Milestones

Ten years ago: The government of the Soviet Union unveiled an $804 billion budget containing a deficit of $58 billion that officials blamed on past mistakes.

Five years ago: Brush fires raged across Southern California, destroying several hundred homes. President Clinton presented a revised version of his healthcare reform plan to Congress, urging its passage within a year.

One year ago: The Dow Jones industrial average tumbled 554.26 points, forcing the stock market to shut down for the first time since the 1981 assassination attempt on President Reagan. Authorities in Chautauqua County, N.Y., said Nushawn Williams, an HIV-positive man who allegedly traded drugs for sex with young women and teens, had infected a number of them with the AIDS virus.