From January 2000 until April 2003, McGilbra served as director of the BSDthe city department responsible for building, leasing, and maintaining city building. Among the things of value Schatte and Surface provided to McGilbra were cash, meals, drinks, Houston Texans football tickets, use of a condominium in Northern California, travel expenses for a trip to San Antonio, and a $1,000 gift certificate. Additionally, Keystone hired McGilbras boyfriend, Garland Hardeman, who was living in California, as a consultant to locate deals for Keystone in California for $3,000 per month plus expenses. Hardeman provided monthly payments to McGilbra out of the Keystone payments. In January 2001, Keystone offered Hardeman $250,000 in incentive pay if his girlfriends department awarded the fire station contracts to an entity owned by Keystone.

Backhand Shots

And then there is the saga of Buffalo defenseman Brian Campbell, who has decided to put off new contract talks with the Sabres until the season is over.

And that doesn't bode well for Sabres fans, who watched the team dither with Daniel Briere and Chris Drury last season and lose them both when they became unaffordable on the first day of free agency. Those I've spoken with were generally of the mind that Buffalo would at least try to salvage something by trading a hot commodity like Campbell.

Initiative will subsidize mobile home loans

The park has city water and sewer service and curb-and-gutter streets. It is next door to the city's airport in north Williston, close to a municipal golf course and Hagan Elementary School.WeDak LLC, a company whose investors include Jim Lund, a Fargo real estate agent, and his brother, Kelly, of Williston, bought the property from the city for $382,500 in July 2006, said Tom Rolfstad, Williston's economic development director.Anderson said Housing Finance Agency officials spoke to Lund about ways to encourage the park's development and ease Williston's housing crunch. An influx of workers drawn by the region's oil boom has made it difficult to find apartments and moderately priced homes.WeDak's principals have had to guarantee repayment of bank lines of credit and loans extended to the park's residents for renting or buying their homes, a Housing Finance Agency summary of the program says.

Father Foley Cape Cod abuse case settled For $550,000

The Archdiocese of Hartford agreed this week to pay $550,000 to a man who accused the Rev. Stephen Foley of using his position as Hartford County fire chaplain to sodomize him when he was a 14-year-old parishioner in Windsor Locks. Foley, who has been accused of abuse by at least 11 men since 1993 and was removed from public ministry in 2002, is still affiliated with the county fire organization he belonged to when the alleged assault occurred. He now holds the title of "chaplain emeritus" of the group, according to board members... The current president of the group is Windsor Locks Fire Chief Gary Ruggiero. Haber said Ruggiero sent an e-mail to the board of directors Friday criticizing the newspaper for publishing a story last Sunday that exposed Foley's continued use of a police-equipped Crown Victoria with flashing lights, sirens and scanners... abuse took place on a weekend when the boy and his friend accompanied Foley to a home on Cape Cod, which Foley said was owned by his aunt, the brief said.

Report: Dyson, Wiggins suspensions came after alcohol-related incident

The two players missed UConn's upset 68-63 victory at Indiana (No. 8 ESPN/USA Today, No. 7 AP) on Saturday.

Fighting recession

Bankers and mortgage investors got burned from their own greed. Save your money, kids, for a decent down payment. Shop hard for a house. Don't expect to have what it took your parents and grandparents a lifetime to save for. Don't let your pride and your degree motivate you to purchase before you are ready. Don't try to keep up with the Jones'.