Leap Day

The environmentally conscious cable channel TBS premieres a raft of "Save the Earth" specials this month--including programs from a kid's point of view. The shows are meant to publicize the Earth Summit, set to take place this summer in Brazil.

The bride stepped through the back exit and walked up the passenger aisle. The groom waited nervously in front of the fare box. The court commissioner officiating over it all stood next to the driver's seat. The wedding vows exchanged Monday between Wendy Kerek and Victor Mironas aboard an MTA bus in Pasadena certainly got their marriage moving in the right direction. Mironas is a bus driver who met Kerek when she was a passenger boarding his No.

With the late-night talk shows forced into hiatus by the Writers Guild of America strike, political candidates have been spared fresh swipes (though the old ones replay) from late-night comedians -- and that means a break for front-runner Sen. Hillary Clinton, who has been the top target of their humor. Between Jan. 1 and Oct.

It is Valentine's Day at a fancy hotel restaurant. The dining room is filled with couples, and the romance in the air is so thick that it feels as if Cupid has just passed through on an uncontrolled rampage of love. Bright red and pink balloons float from railings. Roses are strewn everywhere. Hands reach across tables for two and softly touch. And in a dimly lit corner of the room--a proposal. Cindy Vanderweide and Ron Burns were friends for several years before they fell in love 11 months ago.

As a classroom teacher, the butterflies in my stomach the night before school became an annual event as constant as summer's waning sun. With each year of experience I expected confidence to overcome the jitters, but it never happened. It helped to know that teacher friends also had troubled sleep interrupted by dreams of mortification and failure. And yearly, 15 minutes into the first class of the day, the jitters would be replaced by the joy and enthusiasm that come from working with kids.

Newlywed comics Vicki Howie and Erik Allan were residing in Seattle when they entered a drawing and won a trip to four major comedy cities. Goleta was not one of them. Los Angeles, however, was on the itinerary. While the couple were in California, they decided to take a trip up the coast. "We decided to drive up because we knew we wanted to live somewhere close to Los Angeles, but not in it," Howie said. After checking out Santa Barbara County, they decided to move there.

In what was widely seen as a sign of good health in the hospital industry, Tenet Healthcare Corp., the nation's No. 2 hospital chain, reported strong financial gains Wednesday, helped by more favorable HMO contracts and higher Medicare payments. Tenet also appeared to benefit from the aging population of baby boomers. The Santa Barbara-based company said its two strongest growing groups of patient admissions were those between the ages of 41 and 50 and 51 and 60.

It's no bull. The celebrated jumping frogs of Calaveras County can compete this May and live to leap another day. In a policy flip-flop, state Fish and Game wardens have found a way around a state law that forbids returning bullfrogs to the wild. Organizers of the annual frog fest feared the law could have led to the death of hundreds of frogs that compete in the whimsical contest inspired by Mark Twain and perhaps terminate the annual event, as well.

George W. Bush romped to victories Tuesday in Virginia, North Dakota and Washington state, stalling John McCain's surge as the two head toward a potentially decisive March 7 showdown. Democrat Al Gore, meantime, easily won a nonbinding contest in Washington state, thwarting Bill Bradley's hopes of resuscitating his flagging campaign. The Bradley camp denied speculation he would quit the race to avoid risking further embarrassment. "It looks like a big win.

It is Valentine's Day at a fancy hotel restaurant. The dining room is filled with couples, and the romance in the air is so thick that it feels as if Cupid has just passed through on an uncontrolled rampage of love. Bright red and pink balloons float from railings. Roses are strewn everywhere. Hands reach across tables for two and softly touch. And in a dimly lit corner of the room--a proposal. Cindy Vanderweide and Ron Burns were friends for several years before they fell in love 11 months ago.