Dominican Republic

The campaign of President Leonel Fernandez declared that he won election to a third term with enough votes to avoid a runoff. Campaign chief Francisco Javier Garcia said that according to a tally by Fernandez's centrist Dominican Liberation Party, with 61% of the votes counted, the president had won nearly 54%.

Former Angels ace Bartolo Colon built leg strength by climbing coconut trees as a boy in the Dominican Republic, and former Angels slugger Vladimir Guerrero developed strong hands and wrists as a youngster by helping his grandfather pull cows home in the Dominican Republic. New Angels reliever Ernesto Frieri, acquired from the San Diego Padres on Thursday for two minor leaguers, isn't sure he'd be in the big leagues today if not for the work he put in as a kid at his grandmother's tamale stand in Cartagena, Colombia.

In an effort to combat widespread fraud and the use of performance-enhancing drugs in the Dominican Republic, Major League Baseball announced Friday that it will begin implementing comprehensive education, registration and testing procedures aimed primarily at prospects eligible to sign professional contracts this summer. The moves come seven months after a committee headed by MLB executive Sandy Alderson issued a report recommending ways in which the sport can clean up its operations in Latin America, where age and identity fraud, the skimming of bonuses by big league personnel and the use of banned substances have sullied the game.

Baseball is a game of endless numbers and statistics, but here's a line you've probably never seen before: From May 2005 through last May, Albert Pujols hit .527 (39 for 74) in 22 games, with 12 homers and 25 runs batted in, following events in which he interacted with people with Down syndrome. "It uplifts the kids, but I think it uplifts Albert even more," said Todd Perry, the Pujols Family Foundation chief executive who researched those numbers. "It's amazing how good he plays when he's around these kids.

An earthquake measuring 4.6 on the Richter scale rattled the Dominican Republic outside the capital of Santo Domingo early Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said. There were no reports of injuries.

Residents climbed onto rooftops and into trees Friday to escape floods from Tropical Storm Jeanne, which killed people, swept away houses and forced 22,000 people to flee their homes, Dominican authorities said. Jeanne, which also had killed two people in Puerto Rico this week, weakened to a tropical depression, but could strengthen again as it moves closer to the United States, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

A wrought-iron gate across a two-lane road in the mountains separates two nations speaking two languages and, especially in recent days, living two realities. On Monday, dozens of vans carrying relief workers and trucks laden with emergency food, water and other supplies kicked up dust as they arrived here from the sleepy capital of the Dominican Republic and crossed into Haiti, bound for earthquake victims in Port-au-Prince. Coming in the other direction were several hundred Haitians, seeking permission to enter the Dominican Republic.

When Raul Mondesi left baseball after 13 seasons as a major league outfielder, he returned to his dusty, overcrowded and impoverished hometown determined to make a difference. And both of the Dominican Republic's main political parties were only too happy to assist, with one helping him twice win election to the country's national Chamber of Deputies and another luring him away to run for mayor of the country's sixth-largest city. That's made the former Dodger and 1994 National League Rookie of the Year something of a rising electoral star here, though for reasons that have little to do with his politics.

A California landowner and philanthropist has been strangled to death by three young men in the Dominican Republic, police said Saturday. The body of the dead man, identified as Edward Sykes of Mill Valley, was found in a sugar cane field near the small village of Consuelo, about 35 miles east of Santo Domingo, the capital. Authorities said he was killed on Dec.

Some baseball officials thought fallout from the improper signing of third baseman Adrian Beltre might affect the Dodgers' efforts in the Dominican Republic. But despite sanctions levied by Commissioner Bud Selig in 1999, the Dodgers are still a force in the tiny Caribbean-island nation. As evidenced by their recent $2.25-million signing of 16-year-old shortstop Irvin Joel Guzman, the Dodgers are determined to retain their standing as one of the majors' most successful clubs there.

Lost amid the hoopla over the U.S. team's performance in the Women's World Cup last summer is the fact that the Americans almost didn't make it to the tournament after losing to Mexico in CONCACAF qualifying. But U.S. Coach Pia Sundhage has not forgotten. And it's something she plans to remind her team of heading into the Olympic qualifier in Vancouver, Canada, that starts this week. "I think we learned from that [World Cup] experience," Sundhage said. "It's our job to make sure that we look at the next game and not get carried away and talk too much about a semifinal or the final and even the Olympics in London.

Matty Alou, the middle brother in one of baseball's greatest playing families and a slap hitter who won the National League batting title in 1966, died Thursday in the Dominican Republic. He was 72. His former team in the Dominican, Leones del Escogido, said he died of complications from diabetes. A speedy 5-foot-9, 160-pound center fielder, Alou was a lifetime .307 hitter who had 1,777 hits over 15 seasons with six different teams, breaking in with the San Francisco Giants in 1960 and enjoying his best years with the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1966 to 1970.

The United States' gold-medal drought in men's basketball at the Pan American Games will last at least another four years after a 71-55 loss to Mexico in the semifinals Saturday at Guadalajara. The U.S. has not won Pan American gold since 1983. Mexico last won a medal in basketball in 1991 — a silver — and is guaranteed of at least second place. Jovan Harris led Mexico with 15 points, while Lorenzo Mata added 12 and Paul Stoll scored eight. Harris and Stoll were born in the U.S. but carry Mexican nationality.

Bachata Thursdays Where: The Granada, 17 S. 1st St., Alhambra When: Thursdays; beginner and intermediate classes 8:30 p.m., nightclub 9:30 p.m. Price: $14 for single class (includes nightclub cover); $5 nightclub cover Info: (626) 227-2572; http://www.thegranadala.com A couple of years ago on salsa dance floors across Los Angeles, a new trend began to emerge. Amid the frenetic, conga-driven salsa tunes, DJs started to slip in a few tracks of bachata — a romantic, guitar-based music that originated in the Dominican Republic.

Reporting from Seattle — Center fielder Peter Bourjos hopes to be playing baseball in Southern California deep into October. But when the Angels' season does end, he said, he'll take a short break before heading to Latin America to continue playing in the Dominican Republic or Venezuela. It's common for young players to play winter ball, allowing them to refine parts of their game in a competitive atmosphere. Rare, however, is the established, U.S.-born player who gives up part of his off-season.

Charles T. Manatt, who founded one of the biggest and most influential law firms in Los Angeles and then became a political power as chairman of the state and national Democratic parties, died Friday night. He was 75. Manatt died at Kindred Hospital in Richmond, Va., of complications from a stroke suffered after surgery in November, according to his daughter, Michele A. Manatt. Manatt assumed a thankless task as chairman of the Democratic National Committee, taking over just when the Reagan era was dawning.

Bereft of highway signs, peppered with monster potholes and plunged into inky blackness at night, the Dominican Republic road system offers a wildly improbable series of adventures for visitors eager to explore the sleepy, tropical isle of Hispaniola. Whether you're in the city or the country, be prepared to share the road with horse-drawn carts, inquisitive cows and noisy motorbikes.

At La Cocina del Camaguey , Ilonka Garcia's Dominican, Puerto Rican and Cuban takeout window tucked in the back of El Camaguey Meat Market in the Palms area of Los Angeles, regulars line up for affordable, soulful Caribbean dishes such as arroz con pollo (rice with chicken), rabo encendido (braised oxtail) or mofongo (mashed plantains and cracklings). The market has long been a treasure chest of products serving the local communities, especially Brazilians.

Rafael Furcal tapped his bare stomach and declared he was ready for opening day. His midsection was protruding but didn't look nearly as large as it did when the Dodgers started full-squad workouts five weeks ago. Asked how much weight he had lost, Furcal said, "Five pounds. " Only five? The All-Star shortstop explained that what looked like fat wasn't fat. His expanded waistline was the result of bloating, a side effect of medication he took in the winter. Reporting from Phoenix ?