A. Mail

1. T. J. Ellingson, an assistant United States postmaster general, issued a statement at a news conference today.
2. He said that the costs of running the postal service are constantly increasing.
3. "Further attempts must be made to cut costs," he said.
4. "One of the plans under consideration is twice-weekly home mail delivery and thrice-weekly deliveries to business."
5. "Nothing is definite yet pending further examinations of the options," he said.

B. Shooting

1. Mrs. Bernice Joyce, 32, of 44 Broadway, was arrested this morning at the home of her mother.
2. She was taken to criminal court and charged with shooting her husband, Coleman, last night during an argument.
3. The two had quarreled over her plans to divorce him.
4. He had been staying at a hotel and returned to the house to try to persuade her to drop the divorce.
5. A fight ensued during which he was shot.
6. He is in critical condition at Fairlawn Hospital.
7. The charge is attempted homicide.

C. Drive

1. Sara F. Glasser, president of the local chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, announces a new membership drive.
2. The chapter usually solicits members by mail and telephone.
3. Next month, the drive will be made on a person-to-person basis to gain 50 new members.
4. Members and volunteers will be asked to invite friends to their homes to acquaint them with the ACLU.
5. "The chapter hopes to increase its membership to replace those who have dropped out and moved away," she said.
6. "If we cannot do so, we must discontinue the chapter," she said.

D. Gas

1. The supply of natural gas to Wisconsin has been going down for the past five years.
2. The state Public Service Commission has warned natural gas customers that the situation will steadily worsen.
3. Today, the Wisconsin Gas Co. announced it is halting all further commercial and industrial gas hookups.
4. It also announced it is submitting a plan to the PSC to reduce gas deliveries to some present customers during temporary shortages.
5. The utility will continue to serve its 356,000 customers in central and eastern Wisconsin.
6. The cutbacks were necessary, the firm says, because of continued natural gas shortages and an anticipated further reduction in available supplies next year.

E. Tennis

1. The annual Freeport Tennis Clinic will be held Aug. 21 to 24 at Mallory College.
2. The clinic will feature exhibitions and instruction.
3. This is the 12th annual clinic, sponsored by six Freeport civic clubs.
4. Chris Evert Lloyd, holder of a number of tennis titles, will play Aug. 23 at 2 p.m.
5. Lloyd will play local tennis pro Marty Friedman in a singles match and then will team up with Friedman to play a mixed doubles match against Mr. and Mrs. James Wigglesworth, the state mixed-doubles champions.
6. Friedman made the announcement today.

F. Bicycle Trip

1. Two students are going by bicycle from Boston to Seattle this summer.
2. The University of Rochester announced the project in a news release.
3. Edward A. Nelson and Kenneth Hardigan, third-year students in the university medical school, will make the trip.
4. The project is designed to test the body's ability to adapt to intensive training, the university release states.
5. "Information gained from the cross-country ride is expected to provide data of value to physiology in general and to sports medicine in particular," the release states.
6. Nelson, of Kent, Conn., will be the test subject and Hardigan, of Boston, will accompany him.
7. Nelson will be tested before and after the trip, and along the way he will conduct frequent self-tests.

G. Guns

1. Albert Waring, of the Washington office of the National Coalition to Ban Handguns, spoke last night at a meeting sponsored by the League of Women Voters and the Business and Professional Women's Club in the Civic Auditorium.
2. About 150 persons attended.
3. He said, "415,000 Saturday Night Specials (cheap handguns) were sold last year."
4. "There are at least 40 million handguns now in private ownership in the United States, more guns than the armies of Europe possess," he told the audience.
5. He also said, "The consequence is a murder rate 200 times greater than in Great Britain, Canada, Israel, West Germany and Japan, countries where it is almost impossible for a private individual to secure a handgun."
6. "About 33,000 Americans died by the gun last year: 18,000 in suicides, 3,000 in accidents and the rest in manslaughter and murder."
7. "About three-fifths of all gun murders in the United States are committed with handguns."
8. "Our organization will make a concerted effort to defeat the local congressman, William Trenzier, who has stated he does not approve of banning assault weapons through federal legislation." Trenzier is a Republican.
9. Injuries caused by handguns cost taxpayers almost $1 billion a year in hospital and rehabilitation costs.

H. Brush-Back

1. During the past two weeks several fights have taken place during baseball games in both leagues.
2. In most cases, the cause was the brush-back pitch, a ball that is intentionally pitched close to a batter.
3. The pitch is used to prevent hitters from taking a firm footing in the batter's box and to retaliate for similar pitches by the opposing pitcher.
4. Two days ago, managers were warned to cool off their players.
5. Sparky Anders, manager of the local team, does not like the warnings. He said today, "I think they've taken it to the point where they've made it too safe for everybody. I think you have to live a little dangerously. Without that, you take away some of the competitiveness."