeal a day after Saudi officials disclosed that they had initiated an effort to encourage the creation of a Muslim security force to help bring stability to Iraq.

Hurdles Confront Lawmakers

WASHINGTON - Congress is eager to show voters it is acting on the Sept. 11 commission's call for overhauling intelligence agencies, but turf fights, partisan rivalries and the task's sheer complexity are sure to slow lawmakers' work. Reflecting the momentum for change sparked last week by the commission's widely acclaimed final report, at least nine committees are planning more than 15 hearings in what is normally a sleepy August on Capitol Hill. The first is Friday, when the Senate Governme...

Overnight Downpour Immerses Dallas Area

DALLAS - Fierce overnight storms dropped up to 13 inches of rain in the Dallas area, flooding highways and homes, knocking out power to thousands and collapsing the ceiling of a 911 call center. Authorities had more than 80 calls for high-water rescues, and rain washed out the dirt beneath a stretch of railroad track.

National Conference Delayed

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq authorities have abruptly put off a national conference of political, religious and civic leaders considered a crucial first step on the road to democracy amid disarray over choosing delegates and boycott threats by key factions. The announcement came Thursday, a day after a car bombing killed 70 people, the worst single attack since U.S. officials transferred power to an interim Iraqi government.

Woman's Snack Leads to Arrest in Subway

WASHINGTON - A government scientist finishing a candy bar on her way into a subway station where eating is prohibited was arrested, handcuffed and detained for three hours by transit police. Stephanie Willett said she was eating a PayDay bar on an escalator descending into a station July 16 when an officer warned her to finish it before entering the station. Ms. Willett and police agree that she nodded and put the last bit into her mouth before throwing the wrapper into a trash can.

Tests 101 Parents Must Learn About Tests Children Take

Figuring out what tests your children are taking these days - and what they mean - can be as challenging as an algebra equation. There's the redesigned SAT, which shouldn't be confused with the PSAT.

Protein Linked to Mad Cow Disease

WASHINGTON - California scientists say they have created the first synthetic version of a rogue protein called a prion and used it to give mice a brain-destroying infection, evidence important to settling any lingering doubt that these mysterious substances alone cause mad cow disease and similar illnesses. The report, published Thursday, won't end the scientific controversy, as skeptics already are criticizing the research.

Saddam's Prostate Infection Persists

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Seven months after being taken prisoner, former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein suffers from a chronic prostate infection but has rebuffed suggestions that a biopsy be performed to rule out cancer, Iraq's human rights minister said Thursday. Tests show that, despite the prostate problem, the 67-year-old deposed dictator is otherwise in good health and has even shed some extra weight while in U.S. detention, Human Rights Minister Bakhtiar Amin told Al-Jazeera television.

Disney Fan Turns His Body Into a Cartoon

SANTA ANA, Calif. - George Reiger Jr. claims to be Disney's No. 1 fan. If you want to challenge him, you'll have to beat this: 1,643 tattoos of Disney characters, from the base of his neck to the tops of his toes; a 4,200-square-foot house in Bethlehem, Pa., with 19,000 Disney collector pieces, and six honeymoons at Walt Disney World in Florida.

Pesticide Approval Streamlined

WASHINGTON - The Environmental Protection Agency will be free to approve pesticides without consulting wildlife agencies to determine whether the chemical might harm plants and animals protected by the Endangered Species Act, according to new Bush administration rules. The streamlining by the Interior and Commerce departments represents "a more efficient approach to ensure protection of threatened and endangered species," officials with the two agencies, EPA and the Agriculture Department, sa...

Support of Nader Dwindles in Boston

BOSTON - The "Nader factor" was little in evidence here this week. True, Ralph Nader, who is making his third third-party run at the White House, tried to get credentials to join the Democratic National Convention, first as an observer and then as a television correspondent. (The Democratic National Committee turned him down.)

Police Deal with Rowdier Protests

BOSTON - After four days of relative calm, protests became tense outside the site of the Democratic National Convention as demonstrators burned a two-faced effigy depicting President Bush on one side and Sen. John Kerry on the other and started a shoving match with police. About 400 protesters marched Thursday through the city before arriving outside the fenced-in demonstration area outside the FleetCenter. The throng pressed up against police officers who used clubs to keep the crowd at bay.

Pupils' Fear of Harm Increases

ATLANTA - More pupils are missing school because they are afraid they will be harmed, even though violence at schools has declined during the past decade, the government said Thursday. The legacy of the Columbine High School massacre and other high- profile school shootings in the 1990s still lingers, causing more than one out of every 20 pupils - mostly girls, whites and 11th graders - to skip at least one day of school because of safety concerns in 2003, according to a survey conducted by ...