| Preview: Big day for Romney, McCain in Florida primary
However, due to the closed primary in Florida, where only registered Republican voters are allowed to cast ballots, McCain's prevalence among independent voters would be hampered. If he lose the Tuesday's race, a warning alarm will be set for him to win over the Republican base of conservative voters. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, as the longest-term player in Florida campaign, is seen to have his fate hinge on the state's primary, which he has skipped other earlier primaries and caucuses for and concentrated his fund and time on. During a month Giuliani has lived in Florida, he tried to boost support with his national security agenda and experience during 9/11 as well as his plans for tax cuts. Iowa Republican caucuses winner, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, who can hardly find his stake to lead in Florida, has moved on to other states where races will be held on Super Tuesday.
At the Mercy of the Market
COMMERCE CITY, COLO.—At least the pounding hammers have stopped for now. Until a few weeks ago, the relentless whack, whack, whack of the construction crews down the street from Randy and Lacy Sullivan's Colorado home was a constant reminder of the competition the father and daughter face as they try to sell her three-bedroom house before the bank forecloses on it. "Why are you people still building?" Randy, 62, asked the construction supervisor for Richmond American Homes recently. "You've already got all these houses on the market." .
797 new area jobs predicted
Roland Mower, CEO of the Corpus Christi Regional Economic Development Corporation; Keith Arnold, president and CEO of the Corpus Christi Convention and Visitors Bureau; and Gene Guernsey, real estate agent with Remax Metro Properties, met with members of the Corpus Christi Rotary Club on Thursday to discuss their forecasts. "I really think we are setting up 2009, 2010 and other years for a really good housing market," Guernsey said. "I think the housing market will remain a buyer's market, and we will have about an eight-month inventory. It will continue to be strong compared with national figures." Month-supply inventories ranging from six to nine months -- meaning the houses take that long to sell -- are considered balanced markets. Anything less than six months shows a seller's market and anything more than nine months shows a buyer's market.
Duke Prosecutor Removed From Lawsuit
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) - A federal judge has removed the disgraced Durham County prosecutor from a lawsuit filed by three Duke University lacrosse players falsely accused of rape. Former District Attorney Mike Nifong filed for bankruptcy two weeks ago, citing more than $180 million in liabilities. Almost all of that amount is the estimated damages from pending litigation. U.S. District Judge James Beaty left open the possibility that Nifong could again become a defendant in the suit. Nifong won indictments against the three players after a stripper hired to perform at a March 2006 team party reported being raped, but the case unraveled in the face of the accuser's changing story and a lack of evidence. The state prosecutors who eventually took over the case dropped all charges and declared the players innocent victims of Nifong's ``tragic rush to accuse.'' He was later disbarred for his handling of the case and spent a night in jail for lying to a judge.
Stakes, Uncertainty High As Voting Nears
The skill and luck needed to prevail will be even more crucial when the winner takes on the nation's knottiest problems a little over a year from now. An unpopular but seemingly intractable war hangs over the country. Less visible is the larger struggle against an amorphous enemy _ radical Islamic terrorists _ whose six-year hiatus in the U.S. after the 2001 attacks has left people uneasy and unsure how much sacrifice in dollars and troops' lives is justified in the name of safety at home. Turmoil in nuclear-armed Pakistan adds to the danger and uncertainty. .
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