steve rubel

Dwight Howard had 22 points and 12 rebounds to help the Orlando Magic hold off Charlie Villanueva and the Detroit Pistons 110-103 Friday night. Villanueva scored 22 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't enough to get past the defending Eastern Conference champs, who led by 19 early and never trailed at all. Matt Barnes had 18 points and nine rebounds for the Magic and Jameer Nelson also scored 18, with eight assists.  

FIREFIGHTERS in Bolton were called out to 30 bonfires in Bolton on Guy Fawkes Night — their busiest night of the year. The town's fire service was inundated with calls to attend bonfires on Thursday and also had to deal with a spate of car fires. Across Greater Manchester, the service received 612 emergency calls and fire crews attended 340 incidents — more than double the number they would normally expect to deal with.

I hope the public will join me in thanking our control operators and firefighters, who have again dealt so professionally with our busiest night of the year.   -Steve McGuirk

 

IN an age of polished pop, Seasick Steve is a throwback. The American found fame in his twilight years by hammering out howling blues on a beat-up three-string guitar and singing about his years of hardship and homelessness. But his remarkable transformation from hobo to Brit-nominated blues elder began in earnest in Wales.  

From the first frantic 911 call that a shooter was rampaging through the Readiness Processing Center on this sprawling army base, it took police officer Kimberly Munley just four minutes to get there. But it was already bloody chaos. Munley heard shots and saw a rush of scared people, some wounded by gunfire, scrambling to get away.

He turned to her and charged, firing rapidly. She returned fire and fell to the ground to help protect herself   -Chuck Medley

 

Duke and North Carolina meet in a game with postseason implications for both teams. And the ball isn't round. Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes has suspended himself for an eye-gouge "The Three Stooges" would have been proud of.  

THE RETURN of Lee Curtis gave Newton Abbot I just the inspiration they needed to upset Devon & Exeter III 3-2 (14-10) on their own courts and open up the Devon League First Division title race. Curtis, Newton's former Premier championship winning captain and the club's long-time No.1, has been plagued by back trouble for some time. But he reappeared under new skipper Nigel Bell for the trip to Prince Of Wales Road — and duly delivered an important win.  

Burlington police have started offering the public an electronic messaging service that will allow them to receive updates on traffic problems, crime alerts, emergencies, meeting topics and other information. Other Chittenden County police agencies are considering following Burlington's lead. Burlington has signed up with Nixle.com. The city's police department sends updates to the Web site, which quickly posts the information.  

FORMER Cardiff forward Steve Thornton returns to South Wales tomorrow aiming to damage Devils' latest bid for success. Canadian Thornton played on Cardiff's top line, alongside Ken Hodge and Ivan Matulik, when they won the Superleague title in 1997 – and he's out to do a similar job with Belfast. They come to Cardiff Bay Ice Arena tomorrow standing second in the table behind Nottingham Panthers – and level on points with the Devils, who also have title aspirations.

Guys have picked up confidence and the chemistry is starting to show   -Steve Thornton

 

The cousins' pair of Wayne and Clinton Alphonso claimed the Men's 45 and over Doubles crown when they gained a walk over from Dr. Steve Surujbally and Maxie Fox in the finals last Thursday as play in this year's Pegasus Open Tennis Championships continued, at the Hotel's Hardcourts. In the Men's 45 and over Singles Division, Rudy Grant defeated Harry Panday 6/2, 7/6 (7-3) in the tie-breaker to advance. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, while the Hotel was celebrating its 40th Anniversary in the Savannah Suite,  

Gov. Steve Beshear on Friday appointed Harold G. Brantley of Bowling Green to the Real Estate Appraisers Board to serve for a term expiring Nov. 19, 2012. The appointment is effective Nov. 20. Brantley is real estate appraiser with Brantley Appraisal Co. He represents certified real estate appraisers.