Busier than usual hurricane season caused 62 deaths

MIAMI -- The 2003 Atlantic hurricane season was busier thanusual, with 14 named storms blamed for 62 deaths by the season's endSunday, but forecasters say it could have been worse.

Hurricane Fabian was the strongest of the storms to hit land,raking Bermuda with 120 mph wind that tore up roofs and roads inearly September. Two weeks later, Hurricane Isabel plowed into NorthCarolina's Outer Banks with 100 mph wind and became the season'sdeadliest and most damaging storm.

"North Carolina and Virginia were not lucky this year, but therest of the East Coast was," said Bill Gray, a hurricane forecasterat Colorado State University.

The six-month hurricane season …

The ABCs of seamless technology

Homeowners looking for a perfect, seamless exterior that stands up to the weather and resists fading, can turn to Springfield Enterprises Inc. in Harlan. The home improvement company recently acquired the local franchise for ABC Seamless and is now offering this amazing exterior option to customers.

"If you're going to invest in a more upscale home, then you want a product that lasts and looks good," explains owner Dan Miller. "This is a premium product that has a definite advantage in longevity and fade-resistance. I'd never put anything but this product on my own house."

ABC is so confident about, its product's ability to hold its color that it offers a five-year fade …

EU to ease isolation of Belarus at Monday talks

European Union nations look set to ease the isolation of Belarus on Monday, seeking to spur democratic reforms in the former Soviet republic.

The EU's 27 foreign ministers will hold talks with their Belarus counterpart, Sergei Martynov, in Luxembourg, the first high-level contact with Belarus since the EU put a ban on such meetings in 2004.

Finland and Poland are leading a push within the EU to ease sanctions against Minsk after Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko eased restrictions on opposition leaders and groups.

The EU ministers are also considering a plan to suspend visa bans slapped on a number of Belarus officials provided Lukashenko …

Town teams seek wins

TOOLSTATION DIVISION 1 Bradford Town will be looking to securetheir first win of the season this weekend when they entertainGillingham Town.

They suffered a disappointing home defeat last Saturday when BradAllen headed home from a late corner to earn a 2-1 victory forShepton Mallet.

The winner came just a couple of minutes after Martin Johnson hadgot …

EXPLORE THE WEB

These Web sites offer girls ways to explore technology and focuson developing math and science skills:

Women of NASA, quest.arc.nasa.gov/women/intro.html--includesbiographies of female role models and weekly Internet chats withwomen who are working at the forefront of science and technology.

Club Girltech, www.girltech.com--filled with stories about womeninventors and other role models, as well as interactive games thatbuild computer skills.

New Moon: Magazine for Girls and Their Dreams, www.newmoon.org--Web magazine created and edited by girls, which celebrates ambitionand goal-setting.

Role Model Project for Girls, …

TV's Mr Bean leaves UK hospital after car crash

LONDON (AP) — "Mr. Bean" actor Rowan Atkinson, whose character is known for hapless driving in the television shows and films, left a hospital Friday after being treated for minor injuries following a sports car crash in southern England.

The 56-year-old comedian was driving his McLaren F1 supercar — one of the world's fastest road cars — when he crashed late Thursday, striking a tree and a lamppost before the vehicle caught fire, authorities said.

Firefighters said Atkinson hadn't been trapped inside the car. Britain's Daily Mirror tabloid reported that the actor was able to walk away from the vehicle and flag down other motorists for help.

Atkinson was seen leaving …

Despite headlines, a crowded summer at Yellowstone

It has been a summer of headlines for Yellowstone, and the news has not all been good: Three people were mauled (one fatally) by a grizzly bear at a campground near the park; authorities briefly staged a manhunt for fugitives in the area; and a bison charged a tourist earlier in the summer and flipped her over.

There also has been a major piece of good news, which has underscored the very reason for the national park's existence: There were more visitors to Yellowstone in July _ 957,000 _ than in any month in its history.

The recession undoubtedly has contributed to vacationers choosing the park as a destination; attendance records were set last summer too. The …