NEW YORK - Napoleon Bonaparte died a more prosaic death than some people would like to think, succumbing to stomach cancer rather than arsenic poisoning, according to new research into what killed the French emperor.

Theories that Napoleon was poisoned with arsenic have abounded since 1961, when an analysis of his hair showed elevated levels of the toxic element.

But the latest review of the 1821 autopsy report just after he died concludes the official cause of death - stomach cancer - is correct.

The autopsy describes a tumor in his stomach that was 4 inches long. Comparing that description to modern cases, main author Dr. Robert M. Genta of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and an international team of researchers surmised that a growth so extensive could not have been a benign stomach ulcer.

"I have never seen an ulcer of that size that is not cancer," said Genta, a professor of pathology and internal medicine.

Further analysis suggested that his stomach cancer had reached a stage that is virtually incurable even with modern medical technology. People with similar cancers today usually die within a year.

The autopsy and other historical sources indicate that the rotund French leader had lost about 20 pounds in the last few months of his life, another sign of stomach cancer. His stomach also contained a dark material similar to coffee grounds, a telltale sign of extensive bleeding in the digestive tract. The massive bleeding was likely the immediate cause of death, Genta and his colleagues concluded.

Historical sources also don't mention many typical signs of arsenic poisoning, such as discoloration of the fingernails, pre-cancerous blemishes on the feet and hands, cancers of the skin, lung and bladder and bleeding from the wall that separates the heart's lower chambers.

"Can we rule out the arsenic theory? I think we have some evidence against it," Genta said. "We cannot exclude it 100 percent, but I think we are pretty confident it's unlikely."

Dr. Steven B. Karch, who has also studied the case, believes Napoleon still could have been killed by arsenic or one of several medicines he received in his final days. Arsenic alone or in combination with other substances can cause fatal heartbeat irregularities, he said.

Napoleon died at age 52 while in exile on the South Atlantic island of St. Helena where he was banished after his defeat at Waterloo.

"I would say this was death by medical misadventure," said Karch, who works as an assistant medical examiner in San Francisco.

Some medical historians have pointed out that Napoleon's father died of stomach cancer or something like it, suggesting a possible family history of the disease. But Genta and his team speculate that Napoleon's cancer was most likely triggered by an ulcer.

He could have been infected by the ulcer-causing bacterium Helicobacter pylori during one of his military campaigns, when a diet high in salted meats and low in fresh vegetables would have made him particularly susceptible.

The study appears in the January issue of Nature Clinical Practice Gastroenterology & Hepatology, which is available online. Besides Genta, study authors include researchers from the University Hospital of Basel and the Canton Hospital of Aarau, Switzerland; and McGill University in Montreal.

On the Net:

Nature journals: www.nature.com

Suspect in Missouri kidnappings is under scrutiny in 1991 case, too

ST. LOUIS (AP) - A suburban St. Louis man suspected of kidnapping two youngsters is also under investigation in the disappearance of another Missouri boy 16 years ago, The Associated Press has learned.

Michael Devlin, 41, was arrested last week after police found two kidnapped boys in his apartment in suburban Kirkwood: 13-year-old boy Ben Ownby, who was seized on Jan. 8, and 15-year-old Shawn Hornbeck, who vanished 4.5 years ago.

Lincoln County sheriff's deputies said Wednesday that Devlin is now the "most viable lead" in the investigation into the 1991 disappearance of Charles Arlin Henderson of Moscow Mills.

Both Shawn and Charles vanished at age 11 while riding their bikes on a rural road about an hour's drive from St. Louis. Both boys were slight, weighing about 100 pounds, and had close-cropped hair.

"If you were to take a photo of Arlin Henderson and you place it next to Shawn's picture, there is a striking resemblance," sheriff's Lt. Rick Harrell said.

Fishing vessel with 142 aboard adrift after catching fire

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - A fishing vessel whose engine room caught fire late last night is adrift in the Bering Sea with 142 people on board, Coast Guard officials said Wednesday.

The fire aboard the Seattle-based Stellar Sea started at 10:20 p.m. and was extinguished in about an hour, Coast Guard officials said. No injuries were reported.

The Coast Guard dispatched a cutter to assist the 316-foot fish processing boat, which is without power or propulsion in relatively calm seas about 90 miles north of the Aleutian Island community of Dutch Harbor.

"They're trying to figure out what the capabilities of vessel are to make a recommendation," Chief Petty Officer Barry Lane said Wednesday. "Right now no one is in immediate danger."

The boat was headed from Seattle to tiny St. Paul Island, 275 miles north of the Aleutian chain.

Lane said he did not know what plans the Coast Guard was considering to bring the boat back to port.

The cause of the fire has not been determined.

Sundance fest puts risk-takers at forefront with documentary 'Chicago 10'

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) - It's rare for the Sundance Film Festival to start with a documentary. Yet organizers say this year's opening night film, "Chicago 10," represents just the sort of bold gambit the nation's top independent-cinema venue likes to see in its movies.

"It's a film that I think at one level is really basically about risk-taking, about people who want to change the world, so in that sense, it's inspiring," said Geoffrey Gilmore, director of the festival, which is overseen by Robert Redford's Sundance Institute. "It speaks to what goes into the struggle for social change, which is not unlike what goes into the personal vision of independent film."

Premiering Thursday night at the 11-day festival in the ski resort town of Park City, "Chicago 10" is director Brett Morgen's stylistic retrospective of the turbulent 1968 Democratic National Convention and the trial of anti-war protesters that followed.

Instead of a dusty lesson that might be ancient history to youngish Sundance crowds, Morgen weaves archival footage with original animation and a voice cast that includes Nick Nolte, Jeffrey Wright, Mark Ruffalo and Roy Scheider to put the courtroom drama and its flamboyant players into perspective.

"I don't think anyone's seen a film quite like this before. I'm expecting it to be explosive on opening night," said Morgen, a Sundance veteran who screened his boxing documentary "On the Ropes" and his Robert Evans chronicle "The Kid Stays in the Picture" at past festivals.

"There was an energy and a passion I saw in my footage and through research of that era. I wanted to make a film not so much about a historical, academic encounter of what happened but something with that youthful energy like it was captured in a bottle and unleashed Wednesday."

The festival's closing film is "Life Support," starring Queen Latifah as a former drug addict who becomes an AIDS activist, a drama that director Nelson George based on his sister's life.

In between, Sundance will screen about 120 feature-length movies and dozens of short films from around the world to audiences of fellow and future filmmakers, industry executives and general lovers of independent cinema.

Film distributors will scour the lineup for the next big independent hit such as last year's "Little Miss Sunshine," which Fox Searchlight scooped up at Sundance and turned into a $60 million success, one of the top-grossing movies ever to come out of the festival.

And celebrities will crowd the snowy streets of Park City for premieres, parties, concerts and other events.

Among films premiering at Sundance are two starring Samuel L. Jackson: director Craig Brewer's "Black Snake Moan," in which Jackson plays a Southern bluesman who becomes protector for a promiscuous abused woman (Christina Ricci), and Rod Lurie's "Resurrecting the Champ," with Jackson as a former boxing champion now living on the streets.

Other premieres include Tamara Jenkins' "The Savages," starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney as siblings forced to care for their ailing father; Mike Cahill's "King of California," with Michael Douglas as a man just out of a mental institution and reuniting with his daughter (Evan Rachel Wood); Jarrett Schaefer's "Chapter 27," a portrait of the killer of John Lennon that features Lindsay Lohan and Jared Leto; and Jake Paltrow's "The Good Night," with Penelope Cruz, Martin Freeman, Danny DeVito and the director's sister, Gwyneth Paltrow, in the story of a man whose ideal woman exists only in his dreams.

The 16 films in Sundance's main dramatic competition include one already stirring debate over a rape scene involving a character played by 12-year-old Dakota Fanning in Deborah Kempmeier's "Hounddog."

The dramatic competition also features such high-profile titles as Zoe Cassavetes' romantic comedy "Broken English," with Parker Posey and the filmmaker's mother, Gena Rowlands, wife of the late independent-film master John Cassavetes; David Gordon Green's domestic drama "Snow Angels," starring Kate Beckinsale and Sam Rockwell; and James C. Strouse's "Grace Is Gone," featuring John Cusack as a husband and father whose wife is killed in military action in Iraq.

Some films come into Sundance with theatrical distribution already in place, but most play at Sundance in hopes of clicking with buyers who will take the movies beyond the festival circuit.

"I really would be lying if I didn't say I hope it gets a great distribution deal," "Grace Is Gone" director Strouse said. "I think it's the type of film that can play well, the type of film that can catch on in the Midwest, where I'm from.

"The bottom line for Sundance and the people organizing it is they want to get good movies out there for an audience that's looking for something maybe not made at a big studio."

On the Net:

http://www.sundance.org

Controlled burn started on chemicals left over after train derailment and huge fire

BROOKS, Ky. (AP) - Fire officials started a controlled burn Wednesday of thousands of gallons of a flammable liquid left over after a derailment set off a huge chemical fire that led to evacuations and the closing of a busy highway.

A dozen tanker cars derailed Tuesday morning and spilled various chemicals that caught fire, pouring out flames and huge clouds of smoke.

Officials urged residents within a mile to evacuate. No serious injuries were reported but about two dozen people near the crash site south of Louisville checked themselves into a hospital and were released after checkups, authorities said. An 18-mile stretch of nearby Interstate 65 was closed for about 11 hours.

On Wednesday, three other tank cars that did not burn in the original blaze were drained of their cargo of 90,000 gallons of butadiene, a chemical used to make synthetic rubber. That liquid was channeled into a freshly dug pit and set afire because authorities were concerned about the safety of removing the three tank cars while they remained filled.

The chemicals spilled when the 12 train cars derailed Tuesday were cyclohexane, methyl ethyl ketone, butadiene and alcohol, said Gary Sease, a CSX Corp. spokesman. Officials said they considered the substances toxic, but said they break down when burned.

Art Smith of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said early air quality readings showed no signs of hazardous compounds. He said nearby waterways would be monitored.

Mark Rosenker, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, said federal investigators would inspect the track for "nicks or abrasions."

"This will give us an idea if the train struck anything," Rosenker said.

The track had been inspected by CSX inspectors on Monday, he said.

Investigators had downloaded information from the train's data recorder and sent it to Washington for reading. Results of toxicology tests on the two-man crew were expected within two weeks, he said.

The train - with four locomotives and 80 cars - had been headed to Louisville from Birmingham, Ala.

It was the second fiery train crash in Kentucky in two days. On Monday, four runaway rail cars struck two parked locomotives in central Kentucky, catching fire and spilling a chemical that prompted a limited evacuation.

Ice-glazed Texas shivers, shutting down schools, businesses

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - An icy storm blamed for at least 59 deaths in nine states spread snow and freezing rain across Texas all the way to the Mexican border Wednesday, closing the Alamo, glazing freeways and immobilizing communities unaccustomed to such cold.

Accumulations were light by many regions' standards - the Dallas area topped out at 3 inches of snow - but hundreds of airline flights were canceled, tens of thousands of electricity customers lost power and a 300-mile stretch of Interstate 10, a major east-west highway that cuts through the state, was closed overnight.

Marc and Courtney Unger, visiting San Antonio with their 3- and 7-year-old boys from Tallahassee, Fla., found most of their plans wrecked by the cold weather and closed attractions.

Instead of visiting the Alamo, the Children's Museum or Sea World, the boys amused themselves knocking icicles off signs and benches.

"We're very disappointed it didn't go those few extra degrees colder for snow," Unger said, laughing.

Across the country, storms since Friday have cut off what had been an unseasonably mild winter in many areas. Six deaths were blamed on the storm in Texas.

In Oklahoma, the ice storm was blamed for at least 23 deaths, most from auto accidents, and about 78,000 utility customers in eastern Oklahoma remained without power.

In the mountains north of Los Angeles, a sudden snowstorm brought traffic to a halt on busy Interstate 5. Snow mixed with hail also fell at lower elevations of northern Los Angeles County, leaving some neighborhoods with rare coatings of white.

California already had been suffering from an unusual cold snap that threatened many of its winter crops and wiped out a most of its citrus.

In Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, roads were largely empty Wednesday morning. Motorists unaccustomed to driving on ice took the day off after waking up to light snow, trees sagging with ice and icicle-draped cars.

Many schools closed for the day or opened late.

Freezing rain and sleet were reported in Laredo and other communities along the Mexican border.

Tree limbs laden with ice snapped and brought down electrical lines in the San Antonio area, where as many 41,000 customers lost power overnight.

More than 200 flights out of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, San Antonio and Houston were canceled as officials worked to de-ice runways.

About 50 motorists were stranded at a convention center in Ozona. The jailhouse lent blankets and pillows to the emergency shelter.

"They have air mattresses and cots for everybody - and pizza and doughnuts," said Joe Stokhaug, at the shelter with his pregnant wife.

In addition to the fatalities in Oklahoma and Texas, the storm was blamed for nine deaths in Missouri, eight in Iowa, four each in New York and Michigan, three in Arkansas and one each in Maine and Indiana.

Associated Press writers Justin Juozapavicius in McAlester, Okla., Liz Austin Peterson in Austin, Rasha Madkour in Houston and Terry Wallace in Dallas contributed to this report.

Kidnapping charge added against suspect accused of taking two boys

POTOSI, Mo. (AP) - A man arrested after two missing boys were found in his apartment terrorized one of them with a handgun to get him to cooperate, prosecutors allege in new charges filed Wednesday.

Pizzeria worker Michael Devlin was charged with kidnapping Shawn Hornbeck, 15, who had been missing more than four years when he was found Friday. Devlin already had been charged with kidnapping Ben Ownby, a 13-year-old who had been missing four days when he was found with Shawn.

Washington County, Mo., prosecutor John Rupp said in a statement that Devlin, 41, was charged with kidnapping and armed criminal action. The statement does not name Shawn, but uses the initials SCH.

A probable cause statement released by Rupp said Devlin "abducted SCH utilizing force for the purpose of terrorizing the victim. After securing SCH, Michael Devlin flourished a handgun in order to gain compliance of the minor child. Michael Devlin then transported him out of the county and concealed his whereabouts for four years and three months."

Devlin faces arraignment Thursday in the Jan. 8 kidnapping of Ben, of Beaufort, Mo. Shawn was abducted Oct. 6, 2002. Both boys were found Friday at Devlin's apartment in the St. Louis suburb of Kirkwood.

10,000 Burning Man tickets go in first 90 minutes of online sales

RENO, Nev. (AP) - Some 10,000 tickets were sold in the first 90 minutes they went on sale online Wednesday for the 22nd annual Burning Man counterculture arts festival in the Black Rock Desert, sponsors said.

The first 10,000 tickets were priced at $195 each, spokeswoman Andie Grace said.

The second set of 10,000 tickets was being sold online at $225 while supplies last and the third set of 10,000 tickets will be $250. Once 30,000 tickets are sold, an unlimited tickets will be available for $280 apiece, she said.

This year's event in the desert about 100 miles north of Reno is scheduled from Aug. 27-Sept. 3. Last year's event attracted 39,100 people.

Sorvino allowed to carry gun

STOWE, Vt. (AP) -- "Goodfellas" actor Paul Sorvino, who pulled a gun on his daughter Amanda's ex-boyfriend in a confrontation, was allowed to carry it and never pointed it at the man, police Chief Ken Kaplan said Wednesday. - Amanda Sorvino, 36, told a Monroe County judge in Stroudsburg, Pa., on Tuesday, that she had locked herself in a bathroom and called both police and her father after the man pounded on her Stowe Motel room door and made threats on Jan. 3.

"He got in my father's face and said, 'Go ahead, Paul, shoot, I ain't done nothing wrong,"' Amanda Sorvino testified. The judge granted her request for a protection-from-abuse order against Daniel Snee, 21, of Effort, Pa.

Sorvino, a deputy sheriff in Pennsylvania, is entitled to carry a weapon from state to state, Kaplan said.

"He expressly stated there was no way through his training that he aimed the gun at this person, he didn't even threaten him," Kaplan said of Sorvino. "He just said, `I have a gun, I want you to stay away from my daughter, back off,' because the guy was out of control, and he was."

An affidavit filed by Stowe police Officer Frederick Whitcomb said Amanda Sorvino had broken up with Snee earlier that night.

After being arrested, a handcuffed Snee escaped through an open window of a police cruiser and was found hiding in trees behind the motel about an hour later, the affidavit said. He was charged with escape and disorderly conduct.

The affidavit said Snee had a blood alcohol content of 0.175, more than double the legal limit for driving in Vermont.

He was being held Wednesday at the St. Johnsbury Regional Correctional Facility in lieu of $5,000 bail.

Paul Sorvino starred in 1982's "That Championship Season." His film credits also include "Goodfellas" and "The Cooler."

He is also the father of Mira Sorvino, who won an Oscar for her role in Woody Allen's 1995 comedy "Mighty Aphrodite."

Man charged in Kansas college dancer's death; dance team members say he followed them

ARKANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) - A man suspected of stalking members of a college dance team was charged Wednesday with kidnapping, raping and murdering one of the squad's 19-year-old dancers.

Justin Eugene Thurber, 23, was accused of beating and strangling Jodi Sanderholm, whose body was found last week.

"Of course we wanted to bring Jodi safely home to her family. But now it is our job to bring Jodi and her family some peace and her family some closure by bringing them justice," Police Chief Sean Wallace said.

Sanderholm was a member of the Cowley College Tigerette Danceline, which performs at basketball games and community events. Authorities said Thurber kidnapped Sanderholm after following her from dance practice and drove her to a rural area, where he raped and killed her.

After Sanderholm disappeared, two members of the dance team said Thurber had followed them. A former girlfriend also filed a petition for a restraining order against him, saying he stalked her by following her, showing up outside of her family's home and sending her text messages.

Sanderholm's disappearance Jan. 5 prompted days of searching and nightly candlelight vigils, during which the community prayed for her safe return. Her car was found in a lake Jan. 9, and her body was discovered about eight miles away.

Thurber was jailed on $1 million bail. Attorney General Paul Morrison said it was too early to say whether the state would seek the death penalty.

Thurber's lawyer, Tim Frieden, declined comment. His father, Kevin Thurber, said only that the family "sends utmost sympathy" to the Sanderholm family.

On the Net:

http://www.cowleytigers.com/dance/dancemain.html

Gus Van Sant pleads not guilty

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Gus Van Sant, director of "Good Will Hunting," pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of drunken driving and reckless driving. He was ordered to a Feb. 9 alcohol diversion hearing.

Van Sant, 54, was arrested the night of Dec. 21 near the city center. Police said he registered a blood-alcohol level of 0.19 percent, more than double Oregon's limit of 0.08 percent.

An officer saw that Van Sant's headlights weren't on, Portland Police Bureau spokesman Sgt. Brian Schmautz said. Van Sant had bloodshot eyes and slurred speech, smelled of alcohol and failed sobriety tests, Schmautz said.

Van Sant wasn't required to appear at the arraignment in Multnomah County Court. He was represented by attorney Richard Oberdorfer.

The February hearing will help determine whether the Portland filmmaker enters a diversion program, which could eventually remove the charge from his record.

Judge Leslie Roberts imposed the standard conditions that while the case is pending, Van Sant must avoid alcohol and not drive without a license or insurance.

Several of Van Sant's movies have been set in Oregon, including "Elephant," about a high school shooting, which won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2003. He has been shooting "Paranoid Park" in and around the city.

His films also include "My Own Private Idaho," "Drugstore Cowboy" and "Finding Forrester."

9-year-old runaway leads police on high-speed chase in stolen car, sneaks on flight to Texas

LAKEWOOD, Wash. (AP) - A 9-year-old boy with a history of stealing cars and running away sneaked onto a plane bound for Texas, getting caught after flubbing an airport connection, officials said.

Semaj Booker apparently found a Southwest Airlines boarding card and made it through airport security Tuesday, hopping two separate flights but landing in San Antonio, Texas - short of his Dallas destination, police said.

"The only thing I have to offer on that is that were looking into it," Southwest spokeswoman Beth Harbin said.

The fourth-grader remained Wednesday in juvenile custody in San Antonio. He had been trying to get to his grandfather in Dallas, where he used to live.

Southwest Airlines' boarding policy, which invites people to board in groups instead of by assigned seats, may have aided Semaj, Lakewood police Lt. David B. Guttu said. He said he didn't know whether the boy had a ticket.

The boy was unhappy after his family moved to Lakewood, outside Tacoma. His odyssey began Sunday when he stole a car that was left running outside a neighbor's house, only to be spotted by police near the interchange of Interstate 5 and State Route 512.

Police pursued Semaj at speeds up to 90 mph until he took an exit and the engine blew, after which the car went over a curb and coasted into a tree. He refused to come out of the car, so officers broke a window to unlock a door and immediately recognized him as a frequent runaway and car thief, Guttu said.

Last month he also crashed a stolen car before being caught by police in Tacoma, and more recently he was caught in Seattle in a stolen car that had run out of gas, said his mother, Sakinah Booker.

She believes he learned to drive from playing video games on a PlayStation.

Booker said she had hoped to soon move her four sons back to Dallas, but Semaj grew tired of waiting.

Semaj was "incredibly motivated to get to Texas," Guttu said. "He doesn't want to live in Washington state."

Booker said her son dislikes the neighborhood where the family lives and is afraid of a sex offender who lives nearby.

"He does not like it here at all," she said.

Group of wayward dolphins stranded in narrow cove off Long Island

GARDEN CITY, N.Y. (AP) - A group of dolphins that might have chased herring or other food into a shallow cove off Long Island remained stranded Wednesday, resisting rescue attempts and drawing supporters.

The spunky mammals were first spotted a week ago frolicking north of East Hampton after apparently swimming into the cove at high tide, authorities said.

Six have already died and as many as nine dolphins were chased Tuesday through a narrow inlet and headed for safer, open waters. At least six remained stranded.

Rescuers could not resume their efforts Wednesday because of frigid temperatures and choppy water.

"We don't want to put anybody in danger," said Chuck Bowman, president of the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation.

The six dolphins that remained in the cove were "swimming strongly," he said, and rescuers planned to try again Thursday to herd them through the inlet.

Although a rare occurrence on Long Island, dolphin strandings are an annual event farther north, including Cape Cod, said Tony LaCasse, a spokesman for the New England Aquarium.

"Since late December, there has been a series of strandings on Cape Cod," LaCasse said. "We have a mass stranding or two every winter; last year there were over eight."

Unlike the better-known bottlenose, or "Flipper" type dolphins found in southern waters, this species - usually found year-round off Long Island and New England - are the "common" and "white-sided" varieties. They are usually six or seven feet long and weigh about 250 pounds or more, LaCasse said. Ordinarily, the dolphins stay between 30 and 80 miles off shore, he said.

Rescuers made their first attempt Sunday to herd them out of the cove using devices called pingers - which emit a high-frequency sound - and revving small boat engines, to direct the animals to safety.

William Wise, director of the Living Marine Resource Center at Stony Brook University, said the dolphins may have chased a school of herring, mackerel or squid into the cove during a high tide. Then their internal defenses prevented them from traveling back through an inlet they consider too shallow.

Scientists tended to doubt speculation that the dolphins moved toward the coastline because of the unusually warm winter that Northeasterners had been experiencing until a recent cold snap.

"They are fairly adapted to cool water," Wise said. "The difference in water temperature is not that great. It's more of a question of disorientation in shallow water and a lack of food; that's a greater threat."

LaCasse said scientists were first focusing on rescuing the dolphins before they investigate exactly why they became lost.

"Dolphins are extremely social and can panic just the way people panic; they are very bright," LaCasse said.

Man gets 25-to-life in samurai sword slaying of stepfather

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (AP) - A man convicted of murder after nearly beheading his stepfather with a samurai sword was sentenced Wednesday to a term of 25 years-to-life in prison.

Zachary Gibian, 20, was convicted last month of second-degree murder in the February 2005 death of his stepfather, Scott Nager, who was killed as he slept on his living room couch.

Gibian testified that Nager had sexually abused him since age 15 - a claim prosecutors termed "preposterous."

Gibian, of Hauppauge, made no statement at his sentencing.

The victim's sister, Anne Leonardi, speaking on behalf of the family, had asked the court to give Gibian the maximum sentence.

Gibian took responsibility for the crimes in written and videotaped confessions to police just hours after the killing, but changed his story on the witness stand, insisting it was his mother who inflicted the fatal blows after she discovered her husband sexually abusing him.

Prosecutors contended that Nager, 51, a retired New York City police officer, was not a sexual predator but a concerned parent faced with a rebellious teenager.

Gibian, the lone defense witness, claimed that on numerous occasions, beginning when he was about 15, Nager got drunk and repeatedly forced him to perform a sex act - sometimes at gunpoint.

None of the abuse claims were made in Gibian's written and taped confessions.

His mother, Laura Nager, has insisted through her attorney that she was not the killer. She has not been charged with any crime - although investigators say the case remains an open investigation.

After the sentencing, her lawyer, Steven Wilutis, said prosecutors told him to expect an arrest, although he was not told on what charge. Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney John Scott Prudenti declined to comment, other to say "stay tuned."

Cold temps lead to rash of vehicle thefts

RENO, Nev. (AP) - Reno police on Wednesday renewed a warning to residents not to leave their vehicles running unattended to warm up. If you do, it might not be there for long.

At last 20 unattended vehicles left idling in driveways or parked along the street have been stolen in the last 10 days, police said.

With overnight temperatures well below freezing, it may be convenient to turn the vehicle on and go back inside while it warms up and the windows defrost.

But Police Sgt. John Tarter said it's also an open invitation to would-be car thieves.

"Theft of a vehicle can take only a matter of seconds even if a vehicle is locked," Tarter said.

Leaving your car running and unattended is like putting a sign on it saying, "Steal me! It's easy," Tarter said.

Man frosted after Laker allegedly takes his birthday cake

HERMOSA BEACH, Calif. (AP) - A man walking down the street at bar-closing time with a $190 cake in his arms claimed Los Angeles Lakers center Kwame Brown swiped his birthday treat.

But authorities said the cake caper won't be prosecuted.

In a police report, Alexander Martinez said he left his 30th birthday celebration at the Shore Restaurant and Lounge at about 1:45 a.m. Saturday with the uneaten 2-by-2-foot cake and walked north toward the Blue 32 nightclub.

Martinez told police he first came upon Lakers forward Ronny Turiaf, who he said agreed to pose for a photograph with him and the chocolate cake.

But outside of Blue 32, the 6-foot-11, 270-pound Brown came along, grabbed the cake and threw it at Martinez, according to the report. Brown got into a white limousine and left, Martinez claimed in the report, although he didn't suggest any reason for the cake toss.

Martinez reported that he then walked up to Lamar Odom as the Lakers forward left Pedone's Pizza and confronted him about the cake, which was splattered on the birthday man's back.

A man believed to be Odom's bodyguard pushed Martinez into the street, yelling at him to get away from Odom, the police report said.

"Calm down, he didn't do anything," Odom told the man believed to be his bodyguard, the report said.

Everyone then went their separate ways and Martinez filed a police report 12 hours later.

Detectives presented a possible "grand theft of a person" case to the city attorney's office, which decided not to prosecute.

Brown wasn't talking, but Lakers spokesman John Black said the team was aware of the alleged incident and had been told prosecutors were not filing charges. Black had no other comment.

The Lakers are on a three-game road trip through Saturday.

In July of 2006, a woman accused Brown of sexual assault. The district attorney's office dropped the case after a medical exam of the alleged victim was reviewed and revealed no signs of forcible sexual assault.

Brown, averaging 8.7 points and 6.6 rebounds, has been sidelined since spraining his right ankle on Dec. 31. He is expected back in about two weeks.

Foxy Brown leaves court smiling

NEW YORK (AP) -- Foxy Brown, sentenced to probation and anger management classes for a fight in a nail salon, left court smiling Wednesday after hearing "an excellent report from probation."

Brown, 26, said the sentence has been good for her "because probation forces you into structure. It is making me grow up. I have matured a lot since I started the anger management."

Accompanied by her lawyer, state Sen. John Sampson, Brown, whose real name is Inga Marchand, had a good word for Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Melissa Jackson. The rap princess had several hostile exchanges with Jackson before the judge sentenced her to three years' probation and anger management classes.

"This is only the first time in two years that I'm pleased with Judge Jackson," said Brown, wearing a tan plaid skirt and purple blouse, as she climbed into a large sport utility vehicle. "She got an excellent report from probation."

Sampson said the judge told Brown to return to court March 15.

Jackson sentenced Brown in October after the rapper pleaded guilty in August to misdemeanor assault charges. Brown was accused of kicking one employee and smacking a second in the face on Aug. 29, 2004, in an argument over payment for a manicure at Bloomie Nails in Manhattan's Chelsea area.

At her last court appearance on Dec. 11, a lawyer for the city Department of Probation accused Brown of "flouting the court-ordered conditions of her probation." The lawyer, Shawnda Weinberg, said Brown was asking for special treatment.

Weinberg suggested to Jackson that Brown might benefit from time in jail, but the judge let the rapper go with a warning to follow probation officials' orders.

Federline has Nationwide on his side

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Britney Spears no longer wants him as her husband and audiences have been cool to his attempt at a rap music career, but Kevin Federline has Nationwide on his side.

Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co., known for its "On Your Side" slogan, plans to run a national ad during the Super Bowl, and K-Fed has been tapped to star, the Columbus-based company announced Wednesday.

The 30-second spot, to air during the third quarter of the Feb. 4 game, will be the latest installment in Nationwide's "Life Comes at You Fast" ad campaign. Previous celebrity ads in the series have featured Fabio and M.C. Hammer.

In the new commercial, Federline, 28, goes from starring in a rap video surrounded by beauties and bling to working at a fast-food joint.

"No one has personified `Life Comes at You Fast' in the media better than Federline," said Steven Schreibman, Nationwide vice president of advertising and brand management. "Our partnership with Kevin shows the world that he has a great sense of humor."

Spears, 25, filed for divorce from Federline in November after two years of marriage. The couple agreed to share custody of their sons, 3-month-old Jayden James and 1-year-old Sean Preston, for this month, but after that, Federline will be allowed visits three afternoons per week.

His debut rap album, "Playing With Fire," sold a dismal 6,500 copies in its first week of release last fall.

Austrian businessman invites Paris Hilton to be his guest

VIENNA, Austria (AP) -- Each year, wealthy Austrian businessman Richard Lugner invites a celebrity to be his guest at Vienna's exclusive Opera Ball.

This year, Lugner and his wife will be accompanied by Paris Hilton, the 74-year-old real estate and construction mogul said at a news conference Wednesday.

The 25-year-old socialite/actress/singer will travel to the Austrian capital with her parents and three girlfriends, Lugner was quoted as saying by the Austria Press Agency.

His past ball guests include Carmen Electra, Pamela Anderson, Andie MacDowell, Geri Halliwell and Grace Jones.

The Opera Ball, which will take place on Feb. 15 this year, is attended by Austria's politicians, socialites and foreign dignitaries. Tickets for the event, which is broadcast live on national television, are extremely hard to come by and sell out months ahead of time.

Wisconsin father, stepmother charged with keeping daughter locked in room for 2 years

OSHKOSH, Wis. (AP) - A 13-year-old girl's father and stepmother were arrested after the teen told police she had been locked in a room for nearly two years, allowed out only for meals, chores and one-minute timed bathroom breaks, authorities said.

Clint M. Engstrom, 32, and Lynn M. Engstrom, 35, were charged Tuesday with one count each of causing mental harm to a child, a felony.

"The behavior they engaged in and the conditions this child was kept in are just appalling," District Attorney Christian Gossett said.

According to the criminal complaint, the girl had been locked in a small bedroom since February 2005 as punishment for bad behavior, spending 22 hours a day in the room that had an alarm and dead-bolt lock on the door.

A camera recorded the girl's activities, and the room's only furnishings were a urine-soaked mattress, blanket, pillow and empty dresser, the complaint said.

The couple were jailed on $25,000 bond each. It was not clear whether they had attorneys in the case. A preliminary hearing was set for Jan. 25.

Detectives learned the girl's story when her parents brought her to a hospital on Jan. 12 because she was hearing voices, Gossett said. He said he did not anticipate filing other charges against the parents.

The complaint said a search found that there were toys and electronics for three other children living at the home, about 90 miles northwest of Milwaukee, but virtually nothing for the 13-year-old girl.

If convicted, the couple faces more than 12 years in prison each and a $25,000 fine.

Gossett said he did not know where the girl was on Wednesday. A message left at the county's social services office was not immediately returned.

Authorities say teenage love triangle led to girl's videotaped beating

NEW YORK (AP) - A 13-year-old whose videotaped beating was posted widely on the Internet thought she was meeting another teenager at school to resolve a love triangle but instead was attacked, police said.

Three girls, two 14-year-olds and a 13-year-old, were arrested Tuesday on charges of juvenile delinquency with an underlying charge of attempted assault for the Dec. 18 attack at a school yard, said Suffolk County police Lt. Robert Edwards.

"It was a beef over a mutual interest in a boy," Edwards said. "They agreed to meet, but I don't think the victim realized it was going to be a fight."

Authorities said the girl was dragged by her hair and kicked and punched in the head. In the video, which was posted on Web sites including YouTube and MySpace, screaming can be heard as the victim cowers on the ground. Several others look on without intervening as she attempts to kick back but is overpowered.

The victim was not hospitalized and did not tell her parents, Edwards said. Instead, North Babylon school authorities learned of the video and notified police Jan. 2. The victim's parents were initially hesitant to press charges, but chose to go ahead when the video was broadcast on several news shows, Edwards said.

Police were investigating who recorded the attack, and it was unclear whether the attackers were involved in posting the video online, Edwards said. The accused girls, whose names were not released, are due in court Jan. 30.

Woman who claimed home damaged by Katrina sentenced to 4 years in prison for fraud

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (AP) - A woman who claimed her New Orleans home was damaged by Hurricane Katrina and she watched her two daughters die in the flooding was sentenced Wednesday to prison for making it up.

Tina Marie Winston, 34, was sentenced to four years in federal prison and ordered to pay about $24,000 for various scams covering more than a decade, including $4,358 she defrauded from the Federal Emergency Management Agency after the hurricane.

Winston is childless and lived near St. Louis when Katrina hit.

Winston, who also uses the name Tina Gilmore, pleaded guilty in October to receiving nearly $6,000 in Katrina disaster aid through FEMA. In September 2005, she used a fake Social Security number to file for hurricane assistance online. She received $4,358 from FEMA and spent $1,321.54 more with a FEMA debit card. She was arrested last June.

Winston apologized to U.S. District Judge William Stiehl and asked for leniency. But Stiehl called the time in prison "appropriate."

Ransom money makes cops suspicious, father of kidnapping victim charged with drug offenses

CINCINNATI (AP) - The father of a kidnapping victim was charged with drug offenses after authorities became suspicious of his agreement to pay a $150,000 cash ransom for his daughter.

Cornell Clisby, 39, was being held Wednesday in lieu of $9 million bail, charged with drug trafficking and conspiracy, a jail officer said. He was arrested Monday, accused with two others of arranging to take possession of 135 pounds of cocaine worth $7 million, authorities said.

Authorities had been suspicious since July, when Clisby's 17-year-old daughter was kidnapped from her home in suburban North College Hill.

North College Hill Police Chief Paul Toth said he was surprised when Clisby said he had the cash to pay the ransom, and he alerted drug enforcement agencies after hearing allegations that Clisby had bragged about dealing drugs.

"The kidnapping put him in the limelight," Toth said.

The ransom drop went awry, but police chased a suspect to a house where the girl was rescued.