U.S. Death Sentences Drop to 30-Year Low

The number of death sentences handed out in the United States dropped in 2006 to the lowest level since capital punishment was reinstated 30 years ago, reflecting what some experts say is a growing fear that the criminal justice system will make a tragic and irreversible mistake.

Executions fell, too, to the fewest in a decade.

"The death penalty is on the defensive," said Richard Dieter, director of the Death Penalty Information Center, a Washington organization that looks at problems with the capital punishment system.

Death sentences fell in 2006 to 114 or fewer, according to an estimate from the group. That is down from 128 in 2005, and even lower than the …

Chicago, you were heard

You did it, Bears fans. You did it.

The Bears have traded for Jay Cutler, the young stud quarterback from Denver, at a price of two first-round draft choices, a third-rounder and quarterback Kyle Orton. It's a heavy price to give you what the Bears never have given. It's a price they never would have thought of paying just a few weeks ago.

So why now? You did it, Bears fans.

This is about fan empowerment. Steve Tadych of New Jersey did it. He wrote general manager Jerry Angelo to say so. Tadych loves the Bears, and he told Angelo this is a defining moment, for the Bears and for a fan.

''If the Bears do not grab this tremendous opportunity that is right in …

Wireless vehicle management.(Supplier's Marketplace)

I.D. Systems Inc. implemented its PowerFleet VMS for Nestle Waters North America. The system is being deployed at two sites initially, with expansion planned to more than 100 sites globally, based on expected system benefits. Wireless Vehicle Management Systems improve supply chain productivity by establishing accountability for the use of equipment, ensure equipment is in the proper place …

SOVIETS TO SEE MISSILE SITES.(Main)

Byline: Associated Press

Soviet inspectors today will visit current or former missile facilities in Oklahoma, Maryland and Florida as part of the procedure set up to verify arms reductions required under a new U.S.-Soviet treaty, a Pentagon official said.

Cmdr. Kendall Pease, spokesman for the U.S. On-Site Inspection Agency set up under the treaty, said the Soviets notified U.S. officials early today they would visit facilities at Cape Canaveral, Fla.; Lawton, Okla.; and Middle River, Md.

Three teams of 10 Soviet inspectors were expected to leave the Washington area at midmorning for inspections of up to 24 hours that could be extended by an …

NEW MATH ADDS UP TO SAME OLD PROBLEMS.(MAIN)

Byline: RICK KARLIN Staff writer

Twenty six days into the school year at Albany High, George Benson's ninth-grade math students are on the verge of mutiny.

One student, sitting near the window, keeps popping out of his seat, heading for the exit. Each time, Benson stares at him, and he sits. Others are chattering so fast and loud that Benson practically shouts them down to get back on track.

Today's exercise wasn't supposed to end up like this. The class has taken a vote on what to serve at a hypothetical buffet: pizza, hamburger, chef salad or burritos. By comparing the various runner-up combinations, students are supposed to learn how to calculate percentages and proportions.

``Why are we still doing this?'' blurts out one of the students. ``This is supposed to be a program to help us with the Regents,'' she says. ``Where is the work?''

Benson knows he's got plenty of work ahead of him this school year. The teacher is on the front line of New York's plan to have all high school students take college-preparatory Regents …

New Health Affairs Study Shows Long Working Hours for Nurses Lead to Medical Errors.

Byline: Burness Communications

BETHESDA, Md., July 7 (AScribe Newswire) -- Medical errors and near errors are more likely to occur in hospitals when staff nurses routinely work long and unpredictable hours, an increasingly common practice throughout the United States as hospitals cope with a shortage of registered nurses, according to a new study in the July/August issue of the journal Health Affairs.

The link between errors and sleep-deprived resident physicians has been well documented. This study, by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, is one of the first national attempts to quantify hospital nurses' working conditions and the effect on patient safety. The study, funded by the …

Japanese stocks erase early losses to advance on hopes for Washington stimulus plan

Japanese stocks recovered from an early plunge Friday as investors scooped up shares that have been beaten down in recent days.

While investors remained worried that a possible U.S. recession could hurt exporters' profits, they were heartened by hopes for emergency stimulus measures that U.S. President George W. Bush planned to outline later in the day.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 stock index rose 77.84 points, or 0.57 percent, to close at 13,861.29 points on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The index broke a four-day losing streak Thursday, when it jumped 2.07 percent.

The Nikkei fell as much as 3 percent in early trade, sliding in the wake of an …