Marty Silverman

HE IS Second-generation furrier, past president of the AssociatedFur Industries of Chicagoland. Owns and operates Maple Furriers inOak Park. It's the Midwest's largest fur-coat manufacturing firm. PHILOSOPHY "Do no harm, keep moving, have fun."

CHICAGO AND FUR "The fur business is Chicago's oldest honorableprofession. Maybe the world's. Before Chicago was a city, it was afur trading post." STATS His mother and dad started the firm in the 1920s. He works init with wife Belle, nieces and nephews - two dozen employesaltogether. Lives in River Forest, 67, married 37 years, threechildren. Oak Park-River Forest High, economics degree from the U.of Wisconsin, World War II …

Rios' Gift Helps Red Sox End 6-Game Skid

BOSTON - A game finally went Boston's way when Toronto right fielder Alex Rios slapped the ball the wrong way. Rios accidentally swatted Alex Cora's fly ball into the stands from about 10 feet in front of the wall for a two-run homer in the seventh inning that gave the Red Sox a 6-4 win Thursday night and snapped their six-game losing streak.

Rios drifted onto the warning track and tried to catch the ball over his left shoulder. It bounced off his glove and dropped to his waist where he attempted to catch it with his barehand but, instead, pushed it over the three-foot high fence.

"It was a reaction play," he said. "I was in a weird position to catch the ball so it was a …

Analyst raises Gap target on Old Navy performance

An analyst on Friday raised her estimates and price target for Gap Inc. on the retailer's sales performance last month, primarily in its Old Navy segment.

UBS analyst Roxanne Meyer told clients in a note Friday that the company's sales performance beat estimates as it improved on margins and saw growth in Old Navy.

The San Francisco-based retailer said Thursday that its August comparable-store sales fell 3 percent, not as much as the 7 percent drop analysts had anticipated. Old Navy sales at stores open at least a year rose 4 percent, below analyst expectations of 6.4 percent. But comparable sales at namesake chain Gap fell 7 percent, and pricier Banana …

Back to School // `Sir' Sequel Brings Lessons to Chicago

TO SIR WITH LOVE II (STAR) (STAR) (STAR) 1/2 WBBM-Channel 2,8 to 10 p.m. Sunday.Sidney Poitier waited 29 years before reviving his title role of "ToSir With Love." Was it worth the wait? Certainly.

The 69-year-old Oscar winner retains his imposing drive anddignity in Sunday's gritty sequel to "Sir," the hit 1967 film about ayoung teacher from Guyana who inspired a class of unruly Londonteens.In "To Sir With Love II," an upbeat CBS movie airing at 8 p.m.on Channel 2, devoted educator Mark Thackeray leaves London to take ajob teaching history on Chicago's South Side. Former students from'67 (pop singer Lulu as Pegg and Judy Geeson as Pamela) giveThackeray a sentimental …

Consumers cut back on credit card use once again

WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumer borrowing fell again in July as households cut back on their credit card use for a 23rd consecutive month, adding more drag on an economy struggling to mount a sustained rebound.

Borrowing dropped at an annual rate of $3.6 billion in July, the Federal Reserve reported Wednesday. That marked the 17th drop in credit in the past 18 months.

Americans did boost borrowing for auto loans in July but this gain was offset by further reductions in the category that includes credit cards.

The latest drop in overall borrowing was slightly higher than economists' expectations and followed a $1.02 billion decline in June, which was revised from an initial …

Police stop Zimbabwe opposition leader's campaign

The opposition said Friday that its rallies had been banned indefinitely three weeks before the presidential runoff, while the U.S. ambassador accused President Robert Mugabe's regime of using food as a weapon to stay in power.

U.S. Ambassador James McGee said the regime is distributing food mostly to its supporters and that those backing the opposition are offered food only if they hand in identification that would allow them to vote.

If the situation continues, "massive, massive starvation" will result, McGee told reporters in Washington by video conference from Harare.

Millions of Zimbabweans depend on international groups for food and …

Film crew adds steroid allegation to Bonds' race for home run title

SAN FRANCISCO -- When documentary film crews began trailing BarryBonds for his new ESPN reality TV show, the idea was to capturebehind-the-scenes moments of the slugger as he chased Hank Aaron'scareer home run record.

But production took a hard turn last month, said Joan Lynch,executive producer of ESPN Original Entertainment. That's when Bonds'alleged steroid use was detailed in the book Game of Shadows, andMajor League Baseball launched an investigation into accusations itstop athletes, including Bonds, used performance-enhancing drugs.

The series "Bonds on Bonds," which premiered Tuesday night, showsa profile far different from the original idea, Lynch said. …