Dec. 14 Reports: Steven Paul Hamilton, 41, was arrested for robbery and theft. Avery Gordon Randall, 29, was arrested for suspicion of DUII. Jose Miguel Lemus, 22, was arrested on an outstanding warrant. Evan Ward Jones, 24, was arrested for suspicion of DUII. Dec. 15 Reports: Mark Kevin Silvers, 41, was arrested on an outstanding warrant. Matthew Joseph Staup, 22, was arrested for assault and coercion. Larry Dean Wright, Jr., 21, was arrested for obstruction ... [full story]

My little boy is growing up.  It’s sad and exciting all at the same time. Before he was born, so many years ago, I bought a baby blanket at a garage sale.  It was brand new; still in the packaging.  It was made of white flannel with blue satin trim around the sides and a little blue teddy bear embroidered on one corner.  I didn’t know, at the time, how much this little garage sale purchase ... [full story]

Are you a shy guy or a bashful babe? At parties, would you rather talk to another guest or network with a potted plant? Do you cringe at confrontation and run away from run-ins? If so, you may be an introvert. You may also be wondering how and where in the world you can get work that works with your particular personality profile. Well, it's a happy day for introverts. The extroverts at JIST Publishing ... [full story]

Dear Mr. Berko: I bought 400 shares of Merrill Lynch at $88 last July and now its $55. What do you think of Merrill now that John Thain is taking over the company? If you are positive about Merrill do you think it would be a good idea to average down my costs and purchase 400 more shares, which would give me an average price of $71.50 My son, who has been a Merrill employee ... [full story]

Dear Mr. Berko: I've decided to do my own tax return for the 2007 year both to save a few dollars and because I think my accountant's nasty personality with the IRS examiner caused me excessive grief on my 2005 return, which was recently settled and cost me an extra $3,200. Can you tell me how the new rules for medical deductions work for deducting medical and doctor expenses on my tax return? What we ... [full story]

Welcome to the James Stewart era of Supercross. With seven-time series champion Jeremy McGrath and five-time champ Ricky Carmichael permanently retired, the 22-year-old Stewart goes into Saturday night's season opener in Anaheim, Calif., as the rider du jour. Which means Stewart already is being compared with the gods of the sport, although he has just one Supercross title to his credit. One of the first questions posed to Stewart during a recent conference call was: ... [full story]

Professional sports once recognized what could be termed "the code." It was not written out, but it was observed. It was this: That out of fairness to all teams involved in a championship competition, any team opposing one of them shall extend itself to the fullest. A noble concept. Sadly, it has been largely forgotten, nowhere more than in the NFL, in which for most franchises advancing to what I think of as "The Show," ... [full story]

  The rhythm, timing and tempo of your putting stroke do not change according to the length of your putt …  [full story]

Q: I find myself struggling with how to play aces in early position. Every time I raise three times the blinds, it looks strong and everyone folds. Every time I limp I don't get raised and too many people get to see the flop. What should I do? Is a min-raise effective?   SHAWN RICE - UltimateBet Internet pro Shawn Rice spends his time traveling for tournaments and playing online. Rice has won thousands online and ... [full story]

Dear Mr. Berko: I'm concerned about our huge national debt and the Social Security trust fund. I think our debt is going to Hades in a handbasket and at my tender age of 46 I think the money in the Social Security trust fund will be gone when I'm ready to collect in 22 years. Do you remember professor Arthur Laffler who wants us to go on the gold standard, which he believes (and still ... [full story]