Times Square cleared as suspected car bomb found

Police found a suspected car bomb in a smoking sport utility vehicle Saturday evening in Times Square, then cleared the streets of thousands of tourists milling through the landmark district so they could dismantle the device.

A white robotic police arm broke windows of the black Nissan Pathfinder to remove any explosive materials while heavily armed police and emergency vehicles shut down the city's busiest streets, teeming with taxis and theatergoers on one of the first summer-like days of the year.

Investigators removed bomb-making materials, including propane tanks, explosive powders and a crude timing device, top police spokesman Paul Browne said.

…

News in Brief

TEEN FACES 45 YEARS FOR MURDER

A Joliet teenager faces at least 45 years in prison after he wasconvicted Tuesday of fatally shooting a man during a 2006 fight inan alley, Will County authorities said. Vincent M. Johnson, now 17,was prosecuted as an adult for the May 20, 2006 shooting, whichoccurred when he was 15. Killed was 21-year-old DeJuan Rimmer.

FIREFIGHTER CHARGED WITH SEXUALLY ASSAULTING RELATIVE

Prosecutors charged a Chicago firefighter Tuesday with sexuallyabusing a female relative. Andy Gemskie, 40, faces one count ofaggravated criminal sexual abuse, and Judge Israel Desierto set bondat $400,000. Gemskie started abusing the girl in March 2005, …

NY dog dies in fire a month after river rescue

NEW YORK (AP) — A German shepherd who was pulled from the frigid waters of New York's Hudson River last month after falling off her owner's yacht has died in a fire.

Chloe died early Friday in a fire on the same yacht at Chelsea Piers on Manhattan's West Side.

The dog's owner, Mark Stoss, was treated for smoke inhalation and hypothermia. He said he tried desperately to get to the dog but was overcome by flames.

"I couldn't get to her. I couldn't," a grieving Stoss told the …

It's another walkover

Imagine if the Cubs had landed Brian Roberts. On second thought, forget it. They don't need him.

Turns out their one big free-agent acquisition, Kosuke Fukudome, was the key to their lineup flaws all along, if this 20-game sprint out of the gate means anything -- in particular the sweep of the New York Mets the last two days.

The insertion of the lefty-hitting on-base machine into the middle of the lineup looks like the single biggest difference in the Cubs' ability to do this April what they could not most of last season: get on base a lot, get into pitchers' heads and pitch counts and get on rolls like the one they're on now.

They reached base 22 times on hits …

Lunch for everyone

((PHOTO …

Dollar Down, Gold Up in Europe

LONDON - The U.S. dollar was lower against other major currencies in European trading Monday morning. Gold rose.

The euro traded at $1.3581, up from $1.3535 late Friday in New York.

Other dollar rates:

- 122.58 Japanese yen, down from 123.14

- 1.2132 Swiss francs, down from 1.2219

- 1.0588 Canadian dollars, down from …

Spanish GP Starting Grid

The starting grid for Sunday's Formula One Spanish Grand Prix at the 4.655-kilometer (2.892-mile) Circuit de Catalunya (with driver, country and team):

1. Jenson Button, Britain, Brawn GP.

2. Sebastian Vettel, Germany, Red Bull.

3. Rubens Barrichello, Brazil, Brawn GP.

4. Felipe Massa, Brazil, Ferrari.

5. Mark Webber, Australia, Red Bull.

6. Timo Glock, Germany, Toyota.

7. Jarno Trulli, Italy, Toyota.

8. Fernando Alonso, Spain, Renault.

9. Nico Rosberg, Germany, …

Japan shift: mine ships are sent to sweep gulf

TOKYO In a decision marking a fundamental change in Japan'seconomics-only foreign policy, Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu's Cabineton Wednesday approved the dispatch of minesweepers to the PersianGulf.

Six ships of the Maritime Self Defense Forces, staffed by 510sailors, will leave tomorrow, marking the first time since the end ofWorld War II that any Japanese armed forces have been sent overseasfor an operational mission.

The move - a direct result of the Persian Gulf war andinternational criticism of Japan for offering cash but no personnelin support of the allied forces - adds a military element to whatKaifu called the nation's "contribution to international …

Buchholz lifts Red Sox past O's 2-1

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Red Sox right-hander Clay Buchholz kept up his scoreless spring against the Baltimore Orioles.

Buchholz threw four scoreless innings and Boston beat an Orioles split squad 2-1 on Wednesday night.

Buchholz allowed four hits with no walks and three strikeouts.

"It felt pretty similar to last outing," Buchholz said. "I went out and did what I wanted to do in the first inning, and sort of got a little out of whack in the second, third and, fourth. But battled in some tough spots tonight with getting some runners on with less than two outs, and being able to get some contact at some guys, and get out of it."

Buchholz has not allowed a run in …

UN, Egypt protest Italy's treatment of migrants

U.N. human rights officials said Tuesday that they were worried about Italy's deep-rooted racism against migrants following clashes in a southern town between African farmworkers, residents and police.

Hundreds of Africans fled the farm town of Rosarno in the underdeveloped southern region of Calabria in trains, cars and caravans of buses arranged by authorities. Their departure came after two days of violence that erupted last week when two migrants were shot with a pellet gun in an attack they blamed on racism.

Dozens were injured in clashes between the migrants and local residents and officials. Three migrants were severely beaten with metal rods.

…

Take a mini-vacation in the Mediterranean

You can put yourself in a Mediterranean mood even if your planstake you no farther than the patio.

The first step is to take a vacation day. France is practicallyshut down for the entire month of August, when everyone heads to thecountry or the seashore. You can get into the mood by justscheduling a day you'll devote to pleasurable pursuits.

Second, set a Mediterranean scene. Buy a few pots of rosemary andthyme, and arrange them in the backyard. Every time you brushagainst the leaves you'll be overwhelmed by the delightful aromas.

Then, make a simple, gutsy meal that captures the simplicity ofMediterranean flavors. This is the best part. You can indulge …

Browns QB McCoy not practicing with ankle sprain

BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Browns rookie quarterback Colt McCoy has a dreaded high ankle sprain, an injury that sidelined Cleveland's other quarterbacks, Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace, for weeks.

McCoy is not practicing after injuring his left ankle on a sack in the second half of Sunday's 24-20 loss at Jacksonville.

Browns coach Eric Mangini, normally ultra-secretive about injuries, confirmed on Wednesday that McCoy has a similar injury to the ones experienced by Delhomme and Wallace.

Mangini does not expect …

Mexican police suspect that heads burned in ritual

The heads of 11 decapitated bodies discovered in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula last week may have been burned in a ritual, investigators said.

Police said they found an altar to the skeletal figure of the "Santa Muerte," an unofficial patron saint of death, in the home of two men arrested in connection with the slayings, while several scorched spots were discovered in a nearby clearing.

Police suspect the heads were burned in the clearing, according to a statement from the Public Safety Department. The department did not say what evidence it had to support that theory. Public Safety officials declined to give further details Monday, citing an ongoing investigation.

Decapitations have become more frequent in battles between Mexico's powerful drug cartels. The 11 corpses appeared to be the largest group of beheadings since gunmen tossed five human heads into a bar two years ago.

The bodies were found piled on top of each other Thursday in a field outside Merida, a city in the Yucatan Peninsula that had largely been spared from drug violence.

The next day, police arrested three suspects with a bloody hatchet and other weapons after a shootout and a highway chase. Police say they acknowledged belonging to the Zetas, a group of hit men tied to the Gulf cartel. The suspects have not yet been charged.

The Santa Muerte is one of several unofficial folk saints worshipped in Mexico. The cult has become popular among criminals in Mexico who appeal to the "saint" _ not recognized by the Roman Catholic Church _ to stay safe and out of jail. Law-abiding worshippers simply seek favors or intercession.

But Santa Muerte rituals normally do not include blood sacrifice.

If police suspicions about the ritual burning prove true, it would recall the 1989 killing of a Texas college student and 12 other people by a drug trafficking cult.

Student Mark Kilroy's mutilated body was unearthed a month after the 21-year-old vanished while on spring break in Matamoros, a border town across from Brownsville, Texas. The cult believed human sacrifice would protect it from police and rivals. Its high priestess and four of her followers were sentenced to more than 60 years in prison in 1994.

Mexicans are increasingly angry about rising violence, and on Saturday well over 100,000 people marched in cities nationwide to demand the government put an end to daily killings, kidnappings and shootouts.

General Tried to Warn Bush About Tillman

SAN JOSE, Calif. - For weeks after his death, the Pentagon maintained that Pat Tillman was killed in an enemy ambush, even after a top general tried to warn President Bush that the NFL star-turned-soldier likely died by friendly fire, according to a memo obtained by The Associated Press.

In the memo sent to a superior officer seven days after Tillman's death, Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal warned that the evidence strongly pointed to friendly fire and the nation's leaders risked embarrassing themselves if they publicly said otherwise.

"I felt that it was essential that you received this information as soon as we detected it in order to preclude any unknowing statements by our country's leaders which might cause public embarrassment if the circumstances of Cpl. Tillman's death become public," McChrystal wrote.

The April 29, 2004, memo, was addressed to Gen. John Abizaid, head of Central Command, and was intended as a warning to Bush and acting Army Secretary Les Brownlee.

It is not clear whether Bush or Brownlee received the warning, but it raises new questions on how high up the chain of command the misinformation campaign extended. In speeches following the memo, Bush avoided any reference to the circumstances of Tillman's death.

The family was not told until May 29, 2004, what really happened. In the intervening weeks, the military continued to say Tillman died under enemy fire, and even awarded him the Silver Star, which is given for heroic battlefield action.

White House spokesman Blain Rethmeier said Friday that a review of records turned up no indication that the president had received McChrystal's warning. Rethmeier emphasized that the president often pays tribute to fallen soldiers without mentioning the exact circumstances of their deaths.

The Tillman family has charged that the military and the Bush administration deliberately deceived his relatives and the nation to avoid turning public opinion against the war.

Tillman's mother, Mary, had no immediate comment Friday on the newly disclosed memo.

The memo was provided to the AP by a government official who requested anonymity because the document was not released as part of the Pentagon's official report into the way the Army brass withheld the truth. McChrystal was the highest-ranking officer accused of wrongdoing in the report, issued earlier this week.

In his memo, McChrystal said he had heard Bush and Brownlee "might include comments about Cpl. Tillman's heroism and his approved Silver Star medal in speeches currently being prepared, not knowing the specifics surrounding his death."

McChrystal said he expected an investigation under way "will find that it is highly possible Cpl. Tillman was killed by friendly fire."

At the same time, McChrystal said: "The potential that he might have been killed by friendly fire in no way detracts from his witnessed heroism or the recommended personal decoration for valor in the face of the enemy."

A former spokesman for Abizaid did not immediately return phone and e-mail messages.

As for Brownlee, he told investigators he did not recall learning Tillman was killed by his fellow Rangers until several weeks after the fact. He did not discuss the matter with the White House, he told investigators.

A spokesman for McChrystal said he had no comment.

McChrystal was, and still is, commander of the Joint Special Operations Command, head of "black ops" forces. He has since been promoted to lieutenant general. Abizaid was in charge of American forces in the Middle East and Central Asia.

On Monday, the Pentagon released the findings of an investigation into the circumstances of Tillman's death, and into whether the military covered them up.

The investigators recommended that nine Army officers, including McChrystal, be held accountable for errors in reporting the friendly fire death to their superiors and to Tillman's family. McChrystal was found "accountable for the inaccurate and misleading assertions" contained in papers recommending Tillman get the Silver Star.

Some of the officers involved said they wanted to wait until the investigations were complete before informing the Tillman family.

Tillman was killed after his Army Ranger comrades were ambushed in eastern Afghanistan. Rangers in a convoy trailing Tillman's group had just emerged from a canyon where they had been fired upon. They saw Tillman and mistakenly fired on him.

Ex-Plymouth player jailed for causing double death

Former Plymouth Argyle goalkeeper Luke McCormick was jailed for seven years and four months on Monday for causing the deaths of two young boys in a highway crash while driving over the legal alcohol limit.

The 25-year-old McCormick, whose contract with the League Championship club was canceled by mutual consent after June's early morning crash, was sentenced after pleading guilty earlier Monday.

The former England youth international was tested with a breathalyzer and found to be more than twice over the legal alcohol limit after a 4x4 Range Rover he was driving collided with a car carrying brothers Arron Peak, 10, and Ben Peak, 8, on June 7.

Intruder forces lockdown at GW: ; Police say juvenile appeared to be under the influence of a substance

Students at George Washington High School were placed on lockdownTuesday morning after an intruder entered the school gymnasium andignored teachers who asked him to leave, school principal MelissaRuddle said.

The juvenile was taken away in handcuffs by Charleston policeofficers, she said.

Ruddle said three teachers saw the young man in the schoolgymnasium about 7:45 a.m. and asked him to leave.

"He seemed to be under the influence of something," Ruddle said.

Students were immediately placed on lockdown and administratorscalled 911, she said.

A traffic officer at the school responded first and awaitedbackup to remove the intruder, she said. At least eight officersresponded to the call and detained the young man, Ruddle said.

While staff was certain he was not a student at GW, some studentswho had spotted him recognized him and said he had once attendedJohn Adams Middle School, the principal said.

During the incident, students were locked inside their classroomsor the school library, she said.

"During a lockdown a red button is pushed that locks outsidedoors," she added.

She said the lockdown was administered in a calm and efficientmanner.

"The kids have been practicing lockdown and shelter-in-placesince kindergarten," she said.

A shelter-in-place would be used during an emergency such as achemical leak and students would gather in the cafeteria, she said.During a lockdown, students are to go inside classrooms or thelibrary in an effort to get to the safest spot as quickly aspossible, she said.

Classes resumed as usual Tuesday morning after about 25 minutes,Ruddle said.

Charleston Sgt. Eric Hodges said the patrol division arrested ajuvenile in the incident but that further information would not beavailable until Wednesday. However, he said police could onlyrelease limited information because the suspect is a juvenile.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JERRY WATERS Emergency crews responded to a 911call at George Washington High School on Tuesday morning when anintruder was discovered in the gymnasium and did not respond torequests that he leave. Charleston police took the juvenile away inhandcuffs.

Contact writer Charlotte Ferrell Smith at charlotte@dailymail.comor 304-348-1246.

No sunshine state

On a day they played the Marlins at a stadium named Land Shark, Friday was all about the ones that got away for the Cubs.

It started with the expiration of the trading deadline without the new hitter the Cubs hoped to add, continued with the news that the White Sox acquired the Cubs' long-sought pitcher, Jake Peavy, and ended with a quiet 5-2 loss to the Florida Marlins.

After back-to-back 12-run efforts, it's hard to pin this defeat on previous hitting woes, but the final game of a month that showed so much promise for the Cubs went so softly into the sultry night that it might as well have served as a reminder of things undone.

''It was a good month; we played good baseball,'' manager Lou Piniella said of an 18-9 July. ''Now we've got two big months ahead of us, starting with the nine games we have left on this road trip.''

As for those undone things, another was confounding setup man Carlos Marmol. He walked the first two men he faced in a 2-2 game in the eighth, hit the last guy and eventually was charged with all three runs in the inning.

That's 46 walks in 50 innings for Marmol. Add his nine hit batters, and it's 55 free passes. If opponents weren't hitting .160 against him, his ERA would be in orbit.

''Because he's so talented, he's been able to get away with it most of the time,'' Piniella said. ''But sooner or later, it comes back to haunt you.''

Marmol might not have been an issue if the Cubs hadn't been stymied by Chris Volstad and the Marlins bullpen a few hours after the trading deadline passed without the left-handed-hitting help the Cubs sought.

In fact, one of the players the Cubs looked into, Marlins right fielder Jeremy Hermida, singled twice, walked and scored the first run of the game Friday night.

''Jim tried,'' Piniella said of general manager Hendry's efforts that included at least one player, the Kansas City Royals' Mark Teahen, ahead of Hermida on the wish list.

''We were trying to add versatility to our situation, a player that basically could play four or five different positions -- three or four different positions -- to add some depth to our ballclub. I know [Hendry] talked to two or three different ballclubs about that type of player, and for whatever reason, things just didn't work out.''

''And our ownership group would have OK'd a deal. I'm not talking about a big-salaried player. I'm talking about a nice, productive, usable, versatile player. That's what we were looking for more than anything else.''

But the day after the Cubs made their big trade for Pittsburgh left-handers John Grabow and Tom Gorzelanny, the manager and veteran players in the clubhouse said they weren't disappointed nothing else happened.

''I like our team,'' Ryan Dempster said. ''We've got the pieces here to do some things. Everybody always wants to see somebody add a big impact player -- 'go get Roy Halladay' or 'go get Victor Martinez.' But where are you going to put them?

''We've got All-Star-caliber players everywhere. Luckily for us, we didn't have very good first halves, as far as some guys, and we're in first place. That says a lot about the strength of our team and a lot of other guys doing their jobs and filling in.''

Said Derrek Lee: ''Sometimes the best move is not making one. We have the talent to get it done.''

Comment at suntimes.com.

BOXSCORE

CUBS AB R H BI BB SO Avg.

Fukudome cf 4 0 0 0 0 1 .270

Theriot ss 4 0 0 0 0 0 .289

D.Lee 1b 4 0 1 0 0 2 .287

Ar.Ramirez 3b 4 1 2 0 0 1 .348

Bradley rf 3 0 1 0 1 1 .251

J.Fox lf 4 1 1 2 0 0 .311

Fontenot 2b 4 0 0 0 0 1 .228

K.Hill c 4 0 2 0 0 1 .217

Harden p 1 0 0 0 0 1 .241

a-Fuld ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .350

Grabow p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

b-M.Hoffpauir ph 0 0 0 0 0 0 .239

c-Je.Baker ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .193

Heilman p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --

Marmol p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --

Marshall p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .231

Totals 34 2 7 2 1 9

Florida AB R H BI BB SO Avg.

Coghlan lf 4 0 0 0 0 2 .252

e-Helms ph-3b 1 0 1 2 0 0 .273

Bonifacio 3b-lf 4 0 0 0 1 1 .246

Ha.Ramirez ss 4 0 1 0 0 3 .344

Cantu 1b 1 1 1 1 3 0 .289

Uggla 2b 3 1 0 0 1 1 .228

Hermida rf 3 2 2 0 1 0 .253

B.Carroll rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250

C.Ross cf 4 0 0 0 0 2 .259

Jo.Baker c 4 1 1 1 0 2 .270

Volstad p 3 0 1 1 0 2 .105

Meyer p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Donnelly p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --

d-Gload ph 0 0 0 0 0 0 .281

Nunez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --

Totals 31 5 7 5 6 13

CUBS 000 000 200--2 7 0

Florida 011 000 03x--5 7 1

a-grounded into a fielder's choice for Harden in the 6th. b-was announced for Grabow in the 7th. c-struck out for M.Hoffpauir in the 7th. d-was hit by a pitch for Donnelly in the 8th. e-doubled for Coghlan in the 8th.

E--Uggla (8). LOB--CUBS 6, Florida 9. 2B--Helms (6), Volstad (1). HR--J.Fox (7), off Volstad; Cantu (11), off Harden. RBIs--J.Fox 2 (26), Helms 2 (20), Cantu (59), Jo.Baker (30), Volstad (1). SB--Ha.Ramirez (16).

Runners left in scoring position--CUBS 4 (Fontenot, Theriot, Je.Baker, K.Hill); Florida 5 (Uggla 2, Coghlan, Bonifacio 2).

Runners moved up--Fukudome. GIDP--J.Fox. DP--Florida 1 (Bonifacio, Cantu).

CUBS IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA

Harden 5 5 2 2 3 11 99 4.50

Grabow 1 0 0 0 1 1 15 3.35

Heilman 1 0 0 0 0 1 16 4.47

Marmol L, 2-2 0.2 1 3 3 2 0 22 3.60

Marshall 0.1 1 0 0 0 0 7 3.66

Florida IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA

Volstad 6.2 6 2 2 0 5 99 4.35

Meyer 0.2 0 0 0 0 2 12 2.01

Donnelly W, 1-0 0.2 1 0 0 0 1 11 0.00

Nunez S, 9-12 1 0 0 0 1 1 17 3.83

Inherited runners-scored--Marshall 3-2, Meyer 2-0. HBP--by Marmol (Gload). WP--Volstad.

Umpires--Home, John Hirschbeck; First, Marty Foster; Second, Wally Bell; Third, Chad Fairchild. T--2:53. A--25,024.

HOW THEY SCORED

Marlins second Hermida singled. C.Ross struck out. Jo.Baker struck out. Volstad doubled, Hermida scored. One run. Marlins 1, Cubs 0.

Marlins third Bonifacio struck out. Ha.Ramirez struck out. Cantu homered to left on a 3-1 count. One run. Marlins 2, Cubs 0.

Cubs seventh D.Lee struck out. Ar.Ramirez singled. Bradley struck out. J.Fox homered to left on a 0-0 count, Ar.Ramirez scored. Two runs. Cubs 2, Marlins 2.

Marlins eighth Marmol pitching. Cantu walked on a full count. Uggla walked, Cantu to second. Hermida grounded into fielder's choice, Cantu out, Uggla to second. C.Ross flied out. Jo.Baker singled, Uggla scored, Hermida to second. Hermida to third, Jo.Baker to second. Gload pinch-hitting for Donnelly. Gload was hit by a pitch. Marshall pitching. Helms pinch-hitting for Coghlan. Helms doubled, Hermida scored, Jo.Baker scored, Gload to third. Three runs. Marlins 5, Cubs 2.

THE NUMBER

8� innings Carlos Marmol's scoreless streak entering Friday before yielding three runs in � of an inning.

THE RECAP

AT THE PLATE

The Cubs finally broke through against Marlins starter Chris Volstad when Jake Fox delivered a two-out, two-run homer in the seventh inning to tie the score -- and match $30 million run producer Milton Bradley's season RBI total at 26.

ON THE MOUND

Rich Harden struck out 11 in five innings but walked three and gave up a home run to Jorge Cantu and an RBI double to Volstad. Left-hander John Grabow pitched a scoreless sixth in his Cubs debut. Inconsistent setup man Carlos Marmol couldn't handle the eighth, giving up the go-ahead run and loading the bases before Sean Marshall allowed a two-run double to Wes Helms.

PIVOTAL POINT

Marmol walked the first two batters

of the eighth inning in a 2-2 game, and John Baker made him pay with a two-out, run-scoring single.

TONIGHT: AT MARLINS

- 6:10, Ch. 9, 720-AM

Cubs Starter: Carlos Zambrano 7-4, 3.36

'09 vs. Marlins: 1-0, 3.60 ERA in 5 IP on May 3

Career vs. Marlins: 5-1, 3.09 ERA in 10 starts

How Marlins have fared: Ronny Paulino 1-for-19; Hanley Ramirez 3-for-11, 1 HR; Wes Helms 4-for-10; Cody Ross 2-for-8; John Baker 1-for-8

Marlins Starter: Burke Badenhop 5-4, 3.46

'09 vs. Cubs: 0-1, 54.00 ERA in � IP of relief

Career vs. Cubs: 0-1, 54.00 in � IP of relief

How Cubs have fared: Ryan Theriot 1-for-1;

1 HR; Derrek Lee 1-for-1; Milton Bradley 0-for-1; Micah Hoffpauir 0-for-1

Color Photo: Pat Carter, Associated Press / Cubs catcher Koyie Hill can't quite come up with the catch on this first-inning foul ball by the Marlins' Dan Uggla on Friday night in Miami. ; Color Photo: Carlos Zambrano ; Color Photo: Burke Badenhop ;

To-die-for pie testing Obama's discipline

Now it can be told: President Obama says one of the best-kept secrets at the White House is the pastry chef's to-die-for pie.

In an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday, Obama was asked to reveal a White House secret, and he dished about the pie.

Obama says the pastry chef makes "the best pie I have ever tasted, and that has caused big problems with Michelle and I."

The president said he and the first lady are "having to figure out how to resist ordering pie every night."

Obama also came clean about one of his pet peeves _ the "shine police." The president says that before his interviews, aides "constantly want to powder my nose and forehead, and it's never enough."

He finds that _ in his words _ "quite irritating."

Restoring the legacy of Sammy Davis Jr.

For all the grief that Sammy Davis Jr. took in life _ remember the uproar over his embrace of Richard Nixon? _ he's getting it even worse in death.

Eighteen years after the legendary entertainer succumbed to throat cancer at age 64, his estate is in tatters, burdened by debt and infighting among family members and business associates. Despite recording hundreds of songs, starring in dozens of movies and TV shows, and giving countless live performances, his posthumous earning power is dwarfed by the likes of Elvis Presley and fellow Rat Packer Frank Sinatra.

"This is one of the most dysfunctional situations, and they still can't get it together," says Albert "Sonny" Murray Jr., who should know.

Murray, a lawyer based in the Poconos, was hired by Davis's widow to resolve his staggering $7 million IRS tax debt and restore the legacy of one of the 20th century's greatest showmen.

His Herculean efforts, stretched out over seven years, are chronicled in "Deconstructing Sammy: Music, Money, Madness, and the Mob," a book by journalist and author Matt Birkbeck that reveals Murray as a man of stubborn tenacity _ and Davis as one of extraordinary complexity.

Here's Davis the showbiz legend: a consummate performer who got his start in vaudeville, a triple threat of singing, acting and dancing, a charter member of the high-flying, hard-partying Rat Pack.

Here's Davis the civil rights campaigner: a man who endured horrid acts of racism while serving with the Army's first integrated unit during World War II, and who later marched with Martin Luther King Jr. and used his fame to try to heal racial divisions.

And here's Davis the flawed family man: an absentee father, abusive husband, drug-addled hedonist, and bad businessman who surrounded himself with people who didn't always have his best interests at heart.

"I think everyone, for the most part, thought he was nothing more than a caricature, a guy who was always laughing, happy and up," says Birkbeck, 49. "I was really shocked at how his life behind the scenes was falling apart over the last 15 or 20 years."

Davis's remarkable life is certainly well-trod territory. Nevertheless, through interviews with close friends and confidants who had never spoken publicly before, Birkbeck digs up many startling details. (Example: Davis confided in his bodyguard, a former British intelligence agent, that he believed the Secret Service had a role in the Kennedy assassination.)

But the real heart and soul of "Deconstructing Sammy" belongs to Sonny Murray, and his quest to save not one endangered black legacy _ but two.

In 1954, Murray's parents founded a visionary Poconos resort, the Hillside Inn, that catered to blacks at a time when blacks were routinely denied accommodations.

The Murrays saw the Hillside as a welcoming refuge, and for a long time, that's exactly what it was, eventually becoming the oldest black-owned resort in the United States. By the 1990s, however, business began to slip. And it fell to their son to keep the Hillside afloat.

"Deconstructing Sammy" follows Murray as he struggles to save the Hillside _ and the Sammy Davis Jr. brand.

Murray, now 59, never thought much of Davis. Like many other blacks who came of age during the tumultuous 1960s, he saw Davis as little more than a minstrel, an Uncle Tom, a plaything of the white establishment.

But he felt sorry for Davis's widow, Altovise Davis, who was virtually penniless, in the grips of a life-threatening alcohol addiction, and, as it happened, living in a private home on the grounds of the Hillside. And the more Murray dug into Davis's life, the more he came to appreciate his contributions to American culture and civil rights.

"He was much more than the Stepin Fetchit that he appeared to be," Murray said in a recent interview at the Hillside. "He went through struggles as a black man, he went through struggles with his own identity, he went through all of the things that we go through as minorities. At the same time, he gave of himself as an entertainer. And yet at the end of his life, there was nothing to show for it."

Murray worked hard to rectify that. He struck a deal with the IRS in 1997, and with the tax debt finally settled, offers began pouring in. A four-CD retrospective was released in 1999 and Murray helped secure for Davis a lifetime achievement award at the 2001 Grammys.

Yet the story continues to unfold, and both legacies face an uncertain future.

Murray and Altovise parted ways in 2001, and the Davis estate has once again fallen into disrepair, "mired in failure and controversy," as Birkbeck writes. Altovise Davis has sued two former business partners in federal court, claiming they tricked her into signing away the rights to her husband's estate. The suit is pending.

Murray, meanwhile, has put the Hillside up for sale.

His parents are deceased and the 33-room resort, he says, is a dinosaur. Blacks have long been able to stay at any public accommodation they want, and increasingly, they're choosing to stay somewhere else. And whites may be reluctant to go to a resort whose clientele is primarily black.

Murray hopes it is bought by a nonprofit, perhaps a shelter. Which would be a fitting way to honor the Hillside's history.

_______

"Deconstructing Sammy: Music, Money, Madness, and the Mob" (Amistad/HarperCollins Publishers, 280 pages, $25.95).

'GI Joe 2' crew member killed during filming

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A crew member working on the film "G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation" has been killed on the set in New Orleans in what the studio is calling an unusual accident.

Paramount Pictures spokeswoman Virginia Lam said Wednesday that Mike Huber was killed Tuesday. She would not comment to The Associated Press on the circumstances surrounding his death.

Police Department spokeswoman Remi Braden says the accident occurred on property owned by NASA, so the federal government is heading the investigation. A spokesman for NASA did not immediately return a telephone call for comment.

Lam says the studio is fully cooperating with the investigation.

The sequel stars Bruce Willis, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Channing Tatum. The action movie is scheduled for release in the summer.