“NYC's Met Museum to get reputed Michelangelo work - San Francisco Chronicle” plus 4 more

NYC's Met Museum to get reputed Michelangelo work - San Francisco Chronicle
US complains about Turkmen student travel ban - Boston Globe
Thousands cross span on 1st full day - Poughkeepsie Journal
Personal Finance: Navigating fiscal storm - Burlington Free Press
Siemans burglary suspect jailed after chase - Herald-Palladium

NYC's Met Museum to get reputed Michelangelo work - San Francisco Chronicle

Posted: 05 Oct 2009 09:00 AM PDT

The "Young Archer" is not traveling far; it's making its way across Fifth Avenue from the cultural services office of the French Embassy.

The statue is an armless depiction of a young boy and was first acknowledged as an early work of Michelangelo in 1997. The museum and embassy say it will go on display next month.

The Met will provide the French office a reproduction during the 10-year loan period.

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On the Net:

Metropolitan Museum of Art: www.metmuseum.org

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US complains about Turkmen student travel ban - Boston Globe

Posted: 05 Oct 2009 07:56 AM PDT

Educational standards withered under Niyazov, who made the study of his spiritual guide, the Rukhnama, obligatory for students at all levels. Basic education was cut to nine years from 10 years, while higher education was reduced to two years from five.

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Thousands cross span on 1st full day - Poughkeepsie Journal

Posted: 05 Oct 2009 10:26 AM PDT

A steady stream of people flowed in both directions on the Walkway Over the Hudson on Sunday, the first full day of public access for the pedestrian span.

Thousands of pedestrians, bicyclists, skateboarders, Segway riders and wheelchair users could be seen slowly making their way across the 1.25-mile bridge.

One sightseer was 94-year-old Marion Haight, who remembers walking across the Mid-Hudson Bridge when it opened more than 79 years ago.

Although she had no problem walking that span in 1930, Haight needed a wheelchair to cross the Walkway Over the Hudson on Sunday.

But that didn't stop her from traveling end to end and admiring the scenic view.

"This is different from the Mid-Hudson Bridge, because it's higher up," Haight said as she huddled with her son, grandson and great-granddaughter. "I think the view from here is much better."

Sunday was low-key compared to all of the other Walkway-related events that took place the previous week.

Gov. David Paterson showed up for the bridge's grand opening on Saturday and there were a slew of special events planned in Poughkeepsie and Highland on Friday and Saturday.

Sunday had one thing going for it the other two days didn't have - consistently good weather.

Temperatures stayed in the mid 60s to low 70s for most of Sunday afternoon, and there was no precipitation.

"It's very nice today because of all of the pedestrians," said Craig Martens, a Salt Point resident who rode his bike across the bridge. "It's a little too crowded for a bike, but it'll be great once it slows down."

Steve Densmore, a spokesman for Walkway Over the Hudson, said the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation might have attendance estimates for the weekend's Walkway festivities on Monday.

Walkway Over the Hudson is the group that spearheaded renovation efforts for the railroad bridge, which was closed after a fire damaged it in 1974.

The state parks office is managing the pedestrian bridge.

"There were thousands of people," Densmore said. "There were 2,000 to 3,000 people who were involved in the parade before it opened, and there were thousands of people who streamed in from both directions after it opened."

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Personal Finance: Navigating fiscal storm - Burlington Free Press

Posted: 05 Oct 2009 10:05 AM PDT

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The Duells own their Chevrolet Suburban, which David estimates to be worth about $7,000, and makes monthly payments of about $330 on a 2007 Mazda 3. He is reluctant to consider selling a vehicle, though, citing family travel logistics and the lack of public transportation. And he doesnt want to return to condo life, so selling the house will not be seriously considered.

There are two bills the Duells realize they must pay: the mortgage and the credit card bill. The mortgage is about $1,000 a month.

They no longer use credit cards, but have a $25,000 balance with Citibank. The debt is at 0 percent interest for a year and they have an agreement with the bank to pay $269 each month. Hanson says they are lucky to fund such a deal.

When the promotion expires, Hanson advises rolling the debt over into a home equity line of credit, which will be much lower than the standard credit card interest rates.

The couple already owe $30,000 on a home equity line of credit, at 5.75 percent interest, which was used to renovate the kitchen and pay for other household improvements. Thats a monthly payment of $147 a month.

On top of the most crucial bills, the Duells have hundreds of dollars a month in utility bills and $300 a month of debt for college education for his son, which is being deferred.

Its just super tight here, he said.

The family saves money where it can. They buy food in bulk at Costco every few weeks and make a habit eating soup and grilled cheese for dinner.

We save our nickels, he said. If I want to have a drink or a beer, I have it home.

All of the creditors, except the familys dentist in South Burlington, have been accommodating on due billing dates, he said.

Duell says communicating frequently with creditors is crucial. If you are not communicating with them, then they are not going to help you.

A trying search

This is where it starts for me every morning, he said, sitting in front his two computers, each with a different list of posted jobs.

Duell has sent out nearly 400 resumes to companies throughout the U.S. and as far away as a building project in Antarctica. As the economy continues to struggle to gain traction in the most substantial recession since the Great Depression, Duell is feeling the effects first-hand.

There are few opportunities in Vermont and a limited number of available positions in New England, he said.

Wednesday, he applied for field safety coordinator positions in Missouri and North Carolina.

To improve his chances of landing a job, he has taken advantage of work force education training programs and is planning to pursue some education credentials at Community College of Vermont.

Ive been here 45 years, he said of his time in Vermont, but if we need to relocate, we will.

Contact Dan McLean at 651-4877 or dmclean@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com. To get Free Press headlines delivered free to your e-mail, sign up at www.burlingtonfreepress.com/newsletters.

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Siemans burglary suspect jailed after chase - Herald-Palladium

Posted: 05 Oct 2009 10:05 AM PDT

BRIDGMAN - A Indiana man has been jailed for allegedly breaking into a Bridgman car dealership and then leading police on a chase, which ended when his stolen pickup truck crashed, Baroda-Lake Township police reported Sunday.

Chief Gary Ruhl reported in a news release that Jeffery A. Vliestra, 45, of Chesterton was booked at the Berrien County jail for breaking and entering, fleeing and eluding police, driving with a suspended license, larceny in a building and possession of burglary tools.

The incident began at about 10:30 p.m. Friday when a citizen called 911 to report a possible break-in at Siemans Ford, 8961 Red Arrow Highway. The caller told dispatch he or she heard a loud noise and saw a white pickup truck at building's rear.

Responding Patrolman John Miller saw the truck traveling south on Red Arrow. The driver sped off when Miller activitated his lights to get him to pull over.

The driver then veered through the driveway of Red Arrow Dentistry, 9500 Red Arrow. The truck went over a 4-foot retaining wall, cleared two wooden fences and came to rest on its side in a ravine behind the dentist office, Ruhl reported.

Vliestra tried to run, but Miller stopped him at gunpoint, Ruhl reported.

He said officers recovered more than 1,800 tools along with tool chests taken from Siemans. The truck had been stolen in an Aug. 14 burglary at a Marshall, Mich., business.

Officers took Vliestra to Lakeland Regional Medical Center, St. Joseph, for treatment of crash injuries before placing him in the jail, Ruhl reported.

jdalgleish@TheH-P.com

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Travel and Leisure

Monday, October 5, 2009