RYAN TO MAKE MORE WHEN HE'S RETIRED STATE PENSION LETS GOVERNOR COLLECT $30,000 MORE A YEAR THAN HIS CURRENT PAY

Gov. Ryan's state pension will be much greater than his salary of$150,691.

The one-term governor will leave office in January 2003 with anannual pension of $128,087 that will soar to $178,041 a year later.And Ryan's pension will increase 3 percent every year afterward.

It will add up to the richest pension of any retired Illinoisgovernor, and it's all because of a unique quirk in the GeneralAssembly Retirement System--the most generous taxpayer-fundedgovernment pension plan in Illinois.

On top of his pension, Ryan can freely spend any money left in hiscampaign fund, which had a balance of $3.1 million June 30. And thegovernor is still raising money, including a …

Fort Point Channel: Boston's newest destination

BOSTON (AP) — Fort Point Channel was once nothing but swampland and tidal marsh. In the 19th century, it became an industrial center, warehousing wool from around New England.

Today the 55-acre landmark district abutting South Boston has reinvented itself as an artists' colony, complete with lofts, studios, galleries and museums. Many of them are located in the distinctive red-and-yellow brick-and-granite buildings that once housed factories.

The revitalization of Fort Point Channel, located near South Station, has brought trendy restaurants, bars and of course tourists, making the neighborhood a new destination with a long history that even includes a connection to the Tea …

Panetta makes first Asia trip as Defense chief

BALI, Indonesia (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is in Indonesia's resort island of Bali to begin his first visit to Asia as Pentagon chief.

Panetta arrived Saturday on an overnight flight from Washington and will begin a series of meetings Sunday.

He told reporters flying with him that his main message in …

Council of Europe executive committee to support gay rights

The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe plans to issue a formal declaration in support of GLBT rights and to engage the entire organization in combating discrimination against GLBT people.

Activists called the move groundbreaking. The committee is composed of the foreign ministers of the CoE's 47 member nations.

The ministers will address the need to ensure respect for the human rights of GLBT people, instruct an intergovernmental expert committee to examine measures to avoid discrimination against gay couples, and instruct …

Paris Hilton Ordered to Return to Court

LOS ANGELES - Paris Hilton's release from jail may be short lived. Hours after she was sent home under house arrest Thursday for an undisclosed medical condition, the judge who put her in jail for violating her reckless-driving probation ordered her into court to decide if she should go back behind bars.

Hilton must report to court at 9 a.m. Friday, Superior Court spokesman Allan Parachini told The Associated Press.

"My understanding is she will be brought in in a sheriff's vehicle from her home," Parachini said.

The celebrity inmate was sent home from the Los Angeles County jail's Lynwood lockup shortly after 2 a.m. in a stunning reduction to her original 45-day …

Energy prices tumble to end the week

Crude prices fell sharply to end the week and natural gas tumbled to seven-year lows as a worsening economy led to more painful cuts in the industrial sector.

Benchmark crude for May delivery dropped $1.96 to settle at $52.38 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

The price decline put an abrupt end to a weeklong rally, but oil prices were still 3 percent higher than a week ago. Crude prices hopped above $50 a barrel last week for the first time in almost three months after the Federal Reserve announced it would pump more than $1 trillion into the economy by buying Treasury bonds.

But the economy continues to struggle. Government reports …

Nike's stance vs. minorities adds up to `zero' policies

Economic empowerment has been an Operation PUSH goal since itsinception in 1971. The approach we follow is twofold. We work tobuild and support minority businesses in our community, and wechallenge multinational corporations to open their doors ofprocurement opportunities to qualified and competent minority-ownedbusinesses. Our objective in seeking to meet with Nike is to developan agreement that will help level the playing field so that minoritybusinesses can more effectively compete with their majoritycounterparts.

When you consider that minority businesses have traditionallybeen shut out of contracting with governmental bodies because oftheir size, that they have …