Free Republic

<p>HAGERSTOWN, Md. – Agathe von Trapp, a member of the musical family whose escape from Nazi-occupied Austria was the basis for "The Sound of Music," has died, a longtime friend said Wednesday.</p> <p>Von Trapp, 97, died Tuesday at a hospice in the Baltimore suburb of Towson after suffering congestive heart failure in November, said Mary Louise Kane. Kane and von Trapp lived together for five decades and ran a kindergarten at the Sacred Heart Catholic parish in nearby Glyndon until 1993.</p>

Time Warner Inc., the world's largest media company, reported an 8 percent decline in third-quarter earnings Wednesday and set aside a $500 million reserve in anticipation of settling government investigations into its bookkeeping. The company said it would restate earnings for 2000 and 2001 to correct its accounting for AOL Europe. The moves put the company a step closer to resolving the investigations, which have caused anxiety among investors after dragging on for more than two years. The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Department of Justice are still investigating accounting practices at America Online, including its advertising arrangements and...