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Co-founder of Berenstain Bears books dies at 82

By Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, Nov. 30,2005 4:07 p.m.

PHILADELPHIA -- Stan Berenstain, who with his wife wrote and illustrated the Berenstain Bear books that helped millions of children cope with trips to the dentist, the first day of school and getting new siblings, has died. Berenstain, 82, died Saturday in suburban Philadelphia from complications with cancer, said Kate Jackson of HarperCollins Children's Books in New York.

'Narnia' books fly off of the shelves

By Alyson Brodsy · Tuesday, Nov. 29,2005 5:32 p.m.

FORT WAYNE -- Retailers and librarians say they're having a hard time keeping copies of C.S. Lewis' books on their shelves as fans prepare for the opening of "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch & the Wardrobe" Dec. 9. At a Fort Wayne Barnes & Noble, customers can buy individual Narnia books, or the entire seven-book series, along with puzzles, games and books about the stories.

Chicago being slowly 'chipped away'

By Alyson Brodsy and Don Babwin · Tuesday, Nov. 29,2005 5:32 p.m.

CHICAGO -- To former Chicago Mayor Jane Byrne, the elevated train tracks crisscrossing the city are more than a mode of transport. They are a reminder of a great city that has for generations looked and felt like no other place in the world. But they are an increasingly lonely reminder.

Supreme Court pediment falls apart near tourist group on steps

By Alyson Brodsy · Tuesday, Nov. 29,2005 5:31 p.m.

WASHINGTON -- A basketball-sized piece of marble molding fell from the facade over the entrance to the Supreme Court Monday, landing on the steps near visitors waiting to enter the building. No one was hurt. The chunk of Vermont marble was part of the dentil molding that serves as a frame for nine sculptural figures completed in 1935. The piece that fell was over the figure of Authority, near the peak of the building's pediment, and to the right of the figure of Liberty, who has the scales of justice on her lap.

British painter uses Kate Moss in series of works

By Brett Martel and Emily Behlmann · Monday, Nov. 28,2005 10:22 a.m.

LONDON -- Kate Moss is the subject of four paintings by Stella Vine now on show at a London exhibit, including one based on a tabloid photo that allegedly shows her preparing a line of cocaine. A portrait titled, "Must Be the Season of the Witch," is based on a photo of the 31-year-old supermodel that was published in a London tabloid in September. Vine said Friday she usually bases her work on press photos.

French aid strengthens Louisiana ties

By Brett Martel · Monday, Nov. 28,2005 10:21 a.m.

NEW ORLEANS -- France has offered to fly over some of the city's musicians and provide them with rent-free residences and monthly stipends for up to three months, in hopes of compensating for concerts canceled after Hurricane Katrina. Major French museums -- including the Louvre, the Musee d'Orsay and the Centre Pompidou -- also intend to help the New Orleans Museum of Art put on an exhibit of major French artists, probably in 2007.

Nazi-era children's opera adapted for modern theater

By Lisa Leff · Monday, Nov. 28,2005 10:20 a.m.

BERKELEY, Calif. -- Tony Kushner doesn't mind when critics call him a "political" playwright, a polemicist who mines humor and hypocrisy, and condoles human truths from the rougher chapters in world history. But when he decided to translate a 1938 Czech opera about a greedy town bully who meets his match in a pair of poor children, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Angels in America" knew the project called for restraint.

TV star hosts opera awards

By Verena Dobnik · Monday, Nov. 21,2005 11:38 a.m.

NEW YORK - Emotionally, opera is "a direct whammy," "Law & Order" star Sam Waterston said as he prepared to co-host the first Opera News magazine awards. The awards, presented Sunday, went to three Americans - mezzo-sopranos Susan Graham and Dolora Zajick, and conductor James Conlon - plus Spanish tenor Placido Domingo and French soprano Regine Crespin.

Catherine the Great's necklace auctioned

By Alyson Brodsy and Bradley S. Klapper · Monday, Nov. 21,2005 11:37 a.m.

GENEVA - A diamond necklace believed to have been made for Russian Empress Catherine the Great fetched more than $1.5 million at auction, but sold at just below the high-end estimate.

Pope Benedict XVI attends screening of made-for-TV movie about John Paul II

By Alyson Brodsy and Nicole Winfield · Friday, Nov. 18,2005 10:44 a.m.

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Benedict XVI attended a Vatican screening Thursday of a television miniseries on the life of Pope John Paul II -- giving equal billing to the latest biopic on his predecessor after watching a rival production six months ago. Benedict said "Pope John Paul II," which CBS will broadcast Dec. 4 and Dec. 7, provided an important service in spreading the message about the life and works of the late pope.

Designer giving pairs of $215 specialty sneakers to illegal immigrants

By Alyson Brodsy and Elliot Spagat · Friday, Nov. 18,2005 10:44 a.m.

SAN DIEGO -- The high-top sneakers cost $215 at a San Diego boutique, but the designer is giving them away to migrants before they cross to this side of the U.S.-Mexico border. These are no ordinary shoes. A compass and flashlight dangle from one shoelace. The pocket in the tongue is for money or pain relievers. A rough map of the border region is printed on a removable insole.

Unions protest produce placement trend

By Alyson Brodsy and Gary Gentile · Thursday, Nov. 17,2005 1:31 p.m.

LOS ANGELES -- Hollywood writers and actors are calling for a code of conduct to govern a growing trend of hidden advertising in TV shows and films, and they say they will appeal to federal regulators if studios don't respond.

Lewis and Clark monument dedicated

By Jim Suhr · Thursday, Nov. 17,2005 1:31 p.m.

CAIRO, Ill. -- While thrilled to be entrusted with creating a memorial to Lewis and Clark's brief visit two centuries ago to this outpost near where the Mississippi and Ohio rivers meet, Evertt Beidler found the work itself to be a bit of an adventure. The Southern Illinois University art graduate student built the 12-foot, 1,100-pound sculpture of stainless steel and bronze inlays in a school building that lacked the right hoisting equipment for such a massive project. As a result, Beidler did a lot of improvising.

Former Straight No Chaser singer goes solo

By Allison Richie · Thursday, Nov. 17,2005 1:30 p.m.

Local singer-songwriter Ryan Ahlwardt has been creating quite the buzz around Bloomington. He is working on finishing his first album featuring his track "I Can See Forever." Ahlwardt hopes the album will be released later this year, but for now, he's still working on trying to "get the fun I have on stage onto a CD.

Getty's ex-curator to appear at art theft trial

By Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, Nov. 17,2005 1:30 p.m.

ROME -- The former antiquities curator of the J. Paul Getty Museum was dealt a series of setbacks as her trial on illegal trafficking charges resumed Wednesday in a court case widely seen as a warning to the art world. The case, which stemmed from a 10-year smuggling investigation, has cast doubt over the provenance of artifacts in several museums other than the Getty, including Boston's Museum of Fine Arts and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Music student wins major competition in Paris

By Clemens Matuschek · Wednesday, Nov. 16,2005 5:54 p.m.

"Congratulations, Frederieke!" shouts a passerby carrying a cello case.

Loyal fan base packs Alumni Hall for Hanson rock concert

By Kevin Caldwell · Wednesday, Nov. 16,2005 5:49 p.m.

Hanson still has the ability to shake its mostly female audience to the core. Case in point: Some girls got sick in the bathroom before the show even began.

Hanson bridges gap between musicians and fans

By Kevin Caldwell · Monday, Nov. 14,2005 11:59 p.m.

Screams of anticipation could be heard from Whittenberger Auditorium Monday afternoon. Newly independent band Hanson visited campus for a screening of its documentary, "Strong Enough to Break," and later held a concert in Alumni Hall.

Italy invites Metropolitan Museum of Art director

By Alyson Brodsy · Sunday, Nov. 13,2005 11:56 p.m.

ROME -- Italy's culture minister has invited the director of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art to Rome for talks as Italy steps up efforts to recover allegedly looted antiquities from top U.S. museums, the minister said Friday.

Festival celebrates traditional, modern Asian art

By Allison Richie · Sunday, Nov. 13,2005 11:54 p.m.

The Asian American Association pulled together Saturday a night of fashion, dance, comedy and talent. The program was devoted to showing the cultural contributions Asian Americans have made to the United States. "The U.S. is not a melting pot but one big stirfry," said the emcee, student Dan Vergara.

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