Roberts

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. has granted the Obama administration's request to block the release of certain sex offenders who have completed their federal prison terms. A federal appeals court earlier had invalidated a law allowing the indefinite commitment of "sexually dangerous" prison inmates. Roberts, in his order, said as many as 77 inmates can continue to be held at a prison in North Carolina at least until the Supreme Court decides whether to hear the administration's appeal of the lower court's ruling.

MCI Communications: The Washington-based long-distance telephone company said its earnings rose 121% from a year ago to a record $128 million in the first quarter ended March 31, while revenue rose 33% to $1.5 billion. Bert C. Roberts Jr., MCI's president and chief operating officer, attributed the success to increased traffic, which more than offset a rate cut. MCI signed data-networking contracts during the quarter with such companies as Chrysler Corp. and Cray Research Inc., Roberts said.

Police have identified as the pedestrian fatally injured Thursday by a car on Bastanchury Road Robert Lincoln Roberts, 72, of Fullerton. Lt. Ron Kaczor said Roberts was trying to cross Bastanchury outside the crosswalk at 6:41 p.m. when a car struck him. The driver was not cited. The stretch of Bastanchury, on the crest of a hill near State College Boulevard, is "kind of a dark area," Kaczor said, adding that the investigation is continuing.

'When teams are trying to talk [Arvydas] Sabonis out of retirement, well ... there's got to be room for me. Other than Shaq, I don't see anybody I can't match up with for 20 minutes a night.'Stanley Roberts, former Clipper, on making an NBA comeback

A group of atheists, led by a California man known for challenging the use of the words "under God" in recitals of the Pledge of Allegiance at public schools, filed a lawsuit to bar prayer and references to God at the swearing-in of President-elect Barack Obama. Michael Newdow, 17 other people and 10 groups representing atheists sued Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., several officials in charge of inaugural festivities, the Rev. Joseph Lowery and Orange County megachurch pastor Rick Warren.

Paul Craig Roberts' Column Right ("June Bonds Draw Junk Justice," Oct. 25), blaming a federal regulatory law passed in 1989 for the collapse of our savings and loans, ignores these incontrovertible facts: Records of the FDIC show that, from the 1950s through 1981, our banks and S&Ls failed at an average rate of 10 or fewer per year. Then came the deluge, and by 1986, the number had grown to 145: a 14-fold increase. By 1988 it reached 221. Obviously, a law passed in 1989 did not cause a debacle that had begun several years earlier.

San Diego City Councilman Ron Roberts, saying he has lost some of his confidence in the agency selecting a vendor for a lucrative city telephone contract, persuaded the council Tuesday to place the evaluation of bidders entirely in the hands of outside experts. Roberts aired his suspicions after listening to a tape recording of the May 25 meeting of the San Diego Data Processing Corp., the agency given authority by the council to select vendors for the $12- to $18-million city government phone contract.

The Rev. Keenan Roberts looked surprisingly calm for a playwright on opening night -- especially one who had traveled from Denver to see how Hollywood had hijacked his work. "What they're doing is not my material," he said, standing in the parking lot of the Steve Allen Theater on Saturday. He smiled, though he was not exactly amused.

Our infrastructure crumbles, our public buildings echo only long-gone civic pride, and our school system is a total disgrace. Gov. Gray Davis, please forget about my $150 income tax refund and reduced DMV fees. I'd rather live in a California that takes pride in creating opportunities for everyone: good education, parks, libraries, museums. I do not understand an outlook founded on scarcity at a time of great wealth. What is needed is leadership, not pandering; investment, not meaningless consumption.