FROSTY WILL HAVE HIS DAY, BUT NOT RIGHT AWAY

Frosty will have his day,but not right away
Michel Lindsey, 14, above, sips coffee near the Java House in Springfield, Ohio, during unseasonably warm weather. On Monday, the snowman behind Michel foreshadowed colder weather expected later this week.
Parents get DNAfrom kids -- in case
MILWAUKEE -- Many parents across the country are swabbing the inside of their children's mouths to get a DNA sample just in case they need it if the youngster is kidnapped, runs away or suffers a terrible accident. News reports about child abductions and television shows such as "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" are helping drive the interest in keeping genetic records that could be used to identify remains, hair or blood. "It's the CSI mentality: that DNA is going to be the answer to any problem that comes up," said Jerry Nance, supervisor of the forensic assistance unit of the nonprofit National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Missing kids found murdered or those who are never heard from make up only about 2 percent of the 850,000 kids who are reported missing every year, he said. Most children are found within several days or come home on their own. Despite those numbers, kits are available that include a photo, fingerprints, a collection swab and a special envelope in which to put the DNA sample. The kits are distributed by private companies, police stations, orthodontists and others. Most cost from 5 to 60, Nance said, but some are provided for free.
Lincoln Memorial closed
WASHINGTON -- Authorities briefly closed the Lincoln Memorial on Monday after finding suspicious containers and a note reading, "Do you know what anthrax is?" and "Do you know what a bomb is?" The scare began about noon when a visitor to the memorial discovered the note in a plastic document holder near the steps of the memorial. After evacuating the area, U.S. Park Police found a travelers' coffee mug near the note on the steps and a Gatorade bottle in a women's restroom, said Wayne Benson, a battalion chief with the District of Columbia fire department. None of the objects was a threat, Benson said. The memorial was reopened less than three hours later.
Olmert reaches out
JERUSALEM -- Prime Minister Ehud Olmert reached out to the Palestinians on Monday in one of his most conciliatory speeches yet, saying he was prepared to grant them a state, release desperately needed funds and free prisoners if they choose the path of peace. Olmert's remarks sealed a dramatic policy shift and built on a day-old truce meant to end five months of violence in the Gaza Strip. But new rocket attacks by Palestinian militants threatened the latest rapprochement. "I hold out my hand in peace to our Palestinian neighbors in the hope that it won't be returned empty," Olmert said. "We cannot change the past and we will not be able to bring back the victims on both sides of the borders," he said. "All that we can do today is stop additional tragedies."
N. Korea nuke talks set
BEIJING -- North Korea's nuclear envoy arrived in Beijing today as chief negotiators from China, the United States, South Korea and Japan were meeting to work out details on the next round of six-nation disarmament talks. North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan arrived in the Chinese capital this morning. U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack has said that a meeting between the Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, the American nuclear envoy, and Kim is "certainly an open possibility." Last month, an unannounced meeting between Hill and Kim in Beijing led to North Korea's agreeing to return to six-party arms negotiations amid heightened tensions after its first nuclear test Oct. 9.
Associated Press