Last Week in the World of News

y Bill Matoney ssistant sports editor

0 4/17

Cigarette manufactures 'nitiate talks.

The tobacco giants, Philip Morris Companies and RJR abisco Holdings Corporation. initiated negotiations with the ood and Drug Administration in an attempt to resolve their many legal and political probems.

The negotiations could lead o stricter government regulaions and restrictions on the dvertisement of tobacco prodcts. A fund to cover the costs f smoking-related illnesses is nother possibility.

The tobacco tyrants in return ould be considered immune rom most lawsuits posed gainst them, which total over 250 billion.

0 4/18

Dole lends Gingrich $300,000. Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich announced that he will borrow $300,000 from Republican party cohort, Bob Dole, in order to pay off his fine to the House of Representatives. The fine was given to Gingrich when he admitted bringing discredit on the House from taxexempt money. , Dole considered the loan "not only an opportunity to support a friend, but a long-term investment in the future of our party." Gingrich's first payment is not due till 2005.

0 4/18

Grand Forks submerged, burnt.

As a result of heavy rain, North Dakota ·s Red River rose and crashed over dikes submerging the city of Grand Forks. The rain is predicted to raise the river

54 feet, which is 26 feet over the flood stage.

The city is reported to be 70 percent under water.

In addition to the flooding, downtown Grand Forks caught fire and ravaged three blocks evacuating most of the city's residents. Nearly a dozen buildings downtown have been destroyed or severely damaged by fire.

0 4/19

Missing boy's body found naked.

The body of a missing 10year-old California boy was founp. naked in a local desert. The boy was kidnapped at knifepoint outside of his Riverside, Calif. home 16 days ago.

The body was positively identified as Anthony Michael Martinez by coroners. Authorities did not reveal a cause of death, but did disclose that the boy could have been dead up to

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two weeks.

The boy's hands and feet were found taped together. Officials declined to say whether there was any sign of trauma. The police have re-leased a sketch of the abductor and are following numerous leads, but have no prime suspects at this time.

i:l 4/20

Air Force still searching for missing pilot.

After three weeks of searching. the Air Force believes they have finally found the metal wreckage from a vanished warplane lost in the Colorado Rockies on April 2.

The pilot, 32-year-old Capt. Craig Button. is still missing. The Air Force believes that Button left on a training flight from the Arizona-Mexico border, flew northeast about 800 miles and crashed into a jagged ridge of the New York Mountain.

Gene may help people shed fat

by Paul Monte news editor

Scientists have discovered a gene that might someday help people shed pounds in exchange for a slightly higher body temperature.

The gene appears to make people burn off calories and it might help explain why some people are prone to getting fat.

The hope is that researchers can find a drug to make it work harder, so the body will burn off more calories rather than storing them as fat.

According to a researcher at the University of California, this would raise body temperature.

A person would be able to lose five pounds a year with every one-tenth of a degree increase in body temperature.

It will take further study to see how much of a temperature increase people could safely stand.