O.J. Says Book Wasn't a Confession

MIAMI - O.J. Simpson said in a radio interview Wednesday that his ill-fated "If I Did It" book and TV project was not a confession to the murders of his ex-wife and her friend and that the title wasn't his idea.

"I made it clear from the first day I met the writer that I wasn't involved," Simpson, who lives in the Miami suburbs, said in a telephone interview broadcast on WTSP-AM radio. "I said, 'I have nothing to confess.'"

Simpson also said the reported advance payment figure of $3.5 million was inaccurate. Although he would not specify how much he was paid, he did say it was a "windfall" that would go mainly to pay bills and support his children.

"Would …

Sikorsky workers ratify new 5-year contract

Workers at Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. ratified a new contract Sunday covering about 5,100 of the helicopter maker's unionized employees in Connecticut and Florida.

The five-year collective bargaining agreement takes effect at midnight Monday between Sikorsky and members of Teamsters Local 1150.

Teamsters union leaders said Sunday that the new contract includes wage increases of 18.5 percent over its five-year span; ratification bonuses of $5,000 per employee; and company increases to pension and retirement account contributions.

The salary increases total 3.5 percent in each of the first three years and 4 percent in the last two years, union …

Gun accident kills 1 on carrier Nimitz

MANAMA, Bahrain One sailor was killed, a second was severelyburned and six planes were damaged Wednesday when a gun on a jetfighter went off accidentally as it was undergoing maintenance aboardthe carrier Nimitz.

Crew members averted further casualties and damage by dousingthe flames within 20 minutes after the 20-mm. ammunition was fired onthe nuclear-powered carrier in the …

Stocks waver on mixed earnings, rising dollar

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks were narrowly mixed in midday trading Tuesday after a rise in consumer confidence offset disappointing news on home prices and earnings.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 3 points, while broader indexes were mixed. Stocks started the day lower after weak results from Texas Instruments Inc., U.S. Steel Corp. and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. A better report about consumer confidence in October helped stocks pare their losses in midday trading.

"The consumer confidence numbers were encouraging," said Bernie McSherry, vice president of strategic initiatives at Cuttone and Co. It's a sign shoppers "may be reaching into their wallets heading into the holiday …

Latvian rescuers interrupt efforts to free stranded cruise ship

Latvia's coast guard failed to free a grounded cruise ship carrying nearly 1,000 people, and suspended the rescue operation until early Monday, officials said.

The Bahamas-registered Mona Lisa had embarked from Kiel, Germany, with 984 people on board and was destined for Riga when it ran aground Sunday on a sand bank about 17 kilometers (10 miles) from the Latvian coast, in the Irbe Strait between Latvia and the Estonian island of Saaremaa.

Latvian Coast Guard Service officials said the ship was not damaged and the passengers, mostly Germans, were safe and not at risk.

Rescuers had hoped to free the liner from the undersea sand bank by pumping …

A week for heads, tales

It has been a fun week, huh?

Let's talk about it.

We found out from court testimony that Barry Bonds' head did grow about a decade ago, when he was in his mid-30's, from a peanut-sized 71/4 to an almond-sized 73/8.

This info was supplied by San Francisco Giants equipment manager Mike Murphy, the man who hands out baseball caps at the start of the season.

What makes a fully mature athlete's head grow?

All together now: human growth hormone!

We saw that former NBA player, Michigan star and current ESPN basketball analyst Jalen Rose apologized for getting arrested March 11 for crashing his car and having a blood alcohol level over the legal …

1997 Honda CR-V

The bigger, heavier, thirstier and glitzier sport-utility vehicles get, the less I can relate to them. The beauty of the early SL-Ns was in their simplicity and lack of pretense - endearing qualities that, to me, are lost in rolling living rooms like Lincoln's monstrous Navigator.

That?s why a week spent recently in Honda's new CR-V rekindled mv faith. No, this isn't an SW in the classic Willys or Land Rover sense. Purists will deride its lack of both a manual gearbox and a low-range transfer case. But use the Civic-based CR-V like 98% of Americans use their utes, and the Honda's beauty is obvious.

For starters, the package is outstanding. Inside, the …