Talks continue between actors' union and producers

Although the deadline has passed, negotiations on a new contract between the actors' union and Broadway theater producers are continuing, both sides said Monday.

The contract between Actors' Equity Association and the Broadway League, which represents both producers and theater owners, expired at midnight Sunday.

"The talks remain productive and both parties are confident a fair and equitable contract will be reached," both sides said in a joint statement, while declining to talk about specific issues. The contract covers not only Broadway but touring productions as well.

Neither side wants a repeat of last November's stagehands strike, a …

Konerko knows Slaught has Tigers with the program

DETROIT -- There was a reason White Sox first baseman Paul Konerkosaid in spring training that the Detroit Tigers were a team to fearthis season.

It wasn't just the hiring of manager Jim Leyland that caught hiseye as much as the hitting coach whom Leyland brought with him toMotown.

Konerko is no stranger to Don Slaught, having worked with theformer journeyman catcher at the request of Sox hitting coach GregWalker. Slaught helped develop computer software that breaks down ahitter's swing with "checkpoints," allowing comparisons to be madebetween hitters.

"It's a very good piece of software," Konerko said. "It shows youwhere you're at but [also] shows you …

THE PERISHERS: THE ULTIMATE DEPRESS-A-THON

To fully appreciate this review, the reader must first understand the concept of a "depress-a-thon." It's a ceremony conducted when a person who's feeling low sits down with a stack of "dark" CDs and listens till the sadness passes. If this is your aim, then The Perishers are tailor-made for you. Coming from a land where darkness outweighs light, it stands to reason that the music Sweden produces naturally tends to melancholy. But this doesn't have to be taken as a negative. Songs like "Trouble Sleeping" and "Pills" strum the internal chords of loss and love expertly for musicians who speak English as a second language. It pains me to say that …

Gonzalez ousts Hewitt in 1st round

Chile's Fernando Gonzalez ended local hope Lleyton Hewitt's 13th Australian Open campaign in the first round.

Gonzalez, seeded 13th and runner-up here to Roger Federer in 2007, won the 3-hour, 7-minute center court match …

Interesting times ahead, says business leader

The biggest business group in the city is keeping a keen eye onthe health of the independent sector.

Neil Harper chairs the retail and tourism committee on BathChamber of Commerce. He said despite having a high-profile year,independent traders were economically in a similar position to thatof a year ago.

"Despite that, this is an interesting time," he said. "At thechamber we are looking to see what changes B&NES' new administrationwill make for retailers.

"Within the last administration there seemed to be an emergingdesire to nurture independent retailers but no great understanding ofhow it could …

ALMANAC

Yesterdays high . . . . 78 Record high . . .101, 1931 Normalhigh . . . . . . . 85

Yesterdays low . . . . . 67 …

Syrian to attend Mideast summit, a victory for Bush; expectations still low for breakthrough

Arab holdout Syria agreed Sunday to attend a Mideast peace conference called by U.S. President George W. Bush to restart talks to resolve the six-decade conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, yet expectations for the summit remained low. The two sides came to Washington without agreeing on basic terms for their negotiations.

Bush invited the Israeli and Palestinian leaders to separate meetings at the White House on Monday to prepare for the centerpiece of his Mideast gathering _ an all-day session Tuesday in Annapolis, Maryland. It is to be the only time that Bush, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas meet together, and …