Week In Review

Sunday

economy: After a tumultuous week of round-the-clock negotiations, members of Congress agreed on a final proposal on a sweeping Wall Street rescue plan. The proposed legislation included $700 billion to help the Treasury buy bad assets from banks, an oversight commission and new restrictions on CEO pay for some companies.

BASEBALL: For the first time since 1982, when it was a member of the American League and well before the wild card existed, the Milwaukee Brewers made the postseason. In the National League, the New York Mets fell short as the season came to a close.

Monday

economy: The House rejected the $700 billion bailout, causing the Dow Jones industrial average to plummet 777 points, its biggest single-day fall ever. Republicans and Democrats blamed each other for the failure of the bill. President Bush voiced disappointment with the vote but vowed to press on in search of a way to help the economy.

BUSINESS: Citigroup agreed to buy Wachovia's banking operations for $2.1 billion in a deal arranged by federal regulators, making the Charlotte, N.C.-based bank the latest casualty of the widening global financial crisis.

JAMES BROWN: Judge Jack Early of the 2nd Judicial Circuit Court received a summary of a proposed settlement concerning the estate of the late Godfather of Soul. The judge has yet to approve it, but its details settled an ongoing dispute among Mr. Brown's fourth wife, Tomi Rae Hynie Brown, and five of his six children.

SCIENCE: Scientists reported seeing icy snow fall from high in the atmosphere of Mars that might have even reached the planet's surface, but they could not tell because of technology limitations. The discovery of water-based activity on the planet suggests there might have been life there.

Tuesday

EDUCATION: Twelve additional Richmond County schools were announced as making adequate yearly progress, according to updated results released by the Georgia Department of Education. Adequate yearly progress is the annual federal measure of school performance under No Child Left Behind legislation.

Economy: The Bush administration searched for a new way to sell its financial rescue plan after acknowledging some blunders and missteps in presenting it the first time around. One big key: Insist it's not a Wall Street "bailout." Now it's not about financial institutions, it's about everyday Americans.

CRIME: Derrick Shareef, a one-time admirer of Osama bin Laden who plotted a hand-grenade attack at an Illinois mall jammed with Christmas shoppers, was sentenced to 35 years in prison. He said he once admired Mr. bin Laden as a sheik and a scholar but has changed his views and opposes violence.

Wednesday

HEALTH: The AIDS virus has been circulating among people for about 100 years, decades longer than scientists had thought, a new study suggests. Genetic analysis pushes the estimated origin of HIV back to between 1884 and 1924, with a more focused estimate at 1908.

AIKEN COUNTY: The South Carolina Budget and Control Board Grant Fund Program is sending $50,000 to Bath Water District to connect its water lines to the Valley Public Service Authority.

BUSINESS: U.S. auto sales dropped below 1 million last month for the first time in more than 15 years. Americans bought 964,873 vehicles in September, the lowest figure since February 1993, according to Autodata Corp. and the Edmunds.com automotive Web site.

ECONOMY: Senators loaded the $700 billion financial industry bailout bill with tax breaks and other sweeteners before passing it by a wide margin, 74-25.

GOVERNMENT: Richmond County sheriff's investigators are looking into thousands of dollars of suspicious fuel charges coming from the county's Animal Services Department.

OLYMPICS: China's gold medal gymnasts were old enough to compete in the Beijing Olympics, the sport's governing body said, though it still had questions about the team that competed at the 2000 Sydney Games.

BUSINESS: Natural gas marketer Catalyst Energy has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after losing its required line of credit. The company, which entered Georgia's gas market two years ago, filed after losing both its credit line and its contracted fuel supply.

Thursday

ECONOMY: The Commerce Department reported that factory orders in August plunged by 4 percent from July, a much steeper decline than the 2.5 percent drop analysts expected and the biggest setback since a 4.8 percent plunge in October 2006.

richmond county schools: A sales tax oversight committee recommended spending $813,174 to purchase 866 computers. The purchase would ensure every teacher has a dedicated computer, which can be used for grades, test scores and communicating with parents through iParent.

COLUMBIA COUNTY: Michele Rigsby was named the county's Teacher of the Year during a banquet at Savannah Rapids Pavilion. The fourth-grade teacher at Bel Air Elementary School is a Lakeside High School graduate.

Friday

ECONOMY: President Bush signed a revised $700 billion bailout bill into law after a 263-171 House vote. It will take at least a month, however, before funds are sent to ailing financial institutions.

WACHOVIA: Citigroup fought back against Wells Fargo's attempt to buy Wachovia for $14.8 billion, saying its agree-ment with the struggling bank prevents it from entering into transactions with anyone other than Citigroup.