Congressional art competition

LOS ANGELES -- Nick Lachey wants what's his, and maybe what's Jessica Simpson's.

BERLIN -- A film about the struggles of a single mother and her 12-year-old daughter in the cruel aftermath of the Bosnian war won the top prize at the Berlin film festival Saturday.

HANOI, Vietnam -- British glam rocker Gary Glitter will go on trial March 2 on charges of committing obscene acts with two underaged girls in Vietnam, the presiding judge said Monday.

The San Francisco Opera's rising stars will come to Napa Valley next week to perform in a first-time ever collaboration with the Napa Valley Symphony and the Napa Valley Chorale to present Mozart's "Don Giovanni," at the Lincoln Theater in Yountville.

Who will win the Oscars? San Francisco Chronicle film critic Mick LaSalle will discuss this year's crop of Oscar contenders, his picks and pans, and his predictions, on his third annual Napa Valley Arts & Lectures appearance on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- He was the smooth voice of sports history, a welcome companion who brought listeners Ted Williams' last home run, the first Super Bowl and dozens of other dramatic moments.

The Pacific Chamber Symphony will begin its first season of concerts at the Napa Valley Opera House with a performance of "Traditions" March 9.

Ailey II, the company universally renowned for merging the spirit and energy of the country's best young dance talent with the passion and creative vision of today's outstanding emerging choreographers, performs two shows at the Napa Valley Opera House, Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m.

When the production team at Lincoln Theater sidestepped a near-booking disaster last Saturday night, a new wine country venue was born.

Despite the rain and chill of a February evening in old Napa town, the Dreamweavers Theatre production of "On Golden Pond" warmed the hearts and triggered the memories of an appreciative audience at the cozy theater on Imola Avenue.

LOS ANGELES -- What a classic showdown of opposites for the best-actress Academy Award: Reese Witherspoon as country singer June Carter in "Walk the Line" against Felicity Huffman as a man undergoing a sex change in "Transamerica."

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- This just might be the role actor John Corbett was born to play.

SANTA FE, N.M. -- Jessica Simpson took a break from filming her latest movie to dine with Gov. Bill Richardson, his wife and others at the governor's mansion.

LOS ANGELES -- Don Knotts, who kept generations of TV audiences laughing as bumbling Deputy Barney Fife on "The Andy Griffith Show" and would-be swinger landlord Ralph Furley on "Three's Company," has died. He was 81.

For eight years, 82-year-old Yvonne Walker has struggled with Parkinson's disease. Unable to drive, clean her home or care for herself, she hired a caregiver, Sue Barstad, to help her out during the day.

The nightmare began in a theater-rama type classroom. I filed in with the rest of the students. Desks were backed up six aisles and I chose one closest to the door. A giant whiteboard spanned ten feet of wall space before me. In the center, a large letter D loomed. A nightmare? D for dread. D was the final red mark, the last letter grade I received in high school algebra. That morning's breakfast, buttered toast and coffee churned in my stomach. I fought an urge to flee as the professor stepped up to the podium.

The Silverado Handweavers and Spinners Guild is hosting Japanese textile artist John Marshall on March 3 through 5 at the Napa Senior Center.

Four years ago Makayla Harrison didn't know if she'd walk again, let alone cross a stage in performance. Today she's not only walking, she's dancing in hopes of becoming the next Miss Napa County.

Anthea Tolomei

The following 56 out of 102 students were named to the Napa Christian honor roll for the fall semester 2005-2006:

Obesity has become a national calamity for adult humans, as well as children. It's hardly surprising that obesity is also of major health concern for our animal companions. Nutrition in general has never been better AND worse for our pets.

Anthea Tolomei, fashion educator and consultant, will interpret spring fashions and demonstrate the best way to wear them when First Impressions holds its third annual tea and fashion show, Feb. 26 from 2 to 5 p.m. at Embassy Suites, in Napa.

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Tuesday that a small congregation in New Mexico may use hallucinogenic tea as part of a four-hour ritual intended to connect with God.

Conservatives criticize Colorado gay bill

GARDEN GROVE -- Robert A. Schuller remembers working hard as a child for his father's fledgling church, cranking out Sunday programs on a mimeograph machine and spending hours tiling the floor of a new church building.

PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil -- Charged with promoting Christian unity, the World Council of Churches has taken its work seriously -- each of its meetings has grown bigger and more ambitious over the past six decades.

Education

Winning cook

Steve Sando

Steve Sando, adapted from

Steve Sando

Soups and winter greens in the cold months. Red ripe tomatoes and juicy peaches in the summer.

This simple stir-fry dish brings together an interesting pair of main ingredients, and the winning trick is that it's a balanced, clean combination that lets you savor each flavor.

It's unfortunate that although homeowners entertain frequently, they rarely use their elegant, formal living rooms. These rooms often have impeccable furnishings, heirloom antiques and plenty of accessories. So why do these lovely rooms sit empty most of the time? Often it is because the living room simply does not "invite you in."

From ancient China and ancient Rome to the present, the building point is the same: wood doesn't last unless it is properly protected.

For AP Weekly Features

Vines have been described as shrubs that have forgotten how or when to stop growing. Their branches keep reaching up and out, sometimes to the tops of towering trees. Vines have many valuable uses in the garden, and evergreen vines in particular can be excellent performers in spots where permanent landscape solutions are desired.

Lanna Nakone

Residents of San Francisco Linda Duca and Brandon Dayoan announce their engagement with an outdoor wedding planned for July 29, 2006, at the Jefferson House at Lake Hopatcong, N.J.

Residents of Denver, Colo., Katica Jacob and Charlie Roy were married Dec. 27, 2005, in Denver.

St. Helena Hospital

BOOTH -- Charles Booth vs. Dorothy Booth, Feb. 3, 2006

Residents of Napa, Candace Rose Duncan and Gary "Cole" McDaniel announce their engagement with plans to marry in the summer of 2007.

AMEZCUA MENDEZ-MAGANA ANGUIANO -- Juan Gabriel Amezcua Mendez, 27, Valleywood Lane, Napa, to Rosalinda Magana Anguiano, 27, Valleywood Lane, Napa.