CHAMP OF SUPER BOWL ADDS DANCING TROPHY

Champ of Super Bowladds dancing trophy
NEW YORK -- Emmitt Smith danced off with the mirror ball. The three-time Super Bowl champion, who proved to be as nimble on his feet in the ballroom as on the football field, was named the winner of ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" Wednesday night. With the victory came the glittering trophy. The NFL's all-time leading rusher beat out actor Mario Lopez. The hunky, dimpled Lopez was generally regarded as the series' most dynamic celebrity dancer, but the public's vote, the deciding factor after the contestants had tied in the judges' tally at Tuesday's final dance-off, brought Smith the victory. "It is awesome! It is awesome!" declared Smith, after hugging his professional dance partner Cheryl Burke.
Gambling ring netted 1 billion a year
NEW YORK-- More than two dozen people, including a professional baseball scout and a high-stakes poker player, were charged Wednesday in connection with a billion-dollar-a-year gambling ring that rivaled casino sports books. The illegal betting scheme was orchestrated through a Web site called Playwithal.com, run by the poker player, James Giordano, 52, of Pine Crest, Fla., according to Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly and Queens District Attorney Richard Brown. "This is the largest illegal gambling operation we have ever encountered," Kelly said at a news conference. "It rivals casinos for the amount of betting."
Bush visits Singaporeand honors traditions
SINGAPORE -- President Bush honored local traditions today as he opened a journey to reassure nervous Asian allies the United States will remain a reliable partner in liberalizing trade, confronting North Korea's nuclear threat and fighting terrorism after an election upheaval back home. In Bush's first overseas trip since Republicans lost the House and Senate, world leaders are looking for any sign of change since the election repudiation of his Iraq policy. Bush's first stop in Singapore was the Asian Civilisations Museum, overlooking the mouth of the Singapore River. The president and his wife, Laura Bush, were treated to a performance of Asian fusion music by a group called "Gamelan Asmaradana," which played a classical Javanese piece and a Singapore folk song.
Pressed to play himself, Bush kneeled on the carpet, briefly banged the saron with a rubber mallet, and then said: "I'm going to quit while I'm ahead."
In another room, the Bushes watched school children perform dances representing Chinese, Indian and Malaysian culture.
Foul-mouthed coachmay face assault count
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas -- Authorities are considering charges against a Pee Wee football coach who was caught on videotape attacking a referee after being told to stop cursing on the sidelines in front of his 5- and 6-year-old players, police said. The amateur video of the Nov. 4 episode shows the coach charging onto a field and tackling the 18-year-old referee, who police Capt. John Houston said was briefly knocked unconscious. "The coach had been warned several times about cursing on the sidelines. When the referee ejected him from the game, that's when he rushed him," Houston said Tuesday.
Number of Americanswho are hungry drops
WASHINGTON -- The number of people struggling with hunger in the United States fell in 2005, the first such decline in six years, the Agriculture Department said Wednesday. Last year, 35 million people suffered food insecurity, meaning they didn't have enough money or resources to get food. The number was 38 million in 2004. Despite the positive news, the report is still drawing criticism, this time because analysts decided not to use the word hunger to describe how hungry people are. Changing the wording "is a huge disservice to the millions of Americans who struggle daily to feed themselves and their families," said the Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World, an anti-hunger group.
Associated Press