Week In Review A Look Back At The Top Stories From The Last Week

WORLD

Cooler minds prevail

President Clinton stepped back from a military strike against Iraq on Monday, cautiously endorsing an agreement that makes several concessions to Iraq in return for a resumption of United Nations weapons inspections.

The agreement, worked out by U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, calls for the U.N. Security Council to establish special procedures for searching eight previously off-limits presidential sites and acknowledges Iraqi demands to move “expeditiously” to lift economic sanctions.

In return, Iraq agrees under the deal to provide “immediate, unconditional and unrestricted access” to inspectors from the U.N. Special Commission (UNSCOM) to suspected weapons sites.

NATION

Focus, Kenneth

To the delight of President Clinton’s allies, independent counsel Kenneth Starr’s tactics and motives once again are overshadowing his obstruction of justice investigation of the president.

Using a grand jury investigation to seek the source of critical news reports about members of his staff, Starr summoned to federal court Sidney Blumenthal, a senior Clinton aide who has helped map the White House’s political assaults on Starr.

The move is seen variously as an impolitic course at best and a vicious attack on the First Amendment at worst.

“What is it that says if you criticize Ken Starr, you’re creating an obstruction of justice?” asked former Clinton campaign consultant James Carville.

Without a net

Despite numerous reports of welfare reform’s early success, a national study has found that most states have enacted measures that hurt the families they’re supposed to help.

Only 14 states have policies that are likely to improve the economic conditions of poor families, according to the first national evaluation of each state’s welfare reform initiatives, released Monday by researchers at the Center on Hunger and Poverty at Tufts University in Medford, Mass.

Idaho’s program was singled out in the report as the worst program for the poor among the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

“The evidence shows that as of now, welfare reform is failing and it is failing badly,” said J. Larry Brown, director of the poverty center.

Well, duh

American high school students don’t understand basic math and science as well as students in other countries, and they have an even smaller grasp of difficult concepts, according to an international study released Tuesday.

U.S. students ranked at or near the bottom in their math and science knowledge when compared with students in 20 other countries, the Third International Mathematics and Science study showed.

“Let me explain briefly why you should care: These results show that our students will be ill-prepared for decision-making in a largely scientific and technological world,” said Bruce Alberts, president of the National Academy of Science.

Escape from Texas

A federal court jury in the heart of beef country declared Thursday that talk show host Oprah Winfrey did not disparage a group of cattlemen with her 1996 show on mad cow disease.

The jury of eight women and four men deliberated 5-1/2 hours before rejecting all claims brought by Paul Engler and several other cattleman in the Texas Panhandle.

“My reaction is free speech not only lives, it rocks,” Winfrey said.

ENTERTAINMENT

Family affair

Bob Dylan’s “Time Out of Mind” won album of the year at the 40th annual Grammy Awards presentation held Wednesday night in New York.

Dylan won all three Grammys for which he was nominated - the male rock-vocal prize for his song “Cold Irons Bound,” and the album of the year and contemporary folk album Grammys for “Time Out of Mind.” His son Jakob, whose band the Wallflowers had a breakthrough year, also won a pair of awards - as composer of the rock song “One Headlight,” and for his group’s performance of that song.

SPOKANE

Sick kids

The E. coli outbreak that made headlines last week appears to be isolated to the downtown YMCA day-care center, health officials said Wednesday.

Eight children linked to the center have been diagnosed with E. coli. Only one has been hospitalized, and her condition has been upgraded from serious to fair.

More than 100 people will be tested for the bacteria, which can cause fatal illness.

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The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Compiled by news editor Kevin Graman from staff and wire reports.