Sun News Digest

MARYLAND

FBI drops gunshot residue

The FBI is no longer analyzing gunshot residue in its investigations, a blow to once highly regarded evidence used to suggest that a suspected criminal had fired a weapon. pg 1a

TODAY

Balticon marks 40 years

Sci-fi fans gather for the 40th anniversary of Balticon, a convention that's out of this world. pg 1c

SPORTS

Orioles gain series split

The Orioles defeated the Seattle Mariners, 2-0, to salvage a split of their four-game series. Rodrigo Lopez combined with closer Chris Ray on the Orioles' first shutout since Sept. 6 of last year. pg 1e

BUSINESS

DOW -- UP

+93.73

11,211.05

NASDAQ -- UP

+29.07

2,198.24

S&P -- UP

+14.31

1,272.88

SUN INDEX -- UP

+2.92

336.43

Former Enron CEOs convicted

Former Enron Corp. chiefs Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling were convicted yesterday of conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud in one of the biggest business scandals in U.S. history. The verdict put the blame for the demise of what was once the nation's seventh-largest company squarely on its top two executives. pg 1a

Snow ready to resign

Treasury Secretary John Snow has signaled to the White House he is ready to resign once President Bush has picked a successor, administration officials and people close to Snow said yesterday. pg 1f

WORLD

Abbas challenges Hamas

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced that he would hold a national referendum calling for a Palestinian state alongside Israel based on its 1967 borders unless Hamas agreed to his negotiating terms within the next 10 days. pg 1a

NATIONAL

Stolen Social Security numbers

The theft of a disk containing names, birthdates and Social Security numbers for as many as 26.5 million veterans and their spouses stirred fury in Congress, as both Republicans and Democrats pounced on Veterans Affairs Secretary R. James Nicholson, demanding to know why the agency's computer security issues had not been fixed. pg 3a

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"If the premier forensic science organization in the world isn't using gunshot residue, that certainly raises some questions about it."

Timothy S. Brooke of the American Society for Testing and Materials, which sets the policies used by many police crime labs, including Baltimore's.

Article, PG 1A

Up next

Tomorrow

Curb appeal

First impressions matter, so spend the weekend creating a curbside garden.

in GO TODAY

Sunday

Breeze through the windy city

Chicago on $500? You can do it if you don't stay too long.

in TRAVEL

ONLINE

TODAY

MOVIE SEARCH

To get reviews and a searchable database of movies, theaters and show times, go to: www.baltimoresun.com /movies

WEATHER WATCH

For current conditions, forecasts and Frank Roylance's weather blog, go to: marylandweather. com