Omaha

The man never talked much anyway, the boy knew, and his mom told him that when his dad got back from his tour of duty in World War II, he spoke even less. That didn't bother young Joe Balkoski so much as leave him in a state of puzzlement. "When a full sentence came out of my father's mouth, it was an occasion," says Balkoski today. "He was just a quiet, reserved guy. You rarely knew what he was thinking." Maybe that's why it made such an impact on Joe - at age 8, in 1962 - when Dad corralled him one day in their New York City apartment to take him to the movies.

LOUISVILLE, Neb. - The election Nov. 7 was one of the closest ever. Voters were evenly split. The outcome was still in question after Election Night. And history will praise two candidates for moving with grace and civility to reach a fair solution. The voters in Louisville (eastern Nebraskans call it LEWIS-ville) expected to know shortly after the polls closed who would represent them on the City Council. But Gregory Manley, who works for a sewer and paving contractor in Omaha, and Cletus Petrzilka, who was retired from the electric company, were in a race that was too close to call.

Baseball Royals: Activated and recalled OF Todd Dunwoody and recalled P Jeff D'Amico from Triple-A Omaha. Designated C Jorge Fabregas for assignment. Optioned OF Mark Quinn to Omaha. White Sox: Placed IF Craig Wilson on 15-day DL with back injury. Purchased contact of IF Tony Graffanino from Triple-A Charlotte. College Evansville: Announced that basketball F Ian Hanavan has transfered to team from University of Illinois-Chicago. Soccer Columbus Crew (MLS): Signed former Maryland M Steve Armas.

Even the man known as the world's greatest investor can't dodge the tough questions. And these days, some of them are coming from shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Thousands of shareholders descended on Omaha, Neb., April 29 to listen to company Chairman Warren Buffett talk about investing, and explain why Berkshire had such a bad year - its worst performance in 35 years. While most investors still support Buffett, he was roughed up by a shareholder who wondered if the guru of investing had lost touch with current trends.

Baseball Indians: Recalled IF John McDonald from Triple-A Buffalo. Royals: Placed IF Scott Leius on the 15-day DL. Recalled IF Steve Scarsone from Omaha. Yankees: Placed OF Shane Spencer on the 15-day DL. Pub Date: 7/05/99

A former Justice Department lawyer and Air Force officer was indicted yesterday on 13 counts of credit card fraud.Eugene M. Frese, a Harvard graduate and high-ranking Republican political appointee was arrested at his companion's Edgewater home amid a stockpile of money, food, weapons and credit cards. At his detention hearing three weeks ago, prosecutors said that Frese was afraid chaos would reign at the end of the year."We have information that leads us to believe he is preoccupied with the millennium problem," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa Griffin.

BaseballBlue Jays: Designated P Huck Flener for assignment.Marlins: Traded P Matt Whisenant to Royals for C Matt Treanor.Rockies: Activated OF Ellis Burks from 15-day DL. Optioned OF Angel Echevarria to Triple-A Colorado Springs.Royals: Sent P Jim Pittsley to Triple-A Omaha. Recalled 2B Jed Hansen from Omaha. Transferred P Randy Veres from 15-day DL to 60-day DL.BasketballLakers: Re-signed F Robert Horry.FootballDolphins: Signed WR Jasper Strong.Eagles: Agreed to terms with DB Charles Dimry on one-year contract.

Spending of the green: Celebrating St. Patrick's Day? Here's a rundown from SmartMoney magazine of what some of the essentials cost in five U.S. cities. A copy of "Irish Heartbeat," the CD by Van Morrison and The Chieftains, runs from $14.99 in Tulsa, Okla., to $16.99 in Virginia Beach, Va. A six-pack of Guinness stout ranges from $7.29 in Omaha, Neb., to $12.50 in Pittsburgh. A one-hour lesson in step dancing ranges from $5 in Omaha and Pittsburgh to $70 in Boston.Keeping track: AT&T, one of the most widely held stocks, is also the most closely followed by securities analysts.

BaseballBrewers: Placed OF David Hulse on DL. Activated OF Kevin Koslofski. Transferred OF Chuckie Carr to 60-day DL.Diamondbacks: Signed P Eric Sabel, P Matt Bell, P David Harper and P Mark Chavez.Indians: Recalled RHP Chad Ogea from Triple-A Buffalo. Optioned LHP Alan Embree to Triple-A Buffalo. Acquired RHP Jared Camp from Milwaukee to finish earlier deal that sent C Jesse Levis to Milwaukee for P Scott Camp. Signed P Ryan McDermott, P John Brammer, P Joseph Horgan, P Mark Taylor, P Matthew Miller, OF William Jackson, 2B John McDonald, C Cody Allison, 1B Troy Kent and SS Aurelio Rodriguez.

OMAHA, Neb. -- The way Cheryl Brunt sees it, she gets a fair chance to raise three children away from the dangers of public housing projects.The way many of her neighbors see it, Ms. Brunt has it made. The city of Omaha purchased a three-bedroom house in a middle-class suburb. The city makes all repairs.And Ms. Brunt -- a 33-year-old, self-employed, single mother -- pays rent of only $130 a month under a program aimed at breaking up housing projects by moving poor inner-city residents, most of them black, to better-off, largely white areas.