Newser Story Index from March, 2008
Welcome to the Newser Story Index. Here you find stories written by Newser writers and editors, assembled with supporting photos and videos from the files of the news story.
Senator Blasts 'Foot-Dragging' on Protecting Polar Bear
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
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Mar 21, 2008 2:50 PM CDT
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Three months after the deadline for declaring whether polar bears are a threatened species, the Interior Department hasn't issued a ruling, and Barbara Boxer wants to know why. The influential senator said yesterday she wants Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to appear before the environment committee and “answer questions about the administration’s...
Tibet Protests Could Snuff Olympic Torch's UK Visit
Times (UK)
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Mar 21, 2008 2:38 PM CDT
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The Olympic torch will pass through London on April 6, meeting major protests over China's human-rights abuses in Tibet and other causes. The visit will test how disruptive political forces could be on the Summer Games—and how well British security forces are preparing for the 2012 London Olympics, the Times of London reports.
Cyprus Will Resume Unity Talks
Reuters
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Mar 21, 2008 2:25 PM CDT
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Leaders of the Greek and Turkish portions of Cyprus said today they will restart negotiations on reunification of the Mediterranean island, Reuters reports. Dimitris Christofias, recently elected leader of Greek Cyprus, and Mehmet Ali Talat, who represents Turkish Cyprus, also announced that Ledra Street, a key shopping avenue long shut down in the...
Voters Split Over Obama's Pastor Problem
Boston Globe
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Mar 21, 2008 2:12 PM CDT
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How is the Jeremiah Wright controversy playing with voters in Pennsylvania and Indiana? The reaction isn't unanimous, but the Boston Globe finds many who say the inflammatory sound bites swayed them toward Hillary Clinton. “Twenty years he put up with that?” said one 82-year old Indiana woman said of Barack Obama. “He was softening...
Numbers Tell the Tale in Iraq
USA Today
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Mar 21, 2008 2:01 PM CDT
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As US troop losses in Iraq near 4,000, USA Today profiles the dead: 98% were male, and the most common age among those killed was 21—but one in six was younger. The bloodiest day was Jan. 26, 2005, when a helicopter crash killed 31 and six died in combat; the bloodiest month was November 2004, which saw 137 deaths.
AT&T, Verizon Will Dominate New Airwaves
Wall Street Journal
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Mar 21, 2008 1:37 PM CDT
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AT&T and Verizon were the two top bidders in the airwaves auction that ended this week, representing 80% of the FCC’s record $19.6 billion haul and positioning themselves to offer advanced wireless Internet services, reports the Wall Street Journal. Google, sans licenses, was another winner, gaining open access to a chunk of spectrum that...
Rising Cost of Essentials Slams Poor Families
Washington Post
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Mar 21, 2008 1:35 PM CDT
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The rising price of essentials and sluggish growth in wages mean that inflation is hitting low- to middle-income families hardest, the Washington Post reports. Americans are paying 9.2% more for staples—groceries, gas, health care, etc.— than they did in 2006, nearly twice the pace of the growth in wages. Prices for luxury items—restaurant...
After Witness Recants, Inmate Goes Free After 25 Years
Los Angeles Times
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Mar 21, 2008 1:32 PM CDT
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A man locked up 25 years for a murder he says he did not commit walked free from a Los Angeles prison yesterday after the sole witness recanted. "I'm not bitter," said Willie Earl Green, now 56. "I'm happy today." Among those to greet him were his wife, whom he met six years after his conviction, and the forewoman of the jury that...
Richardson Backs Obama, Cites 'Unique Moral Ability'
Oregonian (Portland)
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Mar 21, 2008 1:21 PM CDT
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Bill Richardson endorsed Barack Obama today, saying the senator’s landmark race address this week “asked every American to see the reality and the pain of other Americans. He appealed to the best in us." The Democratic candidates eagerly sought the New Mexico governor’s nod, and Obama said he “couldn’t be more honored”...
Feds Probe SC Highway Cops for Bias
State (Columbia, SC)
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Mar 21, 2008 1:16 PM CDT
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Dash-cam videos that show the South Carolina Highway Patrol ramming black suspects with patrol cars and using racial slurs have triggered a federal probe, the State reports. In one of the five incidents, a trooper sent a suspect flying with his cruiser and then told a fellow officer, "Yeah, I hit him. I was trying to hit him." The state's...
Gibson Sues Over Guitar Hero
Associated Press
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Mar 21, 2008 1:00 PM CDT
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Gibson Guitar has sued Guitar Hero retailers, saying the Activision video games infringe on a patent it holds for a virtual-reality concert. The federal suit seeks to stop Wal-Mart, Target, Kmart, Amazon, GameStop, and Toys "R" Us from selling the games, reports AP. But Activision is fighting back—earlier this month it sued to have...
First Film Was Minghella's Finest Work
Slate
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Mar 21, 2008 12:45 PM CDT
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He might be known for his sweep of the 1996 Academy Awards with The English Patient , but director Anthony Minghella should be remembered for his first film, Dana Stevens writes in Slate. Truly, Madly, Deeply , a 1990 made-for-TV movie that's now something of a cult classic, is a "psychologically accurate portrait of grief" that still manages...
Spacewalking Astronauts Test Repair Goo
Houston Chronicle
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Mar 21, 2008 12:31 PM CDT
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Spacewalking astronauts successfully tested a high-tech goo that can be used to repair heat shields and help avert a repeat of the 2003 Columbia shuttle disaster, the Houston Chronicle reports. In work reminiscent of a “tile-and-grout” job, astronauts sprayed the pink caulk onto shuttle sections that were purposely damaged. “Having...
Personalized Security Protects Laptops
MIT Technology Review
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Mar 21, 2008 12:19 PM CDT
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A new laptop security system in development at Intel learns to adjust to you—that is, the user—getting to know your pattern of Internet use in order to provide more personalized protection. The software, called Proteus, is meant for companies that provide laptops to many employees, normally equipping all of them with the same cookie-cutter...
War Game Takes Colleges by Storm
New York Times
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Mar 21, 2008 12:15 PM CDT
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Somewhere, Harvard is plotting an assault on Yale, while Cornell forges an alliance with Princeton. Such mass maneuvers are routine in GoCrossCampus, a Risk-like online war game in which teams of hundreds of players move armies across virtual versions of real campus locations. But it’s the real-world interaction, as students hash out strategy,...
Clinton, McCain Passport Files Also Breached
CNN
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Mar 21, 2008 11:51 AM CDT
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The State Department said today that Hillary Clinton’s and John McCain’s passport files also have been breached—just hours after Condoleezza Rice apologized to Barack Obama for the same thing, CNN reports. Rice promised a full investigation. “If it's true, it's reprehensible, and the Bush administration has a responsibility...
Money Brings Happiness — if You Give it Away
Globe and Mail
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Mar 21, 2008 11:41 AM CDT
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Money can buy happiness after all, the Globe & Mail reports. A new study shows that people reported being happier if they spent money on others rather than themselves. "This work suggests that even making small alterations in how we spend money on a daily basis can make a difference in happiness," the lead researcher told the AP.
Wall Street Sneezes; Heartland Catches Cold
New York Times
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Mar 21, 2008 11:36 AM CDT
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The high-profile economic woes plaguing Wall Street and previously hot housing markets are spreading, raising the possibility of the worst recession Americans have faced in years. The New York Times crisscrosses the country, assembling anecdotal evidence—suddenly thrifty brides, unsold construction equipment, sinking earnings at FedEx—that...
'Charlotte' Says That's Not Her in Racy Tape
New York Post
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Mar 21, 2008 11:22 AM CDT
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That's not Charlotte, is it? A series of explicit video stills has surfaced on the Internet purporting to show Sex and the City actress Kristin Davis—who played goody two-shoes Charlotte—in some private poses with an old boyfriend. Davis adamantly denies it, but the New York Post 's PageSix says it's her.
Cramer: the Bear Has Been Tamed
New York
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Mar 21, 2008 11:11 AM CDT
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We've hit bottom, Jim Cramer proclaims. Bear Stearns' collapse may have been apocalyptic in scale, but it at least woke up a complacent Fed and Treasury secretary, the bombastic market guru writes in New York today. “We’ve been through dozens of false bottoms,” he says, but now Bernanke and Paulson are “basically saying...
16 Arrested in Plot to Kill Turkish Laureate
AFP
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Mar 21, 2008 10:47 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A nationalist party leader, a veteran journalist, and a top academic have been arrested over a plan to kill dissident Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk. The leader of the Workers’ Party and former rector of Istanbul University, along with a general, and retired colonel, are among 16 who were detained over plans to kill the Nobel laureate and several...
London Bankers Drown Sorrows at Easter
Independent (UK)
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Mar 21, 2008 10:34 AM CDT
(Newser) -
As the Bank of England mulled injecting billions more into the nation's shaky financial system, bankers in the city of London swilled pints and reflected on their state of affairs, reports the Independent . "We are meant to be at work but we've come here for some solace," said one banker in a London pub. As a lot, they weren’t optimistic...
Faithfull Shines in Irina Palm
Rotten Tomatoes
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Mar 21, 2008 10:31 AM CDT
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Irina Palm , about a frumpy grandmother who resorts to prostitution so she can pay for her desperately ill grandson's operation, is winning over critics, both because of its unsentimental portrayal of the sex trade and because of the performance given by its star, singer/songwriter/actress and '60s icon Marianne Faithfull.
Sex Trade Dying Out on Hamburg's 'Mile of Sin'
Independent (UK)
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Mar 21, 2008 10:20 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Hamburg's Reeperbahn has been one of the world's most famous red light districts for as long as anyone can remember, but the "Mile of Sin's" flamboyant brothels are dying out, the Independent reports. Discos and cheap bars attracting binge-drinking teens are taking their place. The seedy street's old-timers lament the disappearance of live...
3Com Sale Collapses on Security Concerns
Reuters
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Mar 21, 2008 10:02 AM CDT
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National security concerns have blocked the $2.2 billion sale of network-equipment maker 3Com Corp to US private equity firm Bain Capital Partners and a Chinese technology company, Reuters reports. Lawmakers had opposed the deal because Huawei, China's biggest network equipment maker, is purported to have ties to China’s People’s Liberation...
Japan Faces Credit Crisis With No Central Bank Governor
AFP
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Mar 21, 2008 9:58 AM CDT
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When markets are in chaos and currencies are fluctuating wildly, central bankers jump in to try to provide stability, as Ben Bernanke has done at the Fed. But in Tokyo a political standoff has left the Bank of Japan without a leader at the worst possible moment, reports the AFP. If MPs can't agree on a BoJ governor soon, the world's second-largest...
Sunni Militias Threaten Strike Over Late Pay
Guardian (UK)
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Mar 21, 2008 9:53 AM CDT
(Newser) -
US-allied Sunni militias are threatening to go on strike over late pay. At least two of the 49 Awakening councils that have been enlisted in the fight against al-Qaeda in Iraq have already done so, reports the Guardian , and the dispute over their $10-a-day payments threatens the partnership that has been key to the reduction in violence in...
Brazil Targets Amazon Loggers
Washington Post
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Mar 21, 2008 9:33 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Brazil is launching a new crackdown against the loggers who are destroying the Amazon rainforest at alarming rates, the Washington Post reports. After several years of decline, deforestation is surging as cattle ranchers clear land and loggers cut down trees for charcoal to fuel steel mills abroad. But Brazil will have to find another way for the...
32 Bison Shot to Death in Colorado
Denver Post
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Mar 21, 2008 9:12 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Hunters shot to death more than 30 bison on a Colorado ranch, and state authorities are investigating whether they had the right to do so, the Denver Post reports. It's legal in the state to hunt bison on private land with the owner's permission, but the scope of the carnage has raised suspicion. "There are just hundreds of acres with...
World's Holy Days Converge
Time
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Mar 21, 2008 8:51 AM CDT
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This Good Friday is not simply the most solemn day in the Christian calendar but a convergence of movable feasts that doesn't occur more than once in a century. March 21 is also the first day of the Jewish festival of Purim and the celebration of the birth of the prophet Muhammed. The three holidays have fallen on the same day only nine times in 800...
Credit Suisse Warning Revives Rogue Trader Fears
Financial Times (UK)
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Mar 21, 2008 8:28 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Investment banks got a brief lift from Wall Street results this week, but surprising reports from Credit Suisse are likely to send their confidence back into the basement, the Financial Times reports. The Swiss firm issued an unexpected first-quarter profits warning yesterday—and said “intentional misconduct” from its own traders...
Bill Clinton Welcomed Wright
Politico
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Mar 21, 2008 8:06 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Barack Obama’s controversial former pastor was twice invited to the Clinton White House with groups of influential clergy, Politico reports, demonstrating that he is not the fringe figure he's been made out to be in the recent flap over his views. A photograph of Jeremiah Wright with Bill Clinton was posted by an anonymous blog supporting his...
HIV Scandal Spreads in Kyrgyzstan
BBC
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Mar 21, 2008 7:51 AM CDT
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Fourteen medical professionals in Kyrgyzstan face malpractice and negligence charges after allegedly infecting 42 children with HIV. The group of doctors, nurses, and a top administrator could receive prison terms of up to 10 years for administering contaminated injections and blood transfusions. Such incidents may be common, one aide worker says,...
Reynolds Joins Parade of Departing Republicans
Politico
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Mar 21, 2008 7:46 AM CDT
(Newser) -
New York Rep. Tom Reynolds became the 22nd House Republican to announce his retirement yesterday. Reynolds, a Dennis Hastert protégé once seen as a potential Speaker, was tainted by an embezzlement scandal on his watch as chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee. “The last few years have not been fun for him,” ...
Drillbit Taylor a Total Bore
Rotten Tomatoes
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Mar 21, 2008 7:31 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Combine the talents of the creative team behind Superbad and Knocked Up with the considerable charms of actor Owen Wilson and what have you got? The "dispiritingly mediocre tweener comedy" Drillbit Taylor , writes Marc Savlov of the Austin Chronicle . He's far from alone in his assessment of the movie, about three dorky freshmen who...
Starbucks Owes Baristas $100M in Tips
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
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Mar 21, 2008 7:14 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Starbucks will have to shell out more than $100 million to its baristas in California because they had to share the tip jar with supervisors, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports. A judge ruled that the coffee giant violated the state's labor code and ordered it to make amends to 120,000 low-wage workers over the last eight years. It's not clear...
Car of the Year: Mazda2
Detroit News
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Mar 21, 2008 6:54 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The compact Mazda2 took top honors as World Car of the Year yesterday at the International Auto Show in New York, the Detroit News reports. The car, also known as the Demio in some countries, earned accolades from a panel of international journalists for its combination of performance and price. US customers can only look though—it's not available...
'McCain the Bruce' Claims are Baloney
Guardian (UK)
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Mar 21, 2008 6:46 AM CDT
(Newser) -
John McCain might be a sure thing to be crowned the GOP nominee, but experts say claims that his family is related to a Scottish king are pure fiction. McCain wrote in a 1999 memoir that his great-aunt was descended from Robert the Bruce, who reclaimed Scottish independence in 1314. Medieval experts looked through records and concluded the claim was...
United Grounds 7 Jumbos
Wall Street Journal
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Mar 21, 2008 6:23 AM CDT
(Newser) -
United Airlines has grounded seven Boeing 747s to check the cockpit instruments that indicate altitude during flight. The decision was prompted by the discovery that equipment at a facility in South Korea where the instruments had been checked were improperly maintained, the Wall Street Journal reports. The FAA uncovered the lapse and informed United.
Smiles All Round as Beach Boys Settle Lawsuit
Reuters
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Mar 21, 2008 5:53 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The three surviving original members of the Beach Boys have smoothed out a years-long legal disagreement, Reuters reports. Mike Love and the record company part-owned by Brian Wilson had sued founding member Al Jardine over his unauthorized use of the Beach Boys name for tours. With good vibrations now flowing again, a reunion could be on the cards.
Pelosi Hails Dalai Lama in India
AFP
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Mar 21, 2008 5:04 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Nancy Pelosi visited the Dalai Lama today in the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile, where the speaker of the House blasted Chinese "oppression" and expressed her support for the Tibetan people. "The situation in Tibet is a challenge to the conscience of the world,” Pelosi said to an audience of thousands of Tibetan exiles...
Hidden Ocean Found on Saturn Moon
Orlando Sentinel
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Mar 21, 2008 4:13 AM CDT
(Newser) -
NASA has unlocked two more of the solar system's secrets, the Orlando Sentinel reports. The Cassini orbiter discovered evidence of an underground ocean churning deep below the surface of Titan, Saturn's largest moon, and the Mars Odyssey spacecraft has found ancient salt deposits on the red planet. Both discoveries have scientists excited about fresh...
Richardson to Endorse Obama
Associated Press
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Mar 21, 2008 3:19 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Bill Richardson will back Barack Obama for president today, giving the Illinois senator one of the Democratic party's most coveted endorsements. The New Mexico governor and former presidential candidate called Obama a "once-in-a-lifetime leader that can bring our nation together and restore America's moral leadership in the world" in a statement...
Mortgage Meltdown Hits Small Builders
Wall Street Journal
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Mar 21, 2008 3:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The housing market collapse that's sending homeowners into foreclosure is starting to hit small- and medium-size builders left with developments they're unable to sell, the Wall Street Journal reports. Buyers are canceling contracts and builders are missing mortgage payments on often highly leveraged projects. Small regional banks, in turn, could...
Lakers Flex Muscles in Beating Jazz
Associated Press
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Mar 21, 2008 1:59 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Los Angeles Lakers made sure in a big way that the Utah Jazz didn't break its franchise record for consecutive home wins last night. Kobe Bryant had 27 points and and Lamar Odom had 22 points and 12 rounds as the Lakers ended the Jazz' 19-game home win streak with a 106-95 win, reports the Associated Press.
Flames Stay Ahead of Avalanche
Associated Press
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Mar 21, 2008 1:47 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Calgary Flames moved two points ahead of the Colorado Avalanche for sixth place in the West with a 2-1 win last night , reports the Associated Press. Daymond Langkow and Craig Conroy both scored power-play goals in the first period as the Flames moved within a point of Minnesota for the lead in the Northwest Division. In other NHL action:
Purdue Blows Past Baylor
Indianapolis Star
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Mar 21, 2008 1:25 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Purdue's star freshman Robbie Hummel played only four minutes because of foul trouble last night and it didn't matter, as the Boilermakers romped 90-79 over Baylor in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, reports the Indianapolis Star . Keaton Grant picked up Hummell with 17 points and E’Twaun Moore had 16 as sixth-seeded Purdue broke a season...
UCLA Wins Laugher Over MVSU
Los Angeles Times
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Mar 21, 2008 1:11 AM CDT
(Newser) -
UCLA jumped out to a 16-2 lead on Mississippi Valley State last night and that was the fun part for the Delta Devils, reports the Los Angeles Times . Kevin Love led the top-seeded Bruins with 20 points as they cruised to a 70-29 win in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Bruins blocked 14 shots.
Wisconsin Holds Off Pesky Fullerton
Associated Press
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Mar 21, 2008 12:22 AM CDT
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It took big brother Wisconsin almost all night to shake little brother Cal State Fullerton, but the Badgers finally ran away to a 71-56 first round win in the NCAA Tournament last night, reports the Associated Press. The third-seeded Badgers shot only 42% and had 17 turnovers, but they were able to out-rebound the smaller Titans 50-27.
Celtics Finish Impressive Texas Sweep
Associated Press
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Mar 21, 2008 12:16 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Boston Celtics accomplished something last night that no team in the NBA has done in six seasons: complete a three-game sweep in Texas. The Celtics finished off the rare feat with a 94-90 win over the Dallas Mavericks, reports the Associated Press. Boston gave San Antonio its first loss in six weeks and ended Houston's 22-game win streak before...
