Dunlap travels long way to land on leaderboard

LOUISVILLE, Ky. Few players have traveled a longer route to thetop of a major championship leaderboard than Scott Dunlap.

Dunlap, 37, has played the Canadian, South African and SouthAmerican tours, plus several European events, since graduating fromFlorida in 1985. He is in his fourth full season on the PGA Tour andstill is seeking his first victory in the United States.

And after shooting a 6-under-par 66 Thursday at Valhalla, he'stied with Tiger Woods for the first-round lead in the PGAChampionship.

"I wouldn't trade where I have been and what I have done for theworld," Dunlap said. "Going overseas and playing against world-classcompetition is the main reason …

'Jeopardy!' host injured while chasing burglar

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — No one needed to buzz in with a question when "Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek walked out on crutches at Google headquarters to host the National Geographic World Championship.

"The answer is, at 2:30 yesterday morning, chasing a burglar down the hall at my San Francisco hotel until my Achilles tendon ruptured and I fell in an ignominious heap to the carpeting," he explained Wednesday in the quiz show's signature answer-before-question format.

Lucinda Moyers, 56, was arrested on suspicion of felony burglary and possession of stolen property. She's accused of stealing cash, a bracelet and other items from the room where Trebek was staying with his wife, …

Stocks drop after sharp fall in July home sales

Stocks fell Tuesday after another disappointing report on the housing market renewed worries about the economy.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost about 80 points in midday trading after news that sales of previously occupied homes fell last month to their lowest level in 15 years.

The Dow briefly dipped below 10,000 for the first time in seven weeks and was down as much as 183 points earlier in the day before paring its losses. Investors seeking refuge from the latest stock swings piled back into Treasurys, sending interest rates lower. The yield on the two-year Treasury note touched another record low.

Global markets fell sharply. Japanese …

LOAN STAR'S STATE

These aren't the best days for banks, as reduced profit margins and a credit crunch make it difficult to build capital.

But Tim Crimmins prefers to look at today's financial landscape in its proper contexr, having already endured a real downturn.

"What happened in 1990 and 1991 hadn't been seen since the 1930s, with the number of bank failures, foreclosures, and regulatory orders," said Crimmins, president and CEO of the Bank of Western Massachusetts (BWM). "That really cast a cloud over the industry, and it virtually shut down the credit markets. People had a hard time finding money to finance expansion or even the day-to-day aspects of their businesses."

At that …

Ruins Await Residents' Return in Kansas

GREENSBURG, Kan. - Rescue crews have twice searched the debris-strewn yards and splintered homes that once held Greensburg's 1,500 residents. They began a third sweep Monday to secure the area before families who lost almost everything were to be allowed back in.

Not much remained in Greenburg to go back to.

The F5 tornado, the most powerful to hit the U.S. in eight years, demolished every business on the main street. Churches lost their steeples, trees were stripped of their branches, and neighborhoods were left unrecognizable. Officials estimate as much as 95 percent of the town was destroyed. At least 10 people died in the storms.

"We've been over the town …

Tests could find ovarian cancer early

Doctors screening women for ovarian cancer were able to pick up the disease about two years earlier than normal, according to a British study published Wednesday.

Scientists have long searched for a way to identify ovarian cancer early, which kills nearly 100,000 women worldwide every year. If it is found early, nearly 90 percent of women survive.

However, most women are currently only diagnosed with the disease after it has spread, when there is only a maximum 30 percent chance of survival.

In the British study, doctors enrolled approximately 200,000 post-menopausal women aged 50 to 74 across the United Kingdom from 2001 to 2005. About 100,000 …

Buy out Edison, panel tells city

Chicago should buy Commonwealth Edison's local operation andtake over the job of providing electricity to the city, a mayoraltask force said in a report released Thursday.

As an alternative, the report said, the city could negotiate forcheaper electricity but definitely should not renew the currentcontract with Edison to provide power to the city.

Mayor Daley said through a spokesman that he would reservecomment on the report until after he has read it.

"Notice to acquire and notice to terminate" the presentagreement should be given to Edison by Dec. 31, the Mayor's TaskForce on Energy said after a nine-month study of the city'selectricity …