Hunt for Da Vinci painting to resume in FlorenceROME (AP) – A real-life Da Vinci mystery, complete with tantalizing clues and sharp art sleuths, may soon be solved, as researchers resume the search for a lost Leonardo masterpiece believed to be hidden within a wall in a Florence palace.Culture Minister Francesco Rutelli and officials in […]

NEW YORK (AP) – Soprano Renee Fleming will be replaced by bass Rene Pape in a performance with the New York Philharmonic and Symphonica Toscanini that pays tribute to the late Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini.Fleming, a two-time Grammy Award winner, canceled her performance in “A Tribute to Toscanini” because of illness, the Philharmonic announced Saturday.The […]

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) – As L.A. prepares to welcome David Beckham, Sylvester Stallone took to a Liverpool soccer field on Sunday.At the start of Everton Football Club’s Premiership match against Reading, the “Rocky” star held up a blue-and-white Everton scarf to loud cheers from the 30,000-strong crowd.Stallone, 60, was not the only American on the […]

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) – Makers of the tropical island drama “Lost” say they’re talking with ABC executives about setting an end date for the series.There’s no sense the finale is coming anytime soon. But knowing they have a deadline will help writers of the convoluted drama lay out how they want the story to end, […]

100 Years Ago, 1907One of the biggest jobs of its kind ever undertaken in Auburn has been contracted for by Charles E. Greenleaf. The job is to get a huge metallic water tank, six feet deep and 18 feet long and weighing seven and a half tons upon the top of Field Brothers & Gross’ […]

HERSHEY, Pa. (AP) – Now, thanks to a New York illustrator, you really can seal your letters with a kiss.In conjunction with the 100th anniversary of Hershey’s Kisses, the U.S. Postal Service on Saturday held a ceremony to issue the 39-cent “With Love and Kisses” stamp, featuring the iconic chocolate treat.U.S. Postmaster General John E. […]

LOS ANGELES (AP) – The dance flick “Stomp the Yard” was a step ahead of the competition at the box office, debuting as the No. 1 weekend movie with $22 million.Starring Columbus Short as a raw but talented dancer at the center of a step competition between rival college fraternities, the Sony Screen Gems movie […]

How long to hard-boil an egg? What’s the rice-broth ratio for pilaf again?It’s often the everyday stuff that sends home cooks scurrying for explainers. For the complicated dishes – the curries with 15 spices and pastries with 23 achingly involved steps – there invariably are piles of recipes from dog-eared magazines.That’s why no home should […]

For answers to frequently asked questions about birds and bird-feeding, check outhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/AboutBirdsandFeeding/FAQsBirdFeeding.htm Back yard feeders are FOR THE BIRDS (or are they?) Editor’s note: Information for this story was provided by Douglas S. Beck, Auburn’s recreation superintendent and a member of the Stanton Bird Club, and by McClatchy Newspapers.Many people believe that by feeding birds, […]

DEAR ABBY: “Jake” and I have been together for five years. He finally proposed last summer. Well, I made a mistake and complained about the ring he’d bought. He took it back, but still agreed to marry me – without the ring.I have apologized to Jake every day since for what I said, but we […]