Festival rooted in love of carrots.(Capital Region)

Byline: JENNIFER PATTERSON Staff writer

NISKAYUNA - All things carrots will be the focus Sunday at the Congregation Agudat Achim during the 27th annual Carrot Festival.

The event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., will celebrate the start of fall later this month. This year's event will also commemorate the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks with a prayer service.

"We will go about our lives and continue to celebrate everything great ... including family-oriented events like this one," said congregation president Jay Yablon. "What could be more joyful than people of all faiths having a good time together?"

The festival began 26 years ago as a …

COMPETITORS ATTACK WAL-MART'S LOW PRICE POLICY.(BUSINESS)(Correction notice)

Byline: JAMES JEFFERSON - Associated Press

Wal-Mart prices its pharmacy products so low that Dwayne Goode shops there to stock his drugstore with toothpaste, mouthwash and other items.

But Goode, owner of American Drugs Inc. of Conway, wasn't gloating Monday about the bargains he got; he was testifying in a lawsuit that he and two other local pharmacy owners have brought against Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

The merchants, seeking $1.1 million in damages, charge that the world's

largest retailer prices merchandise below cost in an effort to drive smaller competitors out of business.

Wal-Mart's prices "have had a negative effect on …

Chinese court rejects activist appeal for protest

BEIJING (AP) — A Chinese court has rejected an activist's appeal of her nine-month jail term for staging a noisy protest.

The Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People's Court on Thursday upheld the conviction of Wang Lihong for creating a disturbance when she helped lead a protest on behalf of three bloggers accused of slander.

A retired businesswoman, Wang became outraged at officials' …

6 Palestinians killed in school bus crash

JERUSALEM (AP) — A truck lost control in slick, rainy weather and barreled into a Palestinian school bus on Thursday, killing five children and a teacher and drawing hundreds of people to a West Bank hospital in an outpouring of grief, police said.

The bus left the city of Ramallah on a school excursion but returned due to heavy rains and stormy weather, according to Palestinian police spokesman Yousif Osrael. On the way back, a truck careened into the school bus, causing it to flip and catch fire, Osrael said. The children killed were aged four to six.

The accident was in the central West Bank, in an area Palestinians claim as their future state but where Israel has full …

Spanish bobbies out of bounds as fans hit madrid ; Don't cuddle the policemen and you will have a ball.

Don't cuddle the policemen and you will have a ball.

That's the message today to the 6,000 Dons fans preparing toinvade Spain next week to see their team take on Atletico Madrid inthe UEFA Cup.

It's the biggest exodus of Dons fans since 13,000 went to seetheir team beat Real Madrid in the 1983 European Cup Winners' Cupfinal.

The Red Army earned high praise for their behaviour in Gothenburgback then and club officials are sure that will be the case afterthe trip to Spain as well.

AFC security chief John Morgan went to the Spanish capital togive them advice on how to handle the sudden influx of kilt-wearingScotsmen.

He was delighted the general …

Zalondek, Thaddeus J.(Obituaries)

GLENVILLE Thaddeus J. Zalondek, 66, died February 11, 2009. Survivors, wife, Marilynn L.Z. Mandel; mother, Josephine; children, Todd, Kevin and Kimberly Alotta; brother, Thomas. Services 10 …

PILOTS MIGHT EXTEND TALKS.(BUSINESS)

Byline: Bloomberg News

FORT WORTH, Texas -- AMR Corp.'s American Airlines pilots union leadership expects to decide next week whether to continue talks with the second-largest U.S. airline on extending their current contract.

The Allied Pilots Association and the airline began talks last year on terms for an extension of the contract, which now runs until Aug. 31, 2001. The two sides agreed to negotiate through this month, then decide whether enough progress had been made to keep talking.

A major point in the discussions has …