The Philadelphia Inquirer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page A01

Florida offensive coordinator is new Temple football coach. Sports. 33te JpftilaMpftia ilnqfutf er 181st Year, No. 206 South Jersey Thursday, Dec. 23, 2010 Philadelphia Media Network 75 cents $1 in some locations outside the metro area Boxes and boxes of toys Amis treaty with Russia is ratified Thirteen Republicans broke ranks in the Senate to give Obama a foreign-policy victory.

By David Lightman McCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS WASHINGTON The Senate voted, 71-26, Wednesday to approve a historic U.S.-Russia treaty that requires both nations to reduce the number of deployed strategic nuclear weapons. Thirteen Republicans joined 56 Democrats and two independents in giving bipartisan endorsement to the pact, which President Obama and Russian President Dmitry A. Medvedev signed in Prague in April. Sen. Ron Wyden Ore.) appeared just two days after surgery for prostate cancer to lend his support.

All six Philadelphia-area senators also voted in favor. Obama, who had made a determined, personal push for Senate approval, said at a news conference: "The strong biparti- MARK WILSON Getty Images 'Don't ask' repeal With Rep. Patrick Murphy, Obama signed bill ending ban on gays in military. A4. Productive lame ducks Obama praises lawmakers for bipartisan work.

A4. Funding the wars Congress lets Pentagon spend $160 billion. All. DAVID SWANSON Staff Photographer Staff Sgt. Marc Palos inspects some of the 90,000 toys gathered for the Toys for Tots program run by the Marines.

They soon would be on their way out of a warehouse on Woodhaven Road and into the hands of needy children. "We're pushing out toys by the tens of thousands," said Palos, who is in charge of the effort. Story and more photos, B4. Embroiled in a fraud suit Venerable Phila. law firm in a Chevron case riddled with ethics issues.

san vote in the Senate sends a powerful signal to the world that Republicans and Democrats stand together on behalf of our security." See START on A4 lah Watch video outtakes entered as evidence in the Chevron litigation at http:www.philly.comecuador 911 responders win aid package A "Christmas Congress approved $4.2 billion to cover medical costs for rescuers. doctoring expert testimony and improperly pressuring Ecuadorean authorities to file criminal charges against Chevron lawyers. Since June, four federal District Court judges have found there was some evidence that the Kohn-financed team had engaged in fraud. "While this court is unfamiliar with the practices of the Ecuadorean judicial system, the court must believe that the concept of fraud is universal and that what has blatantly occurred in this matter would in fact be consid-See KOHN on A14 By Chris Mondics INQUIRER STAFF WRITER For decades, the Kohn, Swift Graf law firm of Center City has been known as a litigation powerhouse, taking on defendants as diverse as the estate of former Philippines dictator Ferdinand Marcos and food-industry giant Chiquita Brands on behalf of plaintiffs who said they had been harmed. But now the firm is embroiled in bitter accusations that a massive pollution lawsuit it financed in the United States and Ecuador against oil-in- dustry giant Chevron Corp.

is riddled with ethical improprieties. In more than a dozen federal court filings around the country, Chevron is accusing a team of lawyers that had been financed by the Kohn firm of blocked a more expensive House version from coming to the Senate floor for a vote. Republicans had been under fire in recent days for their opposition to the legislation. The Senate passed the bill on a voice vote and the House quickly approved the Senate version hours later, 206-60, generally along party lines, with 168 members not voting. All area representatives voted in favor, except Robert A.

Brady Pa.) and Joseph R. See RESCUERS on A15 By Raymond Hernandez NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE WASHINGTON After years of fierce lobbying and debate, Congress approved a bill Wednesday to cover the cost of medical care for rescue workers who became sick from toxic fumes, dust, and smoke they labored in after the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center. The $4.2 billion bill cleared its biggest hurdle Wednesday afternoon when the Senate unexpectedly approved it just 12 days after Republican senators Questions, answers on scanners II 1 INSIDE By Faye Flam INQUIRER STAFF WRITER In one of the stranger technological twists of the 21st century, X-ray vision has gone from male teenage fantasy to airport screening reality. The devices have been nicknamed "naked scanners" for a reason: when you walk through them, as many travelers will this Christmas weekend, someone in an undisclosed location will see through your clothes and check your body for weapons or explosives. At the same time, a privacy modesty filter masks your face and genitalia to DNA test sought.

What really happened to Booth? Nostalgic T-shirts Neighborhood pride becomes fashion statement and commodity. El. SHARON GEKOSKI-KIMMEL Staff Photographer First graders (from left) E'myah Herring, Mya Nicholson, and Ja'Niyah Van, all 6, taste sweet potato dip at Douglass Christian School. Nutritional challenges in a supermarket desert One in an occasional series. By Alfred Lubrano INQUIRER STAFF WRITER Eyeing a potato at Frederick Douglass Christian School in Chester one day in the fall, a first grader called it a "tomato." Another said he Make it beforehand Coffee-braised Spoon Lamb is ideal for a small, dignified holiday meal.

Fl. By Edward Colimore INQUIRER STAFF WRITER In life, Edwin and John Wilkes Booth were brothers, ambitious actors, and bitter rivals. They ruthlessly competed for the lime As their use grows in airports, some ask if they are safe and effective. some extent but not your flab and the image is discarded, the feds say. The phone-booth-size scanners sit be High 39, Low 25 A Portrait of Partly sunny and breezy Thursday.

Life in one of light on stages in Philadelphia and across the nation. Edwin became one of America's greatest actors, while John Chance of light snow starting Christmas night. Air quality: Good. NBC10 EarthWatch forecast, B7. the nation's wasn't sure he'd ever seen one before.

"How do you spell asked Ja'Niyah Van, 6, tasting a baked sweet potato for the first time. No one can blame the pupils for not recognizing or appreciating fresh food. There isn't a single supermarket in Chester. A person could travel end to end in the city of 30,000 people and find just two stores that sell potatoes or any other fresh foods. These days, the students learn what produce looks like from Greener Partners, a Mal poorest districts.

John Wilkes Booth, Lincoln assassin. side the metal detectors. Passengers can opt out, as some have encouraged, but then they have to get a thorough pat-down. Some scientists are raising concerns that these devices are too easy for would-be terrorists to foil. A few are also questioning the safety of some of the devices, since about half expose passengers to X-rays though the dose is tiny compared with a typical medical X-ray.

So far, 464 scanners have been installed in 75 airports; about half use low-dose X-rays. The others including the one installed in October in Philadelphia International Airport's Terminal create images with radio waves and pose no known health risk. The scanners were originally seen See SCANNERS on A15 Comics E8 Editorials A22 Express Lotteries D10 Marketplace Gl Obituaries B5 SideShow E4 Television E7 vern nonprofit whose experts come in regularly to teach about seasonal and local foods. As a result, the children can now speak with their families about potatoes, arugula, fresh spinach, and the bounty of the earth. See HUNGER on Al.3 Wilkes achieved infamy in another role as the assassin of Abraham Lincoln, at Ford's Theater in Washington.

Now, for the first time, Booth descendants have agreed to exhume Edwin's body, adding drama to the family's story and delighting historians who have speculated that John Wilkes escaped capture 145 years ago. See BOOTHS on A14 Today's Deal iphiiij For Thursday's Philly Dealyo, get $99 laser hair or vein removal at Style Med Spa in Allentown, Narberth, and Colmar. Get yours at phillydealyo.com. I i 2010 Philadelphia Media Network Inc. Call 215-665-1234 or 1-800-222-2765 for home delivery..