Midday & Evening

** until 11-18-09 **

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November 16, 2009

Goodell defers to Richardson on ouster of sons

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said he supports any decisions Panthers owner Jerry Richardson feels are necessary for the organization, which 2 1/2 months ago included the ouster of two sons from top management positions.

The team announced September 1 that Mark and Jon Richardson had resigned from their positions as team president and stadium president, respectively, but would remain a part of the franchise ownership group.

Sources said Jerry Richardson essentially dismissed his two sons because of their repeated clashes regarding how the organization should be run.

Goodell was asked about the matter during an interview with reporters at mid-day. He's in town meeting with Richardson and other Panthers officials and has a speaking engagement tonight at Davidson College.

"I have complete faith in Mr. Richardson that he's going to do what's right for himself and his family and the Carolina Panthers and the NFL," said Goodell. "I have great confidence in him.

Asked if he was surprised at the moves considering the fact that Mark and Jon Richardson had been a part of the Panthers' upper management team for so long, Goodell said:

"Again, these are family matters, related business matters. I have complete faith in Jerry and how he conducts himself and what he does. I know he always does what he thinks is in the best interest of others.

"I think that's what he's done, as difficult as that may be. I know he's doing what he thinks is best and I support him 100 percent."

Goodell said Richardson, who underwent heart transplant surgery in February, is taking an active role in league matters, including efforts to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement with the NFL Players Association.

"He's played a very valuable role for us and continues to talk to all 32 teams on a regular basis," said Goodell. "He's in very close contact with myself and Jeff Pash, our league negotiator."

Goodell spoke highly of new team president Danny Morrison, who was hired after the departures of Mark and Jon Richardson.

"I've known Danny for several years," said Goodell. "Actually, when he was the commissioner of the Southern Conference, he came up and spent a day in our office, talking a little about our business and what he needed to be doing in the Southern Conference.

"Then he was up again last Friday, in our offices (in New York), spending the day with our senior team, (which was) sort of giving him a little orientation to some extent. He's been in our meetings this morning (with Richardson and team officials).

"He's a very impressive guy who had a tremendous background, who can bring a lot to the Carolina Panthers and the NFL."

-- Charles Chandler

Monday November 16, 2009

Last Edited: November 16, 2009, 6:23 pm

Monday, November 16, 2009

Rank Name & Nationality Points Position Moved Tournaments Played

1 Federer, Roger (SUI)  10,150 0 18

2 Nadal, Rafael (ESP)     9,205 0 18

3 Djokovic, Novak (SRB) 7,910 0 22

4 Murray, Andy (GBR)     6,630 0 18

5 Del Potro, Juan Martin (ARG) 5,985 0 21

6 Roddick, Andy (USA)             4,410 0 20

7 Davydenko, Nikolay (RUS)    3,630 0 25

8 Verdasco, Fernando (ESP)   3,300 0 23

9 Soderling, Robin (SWE)        3,010 1 26

10 Tsonga, Jo-Wilfried (FRA)   2,875 -1 25

Last Edited: November 16, 2009, 6:19 pm

Midday & Evening

** until 11-23-09 **

150, 511, 125, 531, 451, 515, 516, 751, 851, 915

006, 106, 260, 306, 604, 605, 660, 607, 806, 906

Girl in prostitution-kid case found dead

• N.C. mother accused of offering her 5-year-old for sexual services
• The Associated Press
• updated 3:35 p.m. ET, Mon., Nov . 16, 2009

SANFORD, N.C. - A missing 5-year-old whose mother was accused of offering her for sex was found dead off a heavily wooded road in a rural area Monday, ending a weeklong search, police said.

Searchers found Shaniya Davis' body early Monday afternoon about 100 feet off a wooded road southeast of Sanford, in central North Carolina, Fayetteville Police spokeswoman Theresa Chance said. She declined to comment on a cause of death or the condition of Shaniya's body.

"We've got a lot of people out at the scene right now that are torn up," Chance said. "Detectives have been running off adrenaline to find this little girl and to bring her home alive. You have a lot of people in shock right now."

Two people have been charged in her disappearance, one of them her mother, Antoinette Davis, 25. Police charged Davis with human trafficking and felony child abuse, saying Shaniya was offered for prostitution.

Davis was calm and quiet during a five-minute court appearance in Fayetteville on Monday afternoon. She provided one-word answers to the judge's questions and held her hands in front of her, without handcuffs. She requested a court-appointed attorney and did not enter a plea.

Her sister, Brenda Davis, 20, said outside that she does not believe the charges.

"I don't believe she could hurt her children," Brenda Davis said. The sisters were able to speak at the jail Sunday, and Brenda Davis recalled that her sibling said she would not do that to her daughter.

Authorities also charged Mario Andrette McNeill, 29, with kidnapping after they said he was seen in surveillance footage carrying Shaniya at a Sanford hotel. Authorities said McNeill admitted taking the girl, though his attorney said he will plead not guilty.

Davis reported Shaniya missing last Tuesday. The investigation first led to the arrest of a man named Clarence Coe, but charges against him were dropped a day later when investigators tracked down McNeill after getting a tip from a hotel employee.

Additional information led investigators to a search site near Sanford on Sunday. They continued searching Monday, scouring miles of landscape, roads, ravines and fields on four-wheelers and with helicopters.

Somber find
After Shaniya's body was found, a solemn group of searchers met quietly at a nearby fire station to ensure that all volunteers were accounted for.

"We were hoping that someone could carry her home," said Syd Severe, 42, who came from Raleigh to help with the search. "It's just sick."

A cluster of emergency vehicles and law enforcement personnel gathered where Shaniya's body was found, about a quarter mile from N.C. Highway 87. Authorities blocked access to the road, a rural area popular with hunters that is less than a mile from a large lakeside community.

Shaniya's father, Bradley Lockhart, said he raised his daughter for several years but last month decided to let her stay with her mother. He had pleaded for her safe return.

"I should've never let her go over there," he told The Associated Press on Saturday.

Before Shaniya's body was found, he said on CBS's "The Early Show" Monday that he remained hopeful someone would bring his daughter somewhere safe, such as a police station or hospital.

"They can drop her off at Walmart, I don't care," he said.

A man who answered the phone at the Lockhart home Monday afternoon declined to comment.

Last Edited: November 16, 2009, 3:51 pm

Millions will have to repay part of tax credit

By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER, Associated Press Writer

• Stephen Ohlemacher, Associated Press Writer
• Mon Nov 16, 11:38 am ET

WASHINGTON – More than 15 million taxpayers could unexpectedly owe taxes when they file their federal returns next spring because the government was too generous with their new Making Work Pay tax credit.

Taxpayers are at risk if they have more than one job, are married and both spouses work, or receive Social Security benefits while also earning taxable wages, according to a report Monday by the Treasury Department's inspector general for tax administration.

The tax credit, which is supposed to pay individuals up to $400 and couples up to $800, was President Barack Obama's signature tax break in the massive stimulus package enacted in February.

Most workers started receiving the credit through small increases in their paychecks in April. The tax credit was made available through new withholding tables issued by the Internal Revenue Service.

The withholding tables, however do not take into account taxpayers with multiple jobs or married couples in which both people work. They also don't take into account Social Security recipients with jobs that provided taxable income.

The Social Security Administration sent out $250 payments to more than 50 million retirees in the spring as part of the economic stimulus package. The payments were meant to provide a boost for people who didn't' qualify for the tax credit.

However, they went to many retirees who also received the credit. Those retirees will have the $250 payment deducted from their tax credit — but not until they file their tax returns next year, long after the money may have been spent.

"While implementing a credit through reduced withholding is an effective way to provide economic stimulus evenly throughout the year, it is difficult to account for everyone's circumstances," said J. Russell George, the Treasury inspector general for tax administration. "More than 10 percent of all taxpayers who file individual tax returns for 2009 could owe additional taxes."

The tax credit is also available for 2010. Russell said the problems will continue in 2010 if they are not resolved.

The credit pays workers 6.2 percent of their earned income, up to a maximum of $400 for individuals and $800 for married couples who file jointly. Individuals making more than $95,000 and couples making more than $190,000 are ineligible.

"Making Work Pay was designed to deliver much needed boosts to the paychecks of 95 percent of all working Americans," said Nayyera Haq, a Treasury Department spokeswoman. "Since enactment, more than 110 million families have benefited from as much as $60 in additional take home pay each month to put toward their family budgets, serving as a steady boost to spending and consumption."

For many, the new tax tables will simply mean smaller-than-expected tax refunds next year. The average tax refund this year was about $2,800.

The IRS, in a response to the audit, advised taxpayers to check their withholding throughout the year to make sure they don't get hit with an unexpected tax bill.

"The withholding system must approximate the tax liability of tens of millions of Americans, and therefore, cannot be tailored precisely to fit every individual situation," Richard Byrd Jr., commissioner of the IRS' wage and investments division, wrote in the agency's response to the report.

'2012' has worldwide box-office bang of $225M

By DAVID GERMAIN, AP Movie Writer

Sun Nov 15, 9:19 pm ET

LOS ANGELES – Doom spelled dollars at the box office as the global-disaster tale "2012" opened at No. 1 domestically with $65 million and pulled in $225 million worldwide.

The Sony Pictures action saga tells the story of a scramble to save remnants of humanity aboard giant arks as the earth's crust shifts and flood waters pour over most of the planet. With a cast led by John Cusack, Danny Glover and Chiwetel Ejiofor, "2012" was directed by doomsday specialist Roland Emmerich ("Independence Day," "The Day After Tomorrow").

Overseas, "2012" did $17.2 million in France, $15.3 million in Russia, $9.9 million in South Korea and $8.1 million in Spain.

Domestically, "2012" came in just shy of the $68.7 million opening weekend for "The Day After Tomorrow." But Sony reported that its global total was the best ever for an original movie not based on an established franchise, brand or best-selling novel.

"Roland is that type of filmmaker that casts his net really wide," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony. "The story is something people could really relate to. It's a story of the survival of humanity."

"Disney's A Christmas Carol" slipped to No. 2 with $22.3 million, down only 26 percent from its No. 1 opening gross a weekend earlier. The Jim Carrey holiday adventure raised its 10-day total to $63.3 million.

Big films typically can drop 50 percent or more in the second weekend, but the strong hold for "A Christmas Carol" indicates it could have a long shelf life through the holidays.

Lionsgate's acclaimed drama "Precious: Based on the Novel `Push' by Sapphire" broke into the top-10 as it expanded to more theaters after a huge debut in limited release the previous weekend.

Finishing at No. 4, "Precious" took in $6.1 million in 174 theaters, averaging $35,000 a cinema and raising its 10-day total to $8.9 million. That compared to a $19,095 average in 3,404 theaters for "2012."

With a cast that includes Mo'Nique, Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz, "Precious" stars newcomer Gabourey Sidibe as a Harlem teen pulling herself out of an abyss of illiteracy, incest and domestic abuse.

"Michael Jackson's "This Is It" added $5.1 million domestically to raise its total to $67.2 million. The Sony release became the all-time top-grossing music documentary, passing the $65.3 million total of last year's "Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert."

The weekend's other new wide release, Focus Features' rock 'n' roll comedy "Pirate Radio," opened a weak No. 11 with $2.9 million in 882 theaters, averaging $3,253 a cinema.

The ensemble cast of "Pirate Radio" features Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy and Kenneth Branagh in a story about 1960s disc jockeys blasting illicit rock music into stodgy Britain from an offshore radio station aboard a tanker.

Starting in limited release, Fox Searchlight's animated comedy "Fantastic Mr. Fox" drew big audiences with $260,000 in four theaters, for a whopping average of $65,000 a cinema. The film expands to nationwide release the day before Thanksgiving.

George Clooney, Meryl Streep and Bill Murray lead the voice cast of "Fantastic Mr. Fox," adapted by director Wes Anderson from the Roald Dahl children's book about a poultry-thieving fox and three evil farmers.

Paramount's micro-budgeted horror flick "Paranormal Activity" pulled in $4.2 million to cross the $100 million mark. Shot for just $15,000, the supernatural tale rode a surge of online buzz to become a horror sensation, with a domestic gross now standing at $103.8 million.

Despite the big opening for "2012," Hollywood business dipped. Overall revenues came in at $140 million, down 6 percent from the same weekend a year ago, when the James Bond adventure "Quantum of Solace" led with $67.5 million.

Still, "2012" was a strong prelude as Hollywood gears up for Thanksgiving, one of the busiest weekends at movie theaters.

"It feels totally like summer," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "This proves that if you put a summer movie anywhere in the release schedule, you can sometimes get summer numbers."

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "2012," $65 million.

2. "Disney's A Christmas Carol," $22.3 million.

3. "The Men Who Stare at Goats," $6.2 million.

4. "Precious: Based on the Novel `Push' by Sapphire," $6.1 million.

5. "Michael Jackson's This Is It," $5.1 million.

6. "The Fourth Kind," $4.7 million.

7. "Couples Retreat," $4.3 million.

8. "Paranormal Activity," $4.2 million.

9. "Law Abiding Citizen," $3.9 million.

10. "The Box," $3.2 million.

Sunday, November 15, 2009
Djokovic wins second straight tourney

Associated Press

PARIS -- Third-seeded Novak Djokovic scrambled to a 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (3) victory over local favorite Gael Monfils on Sunday to win the Paris Masters for the first time.

The victory gave Djokovic back-to-back ATP Tour titles after his win over top-ranked Roger Federer in the Swiss Indoors final last Sunday.

The third-ranked Djokovic also beat World No. 2 Rafael Nadal in the semifinals in Paris and will be a strong favorite when he'll try to defend his title at the eight-man ATP World Tour Finals from Nov. 22-29 in London.

"Winning back to back titles at this level is a huge achievement for me, and adding to that, beating the World No.1 and No. 2," Djokovic said. "I really feel that I'm in great form right now."

The Serb looked set for a comfortable triumph after winning the first set in just 30 minutes, but then struggled to stay at the same level.

"It was unbelievably difficult," said Djokovic, who has won a record 76 matches on the tour this season and claimed his first Masters 1000 tournament of the year following defeats in four finals.

"Gael was very unpredictable and he was hitting the ball very good," said Djokovic, who is 4-0 against Monfils.

Djokovic will defend his title at the eight-man ATP World Tour Finals from Nov. 22-29 in London.

The former Australian Open winner fell on his knees and screamed on the center court when Monfils -- who was chasing his third career title -- double-faulted on the first match point to give Djokovic his 16th career title.

"I didn't find any solution in the beginning, I was playing too defensive", Monfils said. "But I didn't lose faith in my chances and I almost overturned the match."

Losing only three points on his serve in the first set, Djokovic pumped his fist when he took a 5-2 lead with a forehand winner down the line. He won the set in the next game when Monfils hit his first double-fault.

But Djokovic made 21 unforced errors in the second set and Monfils finally gave his supporters something to cheer by converting his first break point of the match in the fifth game after Djokovic missed an easy backhand volley.

Monfils then leveled at 3-3 and kept the pressure on Djokovic, failing to convert three other chances to break before taking the Serb's service with a return winner for a 6-5 lead.

In the final set, Djokovic broke in the fourth game with a little help from Monfils, who lost his serve with his third double-fault of the match. Djokovic also double-faulted on Monfils' break point in the seventh game and the 15th-seeded Frenchman leveled at 4-4 and eventually force a tiebreaker.

"The support of the crowd was one of the probably crucial things of today's match in his favor," Djokovic said. "So that makes my success even bigger."

"Let every man be respected as an individual and no man idolized."

- Albert Einstein -

Sunday 11-15-09

060, 260, 826, 173, 820, 073, 835, 639

409, 976, 465, 893, 478, 543, 588, 330

663, 766, 328, 514, 413, 596, 180, 925

479, 356, 669, 531, 793, 791, 179, 000

444, 555, 777, 8226, 3673, 6943, 8943

Thursday, November 12, 2009
Hornets fire Scott, name Bower coach

By Marc Stein
ESPN.com

After nearly losing his job following last season's first-round exit, Byron Scott's coaching tenure with the New Orleans Hornets lasted only nine more games.

The Hornets on Thursday responded to their 3-6 start -- and a limp effort on national television in Wednesday's 20-point loss to Phoenix -- by firing Scott and replacing him with general manager Jeff Bower.

It Don't Come Easy

The Hornets' 3-6 start has not come against cupcakes. They're tied for the most games against teams that are .500 or better with seven -- and they've gone just 2-5 in those games.

The firing is the second major move that the Hornets have made since the end of last season in an attempt to reverse their recent slide and ease the growing frustrations of star guard Chris Paul, although sources close to the situation stressed that Paul has remained a strong Scott supporter. In July, New Orleans sent center Tyson Chandler -- who was plagued by foot problems throughout last season -- to the Charlotte Bobcats for Emeka Okafor.

New Orleans has also rehired former coach Tim Floyd, who left USC in June in the wake of ongoing questions about the recruiting of O.J. Mayo, to serve as top assistant to Bower. Floyd posted a 41-41 record in 2003-04 in his only season as Hornets coach; Bower was an assistant to Floyd that season but has never been a head coach in either college or the pros.

"I just think that we had gotten to the point where things that we were doing just weren't working, weren't being effective," Hornets forward David West told local reporters Thursday after the firing was formally announced.

Saying that the Hornets "needed to try some new things," West added: "Amongst the team I think there was a sense [that] a few guys weren't trusting what we had in terms of our system and our ability to know what we were going to get every single night from our system."

Although he was named NBA Coach of the Year as recently as 2008 and despite obvious holes on the Hornets' roster that he had no power to fill -- particularly at the wing positions -- Scott has been under pressure since the playoffs last spring. The Hornets were pounded in the first round by Denver after an injury-filled regular season, losing by a whopping 58 points in Game 4 in what wound up as New Orleans' final home game of the season.

Scott managed to hang on to his job in spite of the concerns about how much sway he still had in New Orleans' locker room in terms of getting a response from his players. But various NBA coaching sources have maintained for months that Scott's survival had more to do with the $5 million he was owed this season in the final year of his Hornets contract than any endorsement from management.

What Goes Up...

Three of the last four recipients of the NBA Coach of the Year award have found success can have a negative impact on job security, as Byron Scott learned on Thursday.

Team president Hugh Weber described the team as "broken" in a session with local reporters, pointing to the signs of subpar energy and effort in four of New Orleans' six losses to date. It's also believed that Scott's reluctance to play prized rookie Darren Collison and preference for Bobby Brown or Devin Brown were also factors in Thursday's decision.

"He knows this team better than anyone, has the respect of players and in basketball circles, is regarded as one of the best basketball minds in the business," Hornets owner George Shinn said of Bower. "This is our best opportunity to reach our goals this season."

Said Weber in explaining Scott's dismissal: "It goes back to our performance last year. Obviously you see habits forming. You don't want to see those habits re-form when you bring in new guys. You're hopeful through training camp, you're seeing signs of hope and glimmer, but again, the body of work has to come together in a way that you see progress and we saw that gap actually growing. We saw frustration throughout the organization."

But Weber also said: "I told Jeff the genie is out of the bottle. Nobody can say he didn't have the right players. ... Jeff has hand-selected this team and we like the idea that now Jeff will be held accountable for the results."

Yet it remains to be seen how Paul responds to this move. Paul was especially close with Chandler and maintained a good relationship with Scott even amid the Hornets' recent struggles, sources reiterated.

Paul and West would undoubtedly welcome more scoring help, but the Hornets have been operating on a tight budget in recent months with their 2009-10 payroll already more than $3 million over the league's $69.9 million luxury-tax threshold. Given its lack of financial flexibility and limited cache of tradable assets, New Orleans surprised few league observers with the change even at this early juncture. Firing Scott appeared to be the easiest shake-it-up card that Shinn could play.

Scott won NBA Coach of the Year honors in 2008 after he and Paul led the Hornets to a 56-26 record and the Southwest Division title. The Hornets then defeated Dallas in the first round of the playoffs and were within one win of the West finals before losing Game 7 at home to the San Antonio Spurs. Scott also helped the Hornets through two seasons during which they split time between New Orleans and Oklahoma City (2005-06 and 2006-07) in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and posted an overall record with the Hornets of 203-216 after last season's dip to 49-33.

Bower is in his 15th season with the franchise, having worked his way up from an advance-scouting position after stints as a collegiate assistant coach at Penn State and Marist. Floyd rose to coaching prominence at the University of New Orleans in the early 1990s before his difficult stint as Phil Jackson's successor with the Chicago Bulls.

"Accountability was our theme this past summer," Hornets vice president Chad Shinn said. "We talked about the fact that everyone on our staff is held to a certain standard of performance and we didn't feel that was happening at the head coach level. We feel like we still have an opportunity with our nucleus to get to where we want and Jeff is the right guy, right now, to move us in that direction from the bench."

Last Edited: November 13, 2009, 3:19 pm

Last Edited: November 12, 2009, 12:57 pm