ENTERTAINMENT

MIKE WALLACE SAYS HE’LL NO LONGER BE ’60 MINUTES’ CORRESPONDENT

Mike Wallace, the hard-driving reporter who has been with “60 Minutes” since its start in 1968, said yesterday he will retire as a regular correspondent on the show this spring.

A television news legend who was the last person an accused wrongdoer would want to see on his doorstep, Wallace said he’ll still do occasional reports for the show. CBS News President Sean Mc-Manus referred to him as a “correspondent emeritus.”

Mr. Wallace, 87, has often said he’ll retire “when my toes turn up.

“Well, they’re just beginning to curl a trifle, which means that, as I approach my 88th birthday, it’s become apparent to me that my eyes and ears, among other appurtenances, aren’t quite what they used to be,” he said.

– Associated Press

NATIONWIDE

ADDITIONAL 1,600 SAT SCORES NEED TO BE RECHECKED

The College Board disclosed yesterday that an additional 1,600 SAT scores have not been rechecked from an exam in October that had scoring problems.

The previously overlooked batch of answer sheets came from among those being scored separately for a variety of reasons, including security concerns. Some of those scores were on hold and had not been reported, but others may have been reported incorrectly, according to an e-mail sent to college admissions officers and guidance counselors early yesterday. The statement also was posted on the College Board’s Web site. College Board spokeswoman Chiara Coletti said yesterday she became aware of the latest problem late Monday. The sheets will be rescanned over the next few days and colleges and students notified of any changes as soon as possible.

– Associated Press

SCIENCE AND MEDICINE

SCIENTISTS CURE BLIND HAMSTER USING NANOTECHNOLOGY

A new study shows that scientists were successfully able to restore the vision of blind hamsters using nanotechnology. Scientists replicated the effect of a traumatic brain injury by severing the rodents’ optical nerves, which caused the animals to lose their vision. After injecting the hamsters with a solution of nanoparticles, the nerves grew back and sight returned. Writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team of scientists expressed their desire for this same technique to one day be used in reconstructive brain surgery in humans.

– Staff Reporter of the Sun

BLOOD PRESSURE MEDS CUT ALZHEIMER’S RISK, STUDY SAYS

Some blood pressure medications may reduce the risk of contracting Alzheimer’s disease by more than 70%, a study says.

In the research, people taking any kind of blood-pressure medication were about one-third less likely to develop Alzheimer’s than people not taking such a drug. The risk fell to more than 70% in those using potassium-sparing diuretics, such as Merck & Company’s Moduretic, Pfizer Incorporated’s Aldactone, and GlaxoSmithKline PLC’s Dyazide.

– Bloomberg News

EAST

MAN SAYS OBSCENE GESTURE IS FREE SPEECH

PITTSBURGH – A motorist believes the constitutional right to free speech includes obscene hand gestures.

Thomas Burns, of New Castle, Pa., contends he was denied his First Amendment free speech rights when he was cited for giving an obscene hand gesture to a construction worker in April, according to a federal lawsuit filed Monday in Pittsburgh. Mr. Burns had become frustrated with a traffic delay and showed the gesture at a construction worker. The worker reported it to a police officer, who cited Mr. Burns for disorderly conduct, according to the lawsuit. The citation was dropped, but Mr. Burns filed a lawsuit because he believes he was maliciously prosecuted.

The “finger gesture was not accompanied by any verbal threats, taunting or communication and was never visible to anyone other than the workers,” the lawsuit states. “The gesture, albeit insulting, had no sexual meaning, did not appeal to anyone’s prurient interest, and did not create a public disturbance or breach of peace.”

– Associated Press