Stocks Slip After Rally, Profit Warnings

NEW YORK - Stocks pulled back Wednesday as investors weighed profit warnings and debated the Federal Reserve's next move on interest rates.

While a retrenchment might be expected after sharp gains seen Wednesday - the Dow Jones industrial average and the Standard & Poor's 500 index finished at new highs - investors also faced concerns about the health of corporate profits. The likes of Alcoa Inc., International Paper Co. and Chevron Corp. also moved lower on profit news.

Economic news, a mainstay of Wall Street's diet in recent weeks as it tried to determine the likelihood of a Fed rate cut, appears to have briefly faded in import this week as the third-quarter …

Game 4 of NBA finals draws strong ratings for ABC

Game 4 between the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic was the most-watched fourth game of the NBA finals in five years.

The game drew about 16 million viewers for ABC, a 16 percent increase over Game 4 last year between the Lakers and Boston Celtics. It was the best performance for a Game 4 since the Lakers and Detroit …

Helping Kids Get Jobs Should Be Priority, Panel Told

Networking to boost your own career is important, but gettingdisadvantaged kids into good jobs is imperative, ethnic leaders inChicago told a gathering of working women on Thursday.

"Our most important issue this year is how we as women of colorcan deal with issues of children. They're in trouble and it'sscary," said Francis I. Wilkins, who founded Networking Together inChicago in 1980. "We have a special responsibility to prepare themto move in our footsteps," she said.

The regional group's conference, "Rainbow of Color: JoiningTogether for Empowerment, Leadership & Survival," runs throughtomorrow at the Bismarck Hotel. The annual program started inChicago in …

Pentagon's second thoughts on Iraq withdrawal

WASHINGTON (AP) — Eight months shy of its deadline for pulling the last American soldier from Iraq and closing the door on an 8-year war, the Pentagon is having second thoughts.

Reluctant to say it publicly, officials fear a final pullout in December could create a security vacuum, offering an opportunity for power grabs by antagonists in an unresolved and simmering Arab-Kurd dispute, a weakened but still active al-Qaida or even an adventurous neighbor such as Iran.

The U.S. wants to keep perhaps several thousand troops in Iraq, not to engage in combat but to guard against an unraveling of a still-fragile peace. This was made clear during Defense Secretary Robert Gates' visit …

Headley's 4 hits lead Padres over Nationals in 14

Chase Headley had four hits, including a tie-breaking triple that keyed a five-run 14th inning, and the San Diego Padres beat the Washington Nationals 11-6 on Friday night.

It was a game between the teams with the worst records in the National League. Both began the game, which lasted 5 hours, tied with 58-95 marks.

With the score tied at 6, Kevin Kouzmanoff led off the 14th and was hit by a pitch by Levale Speigner (0-1), Washington's ninth pitcher which tied a club record. Headley, who also had two doubles and a single, tripled off the right field wall to score Kouzmanoff. Nick Hundley's single scored Headley. Brian Giles walked with the bases loaded and …

Time running out for awards

Food and drinks companies are being encouraged to enter the 18thannual Grampian Food Forum Innovation Awards.

Pioneering businesses have until Wednesday to put forward theirproducts for …

More new students at seminary

Elkhart, Ind.--Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary welcomed the largest incoming group of students in three years: 46 new students are enrolled, a jump from 32 new students in 2001 and 31 in 2000. This increase is significant in several ways: the number of new Mennonite students is double that of last year; full-time enrolment is more than double that of last year; and the …