Rolling Thunder rolls in to commemorate Memorial Day

 

WASHINGTON - It's time to get ready to hear the rumble of Rolling Thunder. Hundreds of thousands of motorcycle riders are converging on D.C. this weekend for their 25th Memorial Day ride. Riders have already begun arriving for the weekend of events to remember prisoners of war and those missing in action. "I have a brother I lost in Vietnam in 1968," says Mark Given, a Desert Storm veteran. He joined Rolling Thunder to make sure the sacrifices of people like his brother are not forgotten - especially on Memorial Day. Given was one of about six riders from Rolling Thunder on Friday morning who laid wreaths at historic Congressional Cemetery in Southeast, paying tribute to the fallen as a bugler played taps. Given's 12-year-old son, Martin, came with him from New Jersey this year. The youngster is named after Given's brother, "I carry his name on for who he was and for serving our country," he says. At the grave of an unknown soldier, Carlos Hollifield says laying a wreath is appropriate. "Our mission is to ensure that in the future we have no unknowns." Hollifield says there are still more than 100,000 Americans from all wars still unaccounted for. "We work to make sure that political leaders and citizens never forget our prisoners of war and our missing in action." The riders also placed a wreath at the gravesite of several War of 1812 veterans. Congressional Cemetery was the first national cemetery established in 1807.

Devils' Brodeur, 40, back in Cup final - NHL

K, N.J. -- With Martin Brodeur nearing his 40th birthday and entering the final year of his contract, this season at first had the look of a last hurrah for the New Jersey Devils' goalie great. Well, the hurrah part was right. It's been one hurrah after another, reaching a high point Friday night. Brodeur made 33 saves to help the Devils defeat the rival New York Rangers 3-2 in overtime in Game 6 to advance to the Stanley Cup finals against the Los Angeles Kings. Game 1 will be Wednesday in New Jersey. After the Devils missed the playoffs last season for the first time since 1996, no one might have been put under the microscope more than Brodeur. Longtime president and general manager Lou Lamoriello certainly had questions to answer after the early-season stumble under new coach John MacLean, but Brodeur was the focal point after a so-so season nagged by injuries. Now at 40, he's back after outdueling Henrik Lundqvist in the first Eastern Conference finals between the teams since their memorable showdown in 1994. New York won that one in seven games with Stephane Matteau scoring the series-clincher in double overtime. Rookie Adam Henrique did the honors for New Jersey on Friday night with a shot from just about the same spot where Matteau scored, from the right edge of the crease. "It's been a lot of fun this season, playing on a really good team, and I'm enjoying this ride," Brodeur said. "And I know what I can do, try to compete as hard as I can every night and try to give these guys a chance to win hockey games. And they've been scoring a lot of goals for me in the playoffs so far, and it's been great." Brodeur was the difference in the Devils' wins in Games 5 and 6, when the Rangers controlled most of the play in the final two periods. "He was outstanding, all playoffs," Devils forward David Clarkson said. "He kept us in games, stood on his head. It's amazing to see what he's doing right now and our bench just feeds off it." Brodeur was at his best Friday with the game tied 2-all in the third period. He stopped a power-play shot by Brad Richards while prone on the ice and made a save on a shot by Artem Anisimov from between the circles. He also used his stick to poke check the puck off Anisimov's stick on a semi breakaway and again used his stick to deflect a pass from the boards by Carl Hagelin in the final minute of regulation just before it got to Marian Gaborik on the edge of the crease. "Actually, it was fun," Brodeur said. "But at the end of the day, we were in a position that the next goal is going to win. So in my head, the overtime started in the third period. And that's the way I approached the third period coming in. So every save was important. Every shot that we took on Lundqvist was important." Lamoriello enjoyed it, too. Any win over the Rangers is a good one for Lou. "It was two competitive teams that worked very hard at their game and paid a price for success," Lamoriello said in a phone interview with The Associated Press on Saturday. "This was a very competitive series. Put aside the rivalry, it was a competitive series." He scoffed when asked about Brodeur performing so well at 40. He pointed out that some 30-year-old people act like they are 50, and vice versa. He said the same holds true for athletes, adding athleticism and genetics also play a part. "[Brodeur] is just a real thoroughbred athlete," Lamoriello said. "He loves the game. His mind is 100 percent there and he feels good. It's Mariano Rivera." Brodeur refused to compare this Devils team to the ones that won Cups in 1995, 2000 and '03, or to the one that lost the Cup in seven games to Colorado in 2001. "Every team writes its own story," the Montreal native said. "I was fortunate to be part of great teams that had success, and I was part of great teams that didn't have success. ... It's not just a one-man show out there. A lot of guys are contributing, and there's a good feeling. But until you finish out these playoffs, we'll see then." Up next will be the Kings. They have posted a 12-2 record in beating Vancouver, St. Louis and Phoenix, the top three seeds in the Western Conference. The Devils were given Saturday and Sunday off while the coaches worked on their game plan. "They have played well at home and away and we just have to take a step back," Lamoriello said. "We haven't seen much of them except the games on TV."

Cheaper gas spurs more travelers this Memorial Day

 

EW YORK –  More Americans will hit the road this holiday weekend than a year ago. And they'll have a bit more money to spend thanks to lower gas prices. Memorial Day kicks off the summer travel season, and since pump prices never reached $4 or $5 a gallon, as feared, economists says travelers are likely to dine out or shop more once they pull off the road. About 30.7 million people will drive more than 50 miles for Memorial Day trips, according to auto club AAA. That's 400,000 more than last year, a jump AAA attributes to improvement in the economy and consumer attitudes. The number of holiday travelers grows to 34.8 million when you include planes, trains and other means of transportation. A drop in gas prices encouraged Americans to spend more at restaurants and bars in April. And that trend could continue over the holiday. Pump prices are down 27 cents since their peak in early April, to $3.67 a gallon, where they're likely to stay this weekend, predicts Tom Kloza, the chief oil analyst at the Oil Price Information Service. That's 12 cents cheaper than last year. Over the weekend, U.S. drivers will burn about 1.2 billion gallons of gasoline — and spend $144 million less on gas than last year. Restaurants, movie theaters and retailers hope some of that savings goes to them. Just last month, AAA and IHS Global Insight, the firm that analyzed the AAA study, were expecting travelers to spend less on entertainment, dining and shopping on vacation and devote more time to family and friends. . Now, travelers might take longer trips or spend more on other things "because there's more money left in their pocket," says John Larson, vice president for IHS. Still, most people need to restrict their travel budgets. For many, incomes are growing slightly if at all. Household debt remains high. And although the increase in the stock market over the past year has helped some regain wealth lost in the recession, there is still a ways to go. A recent report from the Federal Reserve shows that American household wealth would have to rise by 13 percent to return to pre-recession levels. While drivers may feel relief at the pump, gas still isn't cheap. Besides last year, the only other time gas was more expensive on Memorial Day was 2008, when it eventually climbed to a record of $4.11 per gallon. This year, gas shot up by 66 cents from January through early April because of a spike in oil prices. As a result, many people were skittish about planning long road trips. Half of those surveyed by AAA said they'll travel less than 400 miles. They might be tempted to drive farther — a fill up costs about $4 to $5 less than in early April when gas peaked at an average of $3.94. But they'll burn through that savings after about 30 to 40 miles. Douglas Berkley, Jr., of Cranberry Township, Pa. drives his family 90 miles to a family house on Indian Lake in Shanksville, Pa. most summer weekends, including Memorial Day. He hasn't noticed much of a drop in prices — it still costs him about $80 to fill his Chevy Tahoe. "Any little bit helps, though, obviously," he says. How far people travel might also depend on where they live. The difference in gas prices around the country is far wider than normal this year, Kloza says. In states like South Carolina, drivers could be paying as low as $3.10. Meanwhile, refinery problems on the West Coast — where prices usually exceed the national average anyway — have kept prices especially high there. West Coast drivers could be paying as much as $4.50 per gallon this weekend. Thom Rasmussen of Battle Ground, Wash. would have driven 100 miles southwest to Lincoln City, Oregon and rented a hotel near the coast. Except that gas has risen to $4.33 per gallon where he lives. The retired truck maker now plans to "rent a bunch of movies" with his wife. He'll consider making the trip this summer if gas falls below $4. Some people who would normally stuff suitcases in overhead bins are packing them in car trunks. They're balking at higher ticket prices, and AAA forecasts a 5.5 percent decline in air travel within the U.S. this Memorial Day. U.S. airlines spent 8 percent more on fuel in the first quarter, on top of a 26 percent increase last year, government data show. They're passing that expense along to passengers. The average airfare for North American flights: $291.04 per round trip, including taxes, according to travel site Kayark.com. That's up 23 percent from last year. Memorial Day travel is usually a good proxy for the summer. Alan Pisarski, independent consultant for the tourism industry, expects summer travel to be about flat compared with last year. Pisarski says concerns about the economy, primarily about jobs and housing, will keep many people at home. Others will likely travel less than they'd planned. Douglas Frechtling, chair of the Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management at George Washington University, is more optimistic. He thinks the drop in unemployment, higher incomes and the drop in gas prices will encourage more people to travel. The increase will be just a "few" percent. But that's important for travel destinations like Provincetown Mass. on the tip of Cape Cod, and Ocean City, Md., where motels and restaurants were forced to close during the economic downturn. AAA doesn't expect a significant pick up in travel until employment, incomes and consumer spending show greater gains and the housing market turns around. It sees signs of that happening next year. For now, travel remains well below the pre-recession peak of 2005, when 44 million people traveled for Memorial Day weekend. At least that's good news for people who hate overcrowded beaches.