Margarito stops Cotto in 11th, takes crown

Antonio Margarito showed he is the world's best welterweight by stopping Miguel Cotto to win the WBA title Saturday.

The Mexican, who had also won the IBF version of the title in April, inflicted Cotto's first defeat and took his WBA belt with a late barrage of punches that ended the contest in the penultimate 11th round.

Margarito, the 30-year-old so often ducked by the division's best fighters in recent years, dropped the Puerto Rican champion twice in the 11th after several rounds of relentless pressure at the MGM Grand Garden.

"I told my corner I would wear him down and then knock him out," said Margarito. "He never hurt me, …

United Bank may receive $197 million from rescue plan: ; The company will vote on whether to issue preferred stock

United Bankshares Inc. may be eligible to receive about $197million from the federal government's $700 billion rescue plan, thecompany said in a statement filed with the federal Securities andExchange Commission.

As previously reported, United has called a Dec. 23 specialmeeting of shareholders to vote on whether to amend the company'sarticles of incorporation to allow the company to issue preferredstock. The federal government has been investing in banks bypurchasing preferred stock.

Congress passed the federal rescue plan on Oct. 3. Formallycalled the Capital Purchase Program, it is aimed at persuadinghealthy banks to lend again.

In its proxy statement …

Sam Gilliam

WASHINGTON, DC

CORCORAN GALLERY OF ART / MARSHA MATEYKA GALLERY

Sam Gilliam, an innovative abstract painter and �minence grise of Washington, DC's artistic community, is currently the subject of a stimulating retrospective at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Gilliam is known principally for his giant "draped" paintings and as an AfricanAmerican artist who gained fame during a period of enormous racial tension. But as Jonathan P. Binstock, the organizer of the exh�btion, demonstrates, the artist has spent more than forty years experimenting with color, shape, and texture, breaking down numerous barriers between painting and sculpture in the process.

Gilliam's content …

National Hockey League Standings

W L OT Pts GF GA

New Jersey 38 19 3 79 182 151

Philadelphia 31 17 9 71 189 169

N.Y. Rangers 31 23 7 69 151 170

Pittsburgh 29 26 6 64 185 191

N.Y. Islanders 18 35 6 42 144 198

Northeast Division

W L OT Pts GF GA

Boston 40 12 8 88 200 137

Montreal 31 22 7 69 184 184

Buffalo 31 23 6 …

She needs to work out her past, then stick with the buddy system

DEAR ELLIE: My good friend doesn't accept that I only want him asa buddy. He keeps thinking I'll "come around" to see him as aromantic partner. Every so often, I cut off all contact to try andget my message across. Then he'll say he understands and accepts it,we resume our friendship and on it goes.

I don't want to keep hurting him or spend too much time with thiscomfortable friend instead of allowing someone else into my life whomI'd want to marry eventually. I was hurt badly by my ex, so I've beenextra-cautious, and so far have only been able to have a couple offriendships with men.

LIMITED BUDDY

DEAR LIMITED BUDDY: Your Comfort Friend is getting double …

Official recommends Va. wind farm

ROANOKE - A state hearing examiner has recommended construction ofthe first utility-grade wind farm in Virginia, provided it meetsconditions to minimize harm to the environment.

The recommendation announced Thursday goes to the StateCorporation Commission, which will decide whether to approveconstruction of the 19-turbine development on Highland County ridges.

SCC hearing examiner Alexander Skirpan found that the project byHighland New Wind Development poses a risk to bats and birds, butsaid a monitoring program by the company and a state agency followingconstruction would help reduce the hazard.

Details of the monitoring were left to the developer and …

Old Believers Burying Crash Victims

Alaska's Old Believers are accustomed to struggle. But even for them, these are the most trying of times.

Five followers of the Christian sect, which broke from the Russian Orthodox Church in the 17th century and has been persecuted since, were killed along with their pilot when their small plane crashed Saturday as they returned to Homer to celebrate the Russian Orthodox Christmas.

Ivan Basargin, 38, a married father of five, lost two brothers and two cousins. Instead of celebrating the holiday Monday, he was preparing for the four funerals that will be held Tuesday in his village of Razdolna.

"We are getting …