It’s democratic: Performers range from kids to songwriting veterans Some are performing in public for the first time Others are music-biz survivors letting

It’s democratic: Performers range from kids to songwriting veterans Some are performing in public for the first time Others are music-biz survivors letting out some steam. Johnson said the EPA was focusing on immediate health threats but soon would assess the long-term environmental risks and the need for cleanup of Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River.Although no major industrial spills have been reported, an array of solvents, gasoline, pesticides and other compounds from cars, houses, yards and businesses will taint floodwaters, soil and groundwater.”You have, potentially, runoff from all the buildings and houses that has been washed into the water, that could be sitting in New Orleans, whether it’s lead paint, or chemicals from chemical processing,” said Roger Lewis, director of the Saint Louis University School of Public Health’s Environmental Health Research Lab.”I believe there will be found some pretty high levels of organics like benzene,” a toxic substance in crude oil, Lewis said. And no one is more shocked than Silverchair frontman Daniel Johns.”I’m still baffled by it,” he says via phone from Toronto, where he was mixing the band’s new album, “Young Modern.” “We didn’t even know that people still cared.”But the sellouts come as no surprise to Rolling Stone critic David Fricke, who has followed the band since its beginning. For some sizes, demand was up 30%.But production levels had remained essentially flat since 1999 and only recently increased, said Jack Fenner, director of dealer sales for Continental Tire North America Inc. On the third possession, Jones’ body language suggested frustration, perhaps disgust.The team then went from the film room to the practice court and an irritated Bryant refused to pass to teammates in a lengthy scrimmage. Hovnanian Homes, Evergreen by Pardee Homes and Walden Park — all use solar roof panels with photovoltaic cells to generate electricity But not every residence in Terramor has solar. No money will be paid out until all the claims are resolved, a process that could take several years.Analysts expect the JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup settlements to be among the largest in the class action because the two firms were the leading lenders to Enron.The banks set up complex investments in clandestinely controlled Enron partnerships, used offshore companies to disguise loans and facilitated phony sales of “phantom” Enron assets in violation of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and other laws, UC alleged.

The groups did not fight — school police intervened — but 60 students were suspended, and one was hurt when police used pepper spray. The House voted Friday to direct the ethics panel to inquire into the matter.And Tuesday, one of the nation’s leading advocates for children called on Congress to enact legislation that would mandate members to report child abuse.”We think it is essential for Congress to act and to send a clear message that the abuse of children — whether it is through the Internet or any other means — is not acceptable, and that members of Congress give this issue the same level of attention state governments have,” said Shay Bilchik, president of the Child Welfare League of America.*noam.leveyrick.schmitt. A majority of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has indicated that it favors handing over management of imperiled Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, a more stable county facility about 10 miles away.The supervisors have been scrambling for a solution since federal regulators told King/Drew a week ago that they would cut off crucial funding at the end of the year because of continued lapses in patient care.Of the options presented so far, “I think that Harbor would be what I would support,” Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, whose district includes King/Drew, said Thursday. “The stakes are very real.”The candidates — both Democrats — have been wary of discussing painful topics, like cutting municipal services, so close to the election. Las Vegas SOMMELIER Darren Lutz could have moved anywhere in the world for his next job after Bastide temporarily closed its doors in January, but he headed for Las Vegas.

said the Food and Drug Administration had given it an “approvable letter” for silicone gel-filled implants. 20.Intel is supporting Research in Motion in part because Intel chips are used in the BlackBerry, and the Santa Clara, Calif., company was once an investor in Research in Motion. 1 as agreed on in the new collective bargaining agreement.*Mexico clinched its spot in the 2006 World Cup in Germany on Wednesday with a 5-0 rout of Panama, preventing the visitors from a single serious shot on goal at Mexico City.Mexico took the lead in the 31st minute when Luis Perez hammered a rebound from 15 yards off a corner kick.The team got second-half goals from Rafael Marquez, Jared Borgetti, Francisco Fonseca and Pavel Pardo to join the United States as the second team from CONCACAF to secure a berth.Mexico was coming off a 2-0 loss to the United States on Saturday.*In other CONCACAF games: The U.S., with a different lineup from its last game, tied Guatemala, 0-0, at Guatemala City. The industry’s five biggest players are based in California, and one, Orange-based Ameriquest Mortgage Co., is nearing a $325-million settlement with 33 states over allegations of bait-and-switch tactics, inflated appraisals and other issues.Amid increasing scrutiny of their operations, lenders have rallied behind a bill sponsored by Reps Bob Ney (R-Ohio) and Paul E.