Markham mayor gains big victory over 2 foes

Markham Mayor Evans Miller won re-election convincingly Tuesday,which he hopes will give him a stronger hand in dealing with majorityopposition in the City Council.

Miller claimed victory over former alderman Howard Walton and awrite-in candidate, Ald. Glenn M. Huggins Sr., by a 2-1 margin.

Also victorious were Miller's running mates, treasurer OttoBradford, whom the mayor had appointed, and clerk candidate ValerieHamiter. Hamiter ousted mayoral nemesis Mary Kraus, a 12-yearoccupant of the office, despite Hamiter's censure by the campaignwatchdog group CONDUCT for appealing to racial fears with campaignliterature.

Miller said he hoped the win would …

Kashiwa looking for more glory in Club World Cup

TOYOTA, Japan (AP) — After winning the J-League championship in historic fashion, Kashiwa Reysol is now looking to keep up the momentum with a win over Oceania champion Auckland City in its opening match of the Club World Cup.

With a 3-1 victory over Urawa Reds on Saturday, Kashiwa became the first team in the 19-year history …

Ascension of G-20 fits priorities of new century

For the world, apparently, eight is no longer enough.

The G-8 group of powerhouse economies, which expanded from the original G-5 one by one over three decades, stepped off center stage as its annual summit ended Friday, while the G-20 ascended into the role of overseeing the global economy. Henceforth, the council of 20 major economies will steer the planetary fiscal ship through its choppiest waters in a generation.

The shift toward multilateral decision-making is sure to please some emerging economies _ China and India in particular _ and irritate those Americans who believe the United States shouldn't be handing off its power to international institutions. …

New guidelines for lead right around the corner

WASHINGTON An important deadline is looming for thousands ofhomeowners and small-scale property owners across the country. Manyhaven't the slightest idea about the new legal liability they willface starting Sept. 6.

On that date, the first of two waves of homes for sale and rentbecomes subject to new federal regulations governing lead-basedpaint. Even if you are certain the property you own (or plan to sellor rent) doesn't contain lead-based paint, you need to know how therules change nationwide, first on Sept. 6, and three months later, onDec. 6.

Beginning Sept. 6, certain property owners who are selling orplan to lease out a home must comply with disclosure …

BIRDS OF A FEATHER

A conversation with hunting-and-gath ering enthusiast Hank Shaw

For many, it is a dream to live off the land - eat the wild greens that grow in the back yard, fish the local streams for food, hunt if you want to.

But this dream is unrealistic, right? There's no way that a person can get all the food they eat, or even a majority of it, off the land. Well, it's possible if you're Hank Shaw.

Shaw is at the top of an ever-growing list of those who make a career living off the land. Call it hyper-localism if you want, but Shaw is the real deal - he hunts, fishes and gathers the majority of his calories. Hank has chronicled this culinary journey is his new book, Hunt, …

Spain wary of World Cup repeat after Villa's hat trick leads it over Russia 4-1 at Euro 2008

Spain isn't going to let another impressive tournament debut allow it to get too far ahead of itself.

David Villa's hat trick led the Spanish to a 4-1 victory over Russia to confirm them as one of the European Championship favorites on Tuesday. But after another rout of an eastern European team _ two years ago, it was a 4-0 win over Ukraine at the World Cup _ Spain isn't setting hopes too high.

Not again.

"We have to learn from mistakes like at the last World Cup when everyone thought that we were going to win the tournament because of our victory against Ukraine," Cesc Fabregas said. "We don't want to get too excited and just go …

Johnson, Maddux know jack -- back-to-back

Monday meanderings

Compare and contrast: Sunday's back-to-back-to-back home runs bythe White Sox off New York Yankees left-hander/future Hall of FamerRandy Johnson and back-to-back homers by the Colorado Rockies offCubs right-hander/ future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux.

*Amazing what a six-run inning can do for a seven-game skid -- andhow it can turn the Big Unit into the Big Digit.

*Compare and contrast: pessimism among White Sox fans with theirteam holding a comfortable -- albeit suddenly shrunken -- lead in theAmerican League Central and optimism among Cubs fans with their teamstill trying to reach .500 in its quest to become a viable candidatefor postseason …