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Orlando Sentinel: PRODUCT: OS DESK: ASEC DATE: 02-16-2006 EDITION: MET ZONE: MET PAGE: A1.0 DEADLINE: 0.0 OP: apinkston COMPOSETIME: 00.53 CMYK Orlando Sentinel THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2006 FINAL EDITION ORLANDOSENTINEL.COM FOUNDED 1876 (CELEBRATE HISPANIC ART FILM ft TimiannrfwimrTYTiTfiTni IAI A GOOD LIVING, ES uia 11 in LimaiiH hi i wi ta'i ili KT.ii il ia 41 Cheney takes blame for shooting Tm the guy who pulled the vice president says 4 days later Magic lose again to Heat 110-100 Coverage in Sports, D1 Spotty coastal showers. Forecast, B8 about 5:30 p.m. "Nobody was under the influence," Cheney said. The vice president remained unrepentant about waiting until the morning after the shooting to inform the news media and having ranch owner Katharine Armstrong serve as his spokesperson. He said he had no press staff with him.

The inadvertent shooting has drawn increasing scrutiny since Whittington, please see CHENEY, A8 ByMARKSILVA CHICAGO TRIBUNE WASHINGTON Vice President Dick Cheney, calling his accidental shooting of a fellow hunter "one of the worst days of my life," said Wednesday in his first public comment on the weekend incident that he alone was responsible for the wounding of attorney Harry Whittington. "Ultimately, I'm the guy who pulled the trigger that fired the round that hit Harry," the vice president said in a televised interview granted exclusively to Fox News Channel four days after the shooting on the Texas ranch of a Republican friend. "And you can talk about all of the other conditions that existed at the time, but that's the bottom line," Cheney said. "It was not Harry's fault. You can't blame anybody else." Cheney also acknowledged drinking "a beer" with a barbecue lunch on the day of the accident, which occurred at 8 A.M.

58 NOON 4 P.M. 75 74 8 P.M. 66 WHITE HOUSE PHOTO Vice President Dick Cheney talks with Fox News' Brit Hume during an interview Wednesday. Concerns at NASA Political appointees tried to limit or alter news releases on weather, pollution and more, NASA officials say. A3 Latest abuse photos More images of U.S.

guards abusing Iraqis at Abu Ghraib prison in 2003 threatened to worsen public anger. A1 2 Chertoff cites 9-11 for his failure to take charge after Katrina UNDER SHARP ATTACK Armchair sleuths abuzz with Kesse tips By WILL0UGHBY MARIANO SENTINEL STAFF WRITER Record bear deaths A record number of black bears are dying on Florida roads, as the state ponders how to protect them. B1 Jaws: Back for now Jaws, a Universal Studios ride that went part time after a fall from blockbuster status, got a reprieve. CI Bronze day for U.S. Concerned citizens, raised on real and fictional crime shows, are turning into armchair sleuths, offering police a parade of suspects and theories in the baffling disappearance of Jennifer Kesse.

They send messages to a Web forum, swapping opinions on whether grainy images of a "person of interest" show a woman or a man, whether the person has on a hat or just an odd hairdo. Some post satellite images of the condominium complex where Orlando police found Kesse's abandoned car and suggest places for searchers to check. Others call Crimeline or post Internet comments with their hunches all unsubstantiated asking police to check on Kesse's boyfriend, maintenance workers at her condo complex, local sex offenders and even two youths arrested in a nearby kidnapping and rape in MetroWest. PLEASE SEE KESSE, A13 BBPP jsjs CHUCK KENNEDYKNIGHT RIDDER TRIBUNE Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff testifies Wednesday before a Senate committee on Capitol Hill in Washington. Toby Dawson (above) won the only medal for the U.S.

team Wednesday, finishing third in men's moguls. D1 Magic, Pistons trade Detroit gave up on Darko Milicic, trading the No. 2 pick in the 2003 draft to Orlando for a first-round selection and center Kelvin Cato, a source said. D1 ters worse. But members of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, which has spent months probing the disaster, sharply criticized Chertoff.

They said he was so out of touch with the unfolding disaster that he went to bed unaware that the New Orleans levees had collapsed hours before, killing and injuring hundreds of people and leaving much of the city under water. Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, said it was disheartening that Chertoff was "consistently behind the curve." Katrina made landfall Aug. 29, and a storm surge smashed the New Orleans levees later that day. Chertoff said he went to sleep that night not knowing his department had been informed of the levees' collapse. Chertoff, who testified for almost three hours before the Senate com- pleasesee CHERTOFF, A13 By JOHANNA NEUMAN and NICK TIMIRA0S LOS ANGELES TIMES WASHINGTON Beleaguered U.S.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff testified Wednesday that he did not take charge of his department's faltering response to Hurricane Katrina because his personal experience during the Sept. 1 1 terrorist attacks had convinced him that micromanaging by senior officials could make mat Who makes the cut? In twin 1 50-mile qualifiers today, 58 drivers vie for 43 Daytona 500 slots. Orlando Sentinel.comdaytona500. THE REPORT: WHAT THE COMMITTEE SAID WENT WRONG Study: Benefits of vitamin calcium limited in older women By DENISE GELLENE LOS ANGELES TIMES Defying years of conventional medical wisdom, researchers reported today that calcium and vitamin pills regularly consumed by millions of women provide limited protection from broken bones. The supplements seemed to reduce the risk of hip fractures in women 60 or older who faithfully took them.

But the pills did not reduce spine or wrist fractures, and increased the risk of kidney stones, researchers said. The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, raised questions about the benefits of taking supplements to prevent osteoporosis, a condition marked by weakened bones and a heightened risk of fractures that commonly afflicts women after menopause. Concerns about the disease please see VITAMIN A13 Talking with Urban In Friday's Calendar, we chat with Keith Urban, CMA and Grammy winner, who plays in Orlando on Feb. 23. Contractors Poor planning for emergency supplies such as food and ice contributed to waste and abuse in federal contracts, but a heavily criticized $236 million contract with Carnival Cruise Lines for temporary housing was reasonable.

Red Cross The Red Cross was dependent on the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Defense Department for supplies and was unable to fill the void with supplies and staff as those agencies scrambled to respond. Red Cross workers were denied access to the Superdome. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Rumors and false media reports Rampant false media reports (shooting at helicopters, babies with slit throats) contributed to unnecessary disorder and delays that hindered the recovery. Federal response Federal officials knew 56 hours before Katrina hit that it had the potential to flood 75 percent of New Orleans, kill tens of thousands of residents and trap hundreds of thousands. Communications Damage to communications in the region was extraordinary, but officials failed to plan for alternatives.

Levees The levees were designed to resist a Category 3 hurricane, but not the most severe hurricanes. The levees failed because the storm was too large and because of an assumption that the design, construction and maintenance of the levees would be flawless. Evacuations Mandatory evacuations in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana excluding New Orleans and Jefferson Parish went relatively well. Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin delayed evacuation in New Orleans until 1 9 hours before landfall, a decision that led to deaths, great suffering and delays in relief.

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