Tears

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Shortly before 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Ryan Howard hobbled to the warning track of Ashburn Field at the Carpenter Complex. Wearing a large walking boot that comes halfway up his left knee, Howard threw a baseball to Phillies head athletic trainer Scott Sheridan. He was back on the field. For 18 days, Howard was a mystery. "I guess it was like a 'Where's Waldo?' type deal," he said. He watched Grapefruit League games on TV in Florida. He popped into the clubhouse occasionally to say hello.

DARRYL CHANEY was dedicated to helping his fellow vets at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Coatesville. He was the kind of guy who would do anything for you, and he made himself so useful to his fellow patients that when he was taken to Brandywine Hospital in his final illness, many of them showed up there to give their support. "He cared about people," said his father, Hall of Fame retired Temple basketball coach John Chaney. "He was always involved in situations where he could help people.

DAKAR, Senegal - Police opened fire with tear gas Saturday on a commercial avenue in Senegal's capital, as security forces wrapped up early voting in a contentious presidential race. It marks the fourth straight day of protests before next Sunday's critical election, which is pitting the country's 85-year-old president against a young opposition demanding his departure. The increasingly tense atmosphere on the ground has many concerned there may be unrest if President Abdoulaye Wade is declared the winner of the vote.

NEWARK, N.J. - After all the testimonials from relatives and friends, the songs from legends and pop stars, the preaching and even laughter, the raw emotion of Whitney Houston's funeral came down to just one moment: The sound of her own voice. As the strains of her biggest record, "I Will Always Love You," filled the New Hope Baptist Church at the end of the nearly four-hour service Saturday and her silver-and-gold casket was lifted into the air, the weight of the moment was too much for her mother, gospel singer Cissy Houston, to bear.

KYLE STANLEY rebounded from a devastating loss to win the Phoenix Open in Scottsdale, Ariz., overcoming an eight-stroke deficit yesterday in a comeback as unlikely as his collapse last week at Torrey Pines. In tears 7 days ago in San Diego after blowing a big lead - dropping the final strokes with a triple-bogey 8 on the final hole - and losing a playoff, Stanley took advantage of Spencer Levin's meltdown yesterday to win his first PGA Tour title. "I'm not sure what I'm thinking right now," said Stanley, 24, a fomer Clemson star.

Dear Michelle: I hope you don't mind the first-name basis. As one of many women around the country who have also worked to strengthen vulnerable communities, I have felt a special connection with you that goes back to the 2008 primaries. Your pre-White House work developing young people to lead social and economic change in their neighborhoods and your current efforts supporting the health and well-being of military families illustrate to me your understanding of the conditions needed for children and families to thrive in our communities.

WASHINGTON - The applause rolled through the big chamber, growing ever louder as hundreds of Republicans and Democrats suddenly realized Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was back in the House. But this time she had come to say goodbye. Fellow lawmakers gave her a fitting send-off: cheers, hugs, a cascade of tributes and plenty of tears in a rare moment of political unity. A year after that fateful Saturday morning when Giffords was severely wounded during a shooting rampage in her home district, the Arizona congresswoman resigned Wednesday with a plea for civility - and a hint that she would be back on the national stage.

TRENTON - Two of New Jersey's most influential black leaders blasted Gov. Chris Christie yesterday for proposing that gay marriage be put to a popular vote in November, but the Republican governor insisted that he's offering a reasonable compromise amid his personal opposition to same-sex nuptials. Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver and Newark Mayor Cory Booker said in separate forums that civil rights were guaranteed by the Constitution and don't belong on the ballot. Booker said that baseball great Jackie Robinson would not have had the opportunity to break the sport's color barrier had the matter been put to a vote and that the mayor himself would not have had the opportunity, years later, to be elected to lead New Jersey's largest city.

After senior leader Hannah Ross Nussbaum went down with a season-ending ankle injury in a game against Marple Newtown on Dec. 23, a young Radnor girls' basketball team decided to dedicate the season to her. Before and after each game they give a cheer for Nussbaum, who was ordered to bed rest for the injury. The game wasn't two minutes old when she was injured. With the loss of Nussbaum and fact that they are young, the Red Raiders weren't expected to be a major factor in the Central League race.

DES MOINES, Iowa - Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich wept Friday as he recalled his late mother's end-of-life illnesses, a moment of poignancy in a notably negative Republican presidential Iowa caucus campaign. "I do policy much easier than I do personal," Gingrich told an audience of women as he tried to regain his composure. The tears flowed as the former speaker was responding to questions about his mother from a pollster and longtime political ally. Gingrich's emotional moment came as his rivals engaged in traditional campaign tactics, and as polls suggested large numbers of Iowa Republicans could change their minds before caucuses Tuesday night provide the first test of the 2012 campaign.