Hamn Magasinet

IF you believe their TV ads, Wal-Mart is as American as apple pie. Lower costs mean a better life, as their tagline contends, right? But, here in Mill Creek, we’re taking a hard look at the high costs of absorbing another “low-price” Wal-Mart.

On many levels, from international trade to the personal economics of family life in a small town, we’ve seen America’s No. 1 company act very un-American. Whether it’s driving local homegrown stores out of business, environmental degradation or workers forced to join state health-care rolls, Wal-Mart has a seriously negative impact on American life. Within a five-mile radius of Mill Creek, there are two Wal-Mart stores bringing almost 300,000 square feet of 24/7 big-box shopping. And, evidently, that isn’t enough. Developers here think we need three Wal-Marts within a short drive, so they’re proposing to add another 136,000-square-foot Wal-Mart on Highway 96 in a newly annexed area of Mill Creek.

Enough is enough. A third Wal-Mart will clearly not make our lives better. Citizens for a Better Mill Creek scored a temporary victory by winning an appeal for an environmental-impact statement and delaying the groundbreaking of the newest Wal-Mart store last summer. We called attention to the potential traffic congestion (adding as many as 8,500 trips per day) and to the parking lot paving over of 17 acres of farmland just east of wetlands draining into the North Creek watershed, a spawning ground for chinook salmon. As traffic, noise, pollution and crime increase, residential property values nearby are expected to decline.

More than 5,700 local residents have signed a petition opposing the construction of this third Wal-Mart. We’re fighting it because we believe Wal-Mart is un-American and here’s why.

While some claim Wal-Mart could bring a windfall of sales-tax revenues, across the nation it’s squeezing local governments for subsidies.

It’s also breaking environmental laws nationwide. In 2004, Wal-Mart faced fines for violations in nine states. That same year, the company agreed to pay $400,000 to settle claims that Wal-Mart’s Sam’s Club flouted federal air-pollution regulations in 11 states. In 2005, Wal-Mart again was forced to pay $1.5 million in penalties for stormwater violations occurring over seven years at 20 stores.

You may have read recent news reports of imported Wal-Mart Christmas toys for small children being recalled because of choking hazards and high lead content. Frankly, the company’s record on providing substandard wages is equally alarming to us - and a wake-up call for any community concerned about children and the American family.

Did you know that a substantial number of Wal-Mart “associates” earn far below the federal poverty line and that the company provides health-care coverage to less than half its employees?

Wal-Mart’s business strategy to open a third store where two stores already exist is simply to ensure that wherever people are, they’re always near a Wal-Mart. But what happens in such an oversaturated market when the economy takes a dip? The rapid expansion of Supercenters and Sam’s Clubs has contributed to hundreds of vacant stores across the country. Sales are currently sagging at Wal-Mart nationwide and the company has hundreds of developed properties up for lease or sale - that’s over 25 million square feet of empty big-box stores! What would we do with a big-box empty shell near Mill Creek?

This holiday season, like all Americans, we are giving thanks for what we value most: family, community, our health and the beauty of our environment. We also value ethical business principles and practices that support families and communities. Wal-Mart has demonstrated nationwide that it values profits over the safety of our children, the health of our families, the life of our communities and the future of our environment.

Our fight against Wal-Mart is as American as apple pie. We’re saying “no” to the high cost of Wal-Mart’s low prices. Another Wal-Mart here would simply cost our community too much and it certainly won’t bring better lives for the people of Mill Creek.Karen Lowe, left, and Selma Bonham are members of Citizens for a Better Mill Creek.

Leading 42-23 at halftime, the Seattle Pacific women’s basketball team allowed a 20-7 run by Puget Sound to start the second half but held on to win 65-58 at Brougham Pavilion on Tuesday night.

The Falcons (3-0) shot a dismal 34.8 percent from the field in the second half, allowing the Loggers (2-1) to play catchup and squeeze SPU’s lead to six three times.

Kelsey Hill came on strong for the Falcons, scoring eight of her game-high 14 points in the second half. Hill also had eight rebounds. Libby Magnuson had 13 points.

Daesha Henderson had 11 points and two steals, while Beth Christensen matched Magnuson’s game-high in steals with three.

For the Loggers, Marissa Cain finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Laura Hirsh matched Cain with 12 points, while Claire Ely had four assists.

Notes

• After starting the season 4-0 for the second time in three years, the Seattle University men’s basketball team is ranked 13th in this week’s Division II poll sponsored by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

• Whitman’s Chris Faidley has been named Northwest Conference men’s basketball player of the week.

Compiled from sports-information reports and other sources.

When considering a wine purchase, it’s almost impossible to detach the palate from the pocketbook. Nothing brings this to the forefront like a charity wine auction. The recent Poncho Wine Auction, for which I provided some color commentary, was a perfect example.

Hundreds of bottles were lined up for the three silent auctions that preceded the main event. It was a dazzling display of vintages dating back to the 19th century, rare wines from around the globe, big bottles and verticals, as well as exceptional offerings of wines from the West Coast. As I perused the bidding tables, drawing attention to some of the hidden “treasures” that were not attracting much interest, it became clear that the disparity between lots that were fought over and those that were ignored often had little to do with the actual quality of the wines. It really came down to name recognition.

In the same way, wineries that get the big scores (hence the name recognition) are subtly coerced (by market pressures) to put high prices on their wines. Yes, there may be egos involved as well. But what business person intentionally avoids making an easy profit? As a result, consumers are equally trained, however subliminally, to assume that a high price always equals better wine.

Which gets me back to hidden treasures, and a case in point: Walla Walla Vintners. This was the eighth or ninth winery to set up shop in Walla Walla, making its first wines in 1995. At the time, they were widely referred to as “Baby Leonetti,” a reference to both the style (oaky and rich) and the inexpensive pricing (hence baby) of their wines.

Founders Myles Anderson (recently retired director of the Walla Walla Institute for Enology and Viticulture) and Gordy Venneri make wines they like to drink, which happen to be ripe, fruity and plush with new-barrel flavors of chocolate, butterscotch, mocha and toast.

They began as amateur winemakers learning their craft with hands-on trial and error.

Over time, they have fine-tuned the lineup, and although the winery’s basic style remains the same, the grape sources have improved and the winemaking now pulls together more substantial fruit components to go with the luscious wood. In short, these are flat-out delicious wines and also wines of substance.

Baby Leonettis or not (Walla Walla Vintners winery is actually adjacent to Leonetti’s Uplands vineyard), these wines are very, very good. Why then do they sell for a third the price of Leonetti? Why, for that matter, does Leonetti sell for a quarter of the price of Harlan or Sloan? Image drives prices, as much or more than talent and quality.

The last of the 2005 releases from Walla Walla Vintners are being premiered this fall. The spring releases (2005 Cabernet Franc, 2005 Sangiovese) have already sold out, so these are not wines to wait on. They are distributed directly from the winery (509-525-4724 or www.wallawallavintners.com).

Were I to pick a favorite, it would be a three-way tie. The Walla Walla Vintners 2005 Sagemoor Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon ($40) is built upon fruit from 30-plus-year-old vines. It’s a classic Bordeaux blend, showing cassis, berry and cherry fruits dotted with dried herb. Delicious already, this wine successfully combines raw power with depth and character.

The Walla Walla Vintners 2005 Bello Rosso Red Wine ($36) is the winery’s version of a super-Tuscan. Once again, half is old-vine Sagemoor cabernet sauvignon, half is sangiovese. Washington sangiovese is the most successful of the Italian varietals grown here, and this lovely blend, with its appealing softness, mixes dried herbs and spicy red fruit with hints of mushroom and olive.

Wine No. 3 is the Walla Walla Vintners 2005 Malbec ($30), varietally pure and inky black. Black fruits, black olives, smoke and spice are layered around thick tannins, opening into an extended finish of licorice and mint. This is the winery’s first varietal malbec (”We had four barrels left over after blending,” modestly explains Venneri). It should, I would hope, become a staple of the lineup.

Other new releases this month include Walla Walla Vintners 2005 Merlot ($28), a dark and smoky wine with tight scents of cassis, raspberry and pomegranate. Suggestions of mushroom, tobacco and lead pencil waft through the finish, and this has enough concentration to spend some extended cellar time, rare indeed for domestic Merlot.

The Walla Walla Vintners 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon ($35) includes modest proportions of merlot, cab franc, carmenère, malbec and petit verdot. Round and flavorful, it’s a liquid bowl of chocolate-covered cherries, with a whiff of tobacco and forest adding welcome detail.

Also new this year is the Walla Walla Vintners 2005 Morrison Lane Vineyard Syrah ($32). The Morrison Lane vineyard will be familiar to fans of Walla Walla syrah, as it has long been one of the favored growers in the K Vintners lineup. Here it is unblended and wrapped in a generous amount of oak, adding flavors of cinnamon, baking spice, milk chocolate and hazelnut. Despite all the wood, the acids manage to punch through, underscoring the tart raspberry fruit.

Last but not least is the Walla Walla Vintners 2005 Washington State Cuvée Red Wine ($28), a Columbia Valley blend of eight varietals from as many vineyards. Here, bright red fruits mingle with light spice and sweet tannins. It’s an all-purpose bottle of fruit-driven red, ready for near-term enjoyment.

Paul Gregutt is the author of “Washington Wines and Wineries The Essential Guide.”

His column appears weekly in the Wine section. He can be reached by e-mail at wine@seattletimes.com.

WASHINGTON - The formula doctors use to calculate a woman’s risk of breast cancer underestimates the danger for black women most of the time and especially for those age 50 and older - the age when they are most likely to benefit from screening tests and protective drugs, according to the first major reassessment of the widely used tool.

“We’ve been concerned about the assumptions we had to make for African-American women and other racial and ethnic groups for some time,” said Mitchell Gail of the National Cancer Institute, who led the re-evaluation of the formula he himself developed. “It turns out that we have been underestimating the risk for African-American women.”

The advance could have broad implications for many black women, prompting them to reconsider the danger they face from a disease that is women’s leading cause of cancer and second-leading cancer killer. That could lead to more women undergoing mammograms and other examinations to detect the disease in its earliest, most treatable stages, taking drugs such as tamoxifen to reduce their risk, and signing up for studies evaluating better warning signs or risk-reducing medicines.

“This could very much change the way we counsel African-American women,” said Nancy Davidson, a breast-cancer expert who heads the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

The new findings, published online Tuesday by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, are the latest revelation about how breast cancer and other diseases can affect racial groups differently. Growing evidence suggests that breast cancer tends to be much more aggressive and deadly among black women, which could help explain why they are more likely to die from it even though fewer of them get it. More than 19,000 African-American women receive breast-cancer diagnoses each year, and nearly 6,000 die from it.

“This is extremely significant,” said Lovell Jones, director of the Center for Research on Minority Health at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. “This is emblematic of a broader problem, which is we tend to make the assumption that one size fits all. One size does not fit all.”

The new research examined the Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool, more commonly known as the Gail model after the government biostatistician who developed it in 1989. Doctors calculate a woman’s risk by plugging in variables such as the age they started having their period or had their first child and whether a mother or sister has had the disease.

Because the model was based largely on data collected from about 240,000 white women, Gail and his colleagues decided to try to develop a more accurate alternative using data collected more recently on more than 3,200 black women, including more than 1,600 who had breast cancer.

The researchers then tested the new version and showed that it would have accurately predicted how many African-American women in the federal government’s Women’s Health Initiative would have developed breast cancer. Overall, the old model classified only 14.5 percent of black women as candidates for the prevention trial, whereas the new model would classify more than twice as many - 33.3 percent - as eligible.

Based on the findings, Gail and his colleagues recommended that doctors start using the new model for their African-American patients. The National Cancer Institute plans to use the new model to update its calculator, which is available online at www.cancer.gov/bcrisktool.

WASHINGTON - In the eyes of black voters, Hillary Clinton has a slight edge over Barack Obama, her closest rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, according to a survey released Tuesday.

“African-American voters are really only looking at two candidates,” said David Bositis, a senior analyst at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a think tank focused on African-American affairs that released the poll. “There is Hillary Clinton, and there is Barack Obama. Really none of the other candidates exist in the realm that Clinton and Obama occupy.”

The New York senator was viewed favorably by 83 percent of black voters, compared to Obama’s 74 percent. About 10 percent of those surveyed viewed Clinton and Obama negatively. The national survey, conducted between Oct. 5 and Nov. 2, asked 750 African Americans who were likely to vote in primaries or attend caucuses about the presidential candidates and related issues.

Although some people were surveyed more than a month ago and the two campaigns have exchanged heated criticism in recent weeks, Bositis said the results are still reliable. “We’re not asking them how they’re going to vote,” he said. “We’re asking them what are more stable feelings they have toward issues and candidates.”

The survey showed a small gender gap: African-American women chose Clinton as their clear favorite with favorable ratings of 86 percent. In the 2004 presidential election, almost 60 percent of all black voters were women, according to the Census Bureau.

One reason for Clinton’s edge may come from her name recognition, Bositis said, pointing to the publicity she has received as first lady and a senator during the last 15 years.

Cornell Belcher, a pollster for Obama’s campaign, agreed that name recognition was the likely explanation: “It’s a favorable rating, which is really more of an ID rating than anything else.”

He also noted that the primary battles are fought state-by-state. “These national polls are kind of meaningless in the overall political scheme of things because there’s no national primary,” he said.

Bositis said another possible reason for Clinton’s lead in the poll was the economic success African Americans experienced during her husband’s time in the White House. During former President Bill Clinton’s second term, the black population’s annual median household income increased by $5,000, according to the bureau.

Clinton’s high ratings also might stem from electability issues; some people may doubt an African American can win the presidency. “There are many blacks in the South who really as of yet do not believe an African American is going to be elected president,” Bositis said, referring to the Illinois senator.

But some argue that blacks are no longer skeptical of electing the first black president.

“There was that time when there was sort of hesitation, but I think we’re really moving beyond that,” said Dewey Clayton, a political-science professor at the University of Louisville.

Still, the race is far from over. Bositis said, “If [Obama] beats Hillary Clinton in Iowa - especially if he beats her in any convincing fashion - there will be people who will reconsider their support for Hillary.”

In the survey, likely African-American voters named the Iraq war, health care and the economy as the most pressing issues facing America, mirroring the concerns of most Democrats.

The idea of turning Mount St. Helens into Washington’s fourth national park isn’t dead yet.

U.S. Rep. Brian Baird, who remains noncommittal about the idea, recently agreed with Democratic U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell to form an advisory committee to look into it. Because the 110,000-acre Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument is within Baird’s congressional district, his acquiescence is a political necessity if it were to be turned into a national park.

“It’s worth exploring what the pros and cons would be,” Baird, a Democrat, said Monday.

On a preliminary ledger sheet, opponents worry the biggest “con” would be a curtailment of access to hunters, fishermen and snowmobilers with the loss of U.S. Forest Service oversight. The biggest “pro” would be money.

Cowlitz County officials are watching the issue closely, mainly because primary access to the volcano cuts through the county on state Highway 504.

County commissioners initially favored a National Park Service takeover of the monument, in light of the cash-strapped Forest Service’s recent decision to permanently close the Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center after 14 years. Commissioners withdrew that support, however, after hearing from recreational groups concerned about access.

Mark Plotkin, the county’s tourism director, said he has subsequently looked into the issue further and found a revealing item while combing through the National Park Service’s budget.

He decided to compare the Forest Service’s roughly $500,000 annual budget for recreation on Mount St. Helens with a comparable location. He picked California’s Lassen Volcanic National Park, which is similar in visitation and acreage to Mount St. Helens, but has a budget that’s nine times the size of Mount St. Helens’ - $4.5 million.

“Something’s way wrong,” Plotkin said, “and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that.”

Cowlitz County Commissioner Axel Swanson endorsed the idea of an advisory committee with representatives of Cowlitz, Clark, Lewis and Skamania counties. He said the county might support a Park Service takeover, but only if the enabling legislation allowed continued access by sportsmen’s groups.

“There are a wide variety of national parks,” Swanson said. “The differences are in the enabling legislation.”

National park status for the volcano appeared to dim earlier this year, after county commissioners and Baird heard from constituents concerned the National Park Service would restrict public access.

But the prospect of a steady source of funding appears to be breathing new life into the idea.

National parks receive a line item allocation of funding in the federal budget each year. By contrast, Mount St. Helens receives its share of recreation money from the Forest Service only after it filters through three distinct layers of administrative overhead, from national headquarters, through the regional office in Portland, and, finally, through the Gifford Pinchot forest headquarters in Vancouver. At each level, the monument must compete with other recreation programs operated by the Forest Service.

Even so, Forest Service officials maintain their agency remains best-positioned to manage the monument as well as the various national forest campsites, trails and roads surrounding it.

GRANTS PASS, Ore. - The death of an 82-year-old woman in Grants Pass is being treated as a homicide.

Police said Lola Pierce was found dead in her home on Nov. 17 when police went to check on her. She hadn’t been seen for a couple of days.

At first, police said, they were not suspicious. But unspecified evidence detectives found in a followup raised suspicions. After an autopsy the medical examiner determined it was a killing.

Although no arrests had been made, police released no information for nine days “to allow investigators time to conduct the investigation without raising the suspicion of the suspect,” Sgt. Rob Gunderson said in a news release.

He said the police were withholding information on the cause of death, as they could interfere with the investigation, Gunderson said.

Five Makah tribal members who already face federal charges for killing a gray whale off Neah Bay in September have now been charged in Makah Tribal Court for participating in the unauthorized hunt.

The charges were filed in tribal court on Nov. 16 but weren’t made public until Monday, when the last of the five was officially served with court papers, said Makah tribal attorney John Arum.

Wayne Johnson, Frankie Gonzales, Andrew Noel, Theron Parker and William Secor each face five charges in tribal court, including the violation of the tribe’s Gray Whale Management Plan.

If convicted, they could face up to a year in the tribal jail, a $5,000 fine and a three-year suspension of their tribal fishing rights for participating in the Sept. 8 hunt.

The five were charged in federal court in Tacoma last month and pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor violations of the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act.

It is unclear whether the men will first be tried in federal or tribal court, Arum said. Arraignment on the tribal-court charges is expected in the next two or three weeks, he said.

Brinnon, Jefferson County

Light quake hits Olympic Peninsula

A light earthquake was reported late Monday about six miles north of the Olympic Peninsula town of Brinnon, according to the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network.

The magnitude-4.0 quake occurred at 10:18 p.m. Monday at a depth of about 34 miles. There were no reports of injuries or damage.

Seattle

2 rescued near Shilshole Marina

Two people were rescued from a sinking boat near Shilshole Marina on Monday afternoon, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard received a mayday call from the 25- to 30-foot-long boat, which was taking on water when rescuers arrived shortly before 12:30 p.m.

The two people onboard were safely transferred from a Coast Guard vessel to a Seattle Harbor Patrol boat, said Coast Guard spokesman Jeff Pollinger.

It was not immediately known if the two people were injured or what caused the boat to start sinking, he said.

Seattle

Police say they’ve got “Hoody Bandit”

A man police say is the “Hoody Bandit,” suspected of robbing nine gas stations and retail shops in Snohomish County and on the Eastside at gunpoint, was charged Monday with six counts of first-degree robbery.

Joseph Michael Palomera, 19, of Woodinville, is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in King County Superior Court. According to charging documents, Palomera robbed the gas stations, sandwich and wine stores and an ice-cream parlor in Kingsgate, Bothell, Kirkland, Redmond and unincorporated Snohomish County in a streak of crimes beginning Nov. 4.

In all the robberies the suspect was said to be wearing a hooded sweat shirt and carrying a handgun. He allegedly stole cash, cigarettes and lottery tickets. Some of the lottery scratch tickets were winning ones and were later redeemed, which helped police track the suspect, according to the documents.

Olympia

Shipyard fined again for sandblasting

A shipyard on the Willapa River in Pacific County in Southwest Washington has been fined for the second time in two years for sandblasting over open water, the state Department of Ecology announced Monday.

The $23,000 fine against the Jackpot shipyard comes on top of a $10,000 fine in 2005 for a similar incident. The grit used in some sandblasting can contain high levels of heavy metals including copper, lead and zinc.

When it first fined Jackpot, the Ecology Department had ordered the company to get an environmental permit before resuming repair and maintenance work. But the company has yet to apply for the permit, according to the agency.

“Jackpot Industries has been made aware of its responsibilities but continues to ignore the law,” Garin Schrieve, regional water-quality section manager for Ecology, said in a news release.

The company could not be reached for comment.

Kent

Officials ID man slain on holiday

A 24-year-old Kent man who was shot to death Thanksgiving Day has been identified by the King County Medical Examiner’s Office as Ernest Faimalo.

Faimalo, who worked at Irish Mike’s Automotives in Kent, died en route to Harborview Medical Center after the shooting, according to Kent police. A 22-year-old Ellensburg man was arrested the same day after police say he turned himself in.

Police who were called to the 8500 block of 212th Street South at about 1:45 a.m. found Faimalo wounded and a second man injured. The injured man apparently had been fighting with Faimalo before the shooting, said police spokesman Paul Petersen.

The shooting suspect apparently fled after firing at Faimalo, police said.

Detectives are asking that anyone with information about the shooting contact Kent police at 253-856-5800.

Tacoma

Ex-cop, girlfriend plead guilty in abuse

A retired Tacoma police officer and his girlfriend have pleaded guilty in a child-sex-abuse case.

Lee William Giles Jr. and Maureen Wear each pleaded guilty Monday to first-degree child rape, second-degree child rape, first-degree child molestation and third-degree assault of a child.

Giles was arrested in August 2006 after a young man reported that Giles had raped and molested him for years.

Pierce County Superior Court documents say videotapes examined by detectives showed Giles and Wear raping and molesting a boy and molesting two girls.

Olympia

Everett man named to Snohomish court

Gov. Christine Gregoire has appointed Bruce Weiss to the Snohomish County Superior Court.

Weiss has been a court commissioner for Snohomish County Superior Court since 2005. He will fill the newly created 15th position on the Superior Court bench.

He was counsel for the Snohomish County Volunteer Guardian Ad Litem program from 2000 to 2005. Before that, he ran his own firm. Weiss, 46, is from Everett.

Seattle Times staff and news services

Defense Secretary Robert Gates called Monday for a “dramatic increase” in the U.S. budget for diplomacy and foreign aid, arguing that al-Qaida does a better job than Washington of communicating its message overseas and that U.S. deployment of civilians abroad has been “ad hoc and on the fly.”

In a speech that emphasized the importance of “soft power” to prevent and end conflicts, Gates suggested beefing up the State Department’s foreign-affairs budget of $36 billion, even as he acknowledged Pentagon observers might consider it “blasphemy” for the Pentagon chief to make such an appeal for another agency.

“One of the most important lessons of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is that military success is not sufficient to win,” said Gates at the annual Landon Lecture at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kan.

The wars of the future, he said, are likely to be “fundamentally political in nature” and will not be solved by military means alone. “The importance of deploying civilian expertise has been relearned - the hard way” in Iraq and Afghanistan, Gates said.

Many have argued that the Bush administration missed opportunities early in the Iraq and Afghanistan campaigns to head off insurgent resistance by failing to focus on economic development, promotion of internal reconciliation, training of police forces and communication of U.S. goals.

The lesson, Gates said, is that nontraditional conflict - against insurgents, guerrillas and terrorists - will be the mainstay of battlefields for years to come, requiring more than military power.

“We are miserable at communicating to the rest of the world what we are about as a society and culture,” Gates said. “It is just plain embarrassing that al-Qaida is better at communicating its message on the Internet than America.”

The U.S. military has shouldered much of the burden of the lack of civilian expertise, Gates said, adding that recent civilian efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan had been done “ad hoc and on the fly in a climate of crisis.”

He called for developing “a permanent, sizable cadre of immediately deployable experts with disparate skills” that is integrated with the U.S. government, private sector and institutions of foreign countries receiving assistance.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. - Cedric Benson’s season is over.

The Chicago Bears’ running back needs surgery after injuring his left ankle Sunday - another setback for the team’s first-round draft choice in 2005.

Benson, who took over this season as the Bears’ starter after the trade of Thomas Jones to the Jets, broke free for a 21-yard run in Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos.

But he was hurt as he landed while being tackled by Denver safety Hamza Abdullah and later had to be carted off the field after the second-quarter play.

“It’s tough when you lose your starting tailback. Cedric went down with a season-ending injury, which is a tough break,” Bears coach Lovie Smith said Monday, the day after the Bears beat the Broncos 37-34 in overtime.

“He went out on a good run. He had put together two good weeks. … We’ll miss him.”

Veteran Adrian Peterson will now move up to the starter’s role with rookie Garrett Wolfe the backup. Peterson had 45 yards on 17 carries Sunday, including a 4-yard TD run during the Bears’ fourth-quarter comeback from a two-touchdown deficit. He also caught five passes.

“You could say he’s a guy who deserves the opportunity to get more playing time,” Smith said of Peterson. “He’s done everything we’ve always asked him to do.”

Benson gained 47 yards on eight carries before he was hurt Sunday. He’d rushed for 674 yards this season on 196 carries, an average of 3.4 yards per carry and had four touchdowns.

Vikings’ Peterson

could play Sunday

MINNEAPOLIS - Minnesota Vikings rookie running back Adrian Peterson is on track to return to the field this week, just in time for a pivotal NFC North game against Detroit.

Peterson tore the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee three weeks ago against Green Bay. He missed the last two victories over Oakland and the Giants, but the star rookie had an MRI exam that “shows excellent healing,” coach Brad Childress said.

As long as everything goes as planned this week in practice, Childress said he would ease Peterson back against the Lions, splitting carries with veteran Chester Taylor.

Despite missing the past two games, Peterson still leads the NFL with 1,081 yards rushing and is second to Philadelphia’s Brian Westbrook with 1,301 yards from scrimmage.

The Vikings (5-6) have won three of their last four games to creep back into the playoff picture in the muddled NFC. Detroit (6-5) has lost three in a row after starting 6-2.

Notes

• J.P. Losman squandered his latest second chance, and now it’s rookie quarterback Trent Edwards’ turn to get another shot at securing the Bills starting job.

Coach Dick Jauron wasted little time in announcing Edwards has reclaimed the No. 1 job ahead of Losman, and will make his fifth start - and first in five weeks - on Sunday when Buffalo travels to play Washington.

• San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers didn’t deny that he told booing fans to shut up early in Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Rivers had just completed an 8-yard pass on third down to Legedu Naanee, which was 1 yard short of a first down on San Diego’s first offensive series. The fans at Qualcomm Stadium booed for the second straight play; the first time was when LaDainian Tomlinson was stuffed for no gain on second down.

Video replays appeared to show Rivers telling the fans to shut up. The Chargers would go on to beat the Ravens 32-14 to take a one-game lead over Denver in the AFC West.

Rivers said he understands why the fans were steamed.

“Again, it’s an emotional game. To be honest with you, I love the fans,” Rivers said with a laugh. “I mean, I really do. It was early in the game, it was the first series, you’re coming off a completion, and it wasn’t necessarily for me, it was kind of like for our team, like saying, ‘Hey, relax a little bit.’ ”

• Unbeaten New England’s comeback victory over Philadelphia earned the highest overnight rating for a Sunday or Monday night game in two years. The Patriots’ 31-28 win Sunday on NBC drew a 15.6 overnight rating in the nation’s largest markets.

Injury report

Player, Pos.

Team

Injury (Prognosis if available)

Cedric Benson, RB

Bears

ankle surgery; out for season

Chris Kelsay, DE

Bills

ankle; status uncertain

Marshawn Lynch, RB

Bills

left ankle; could miss start

Jonathan Scott, OT

Lions

hamstring; out for season

George Wrighster, TE

Jaguars

torn ACL; out for season

Greg Estandia, TE

Jaguars

shoulder; out for season

Marc Bulger, QB

Rams

concussion; questionable

Pisa Tinoisamoa, LB

Rams

torn knee ligament; may miss season

Jeff Garcia, QB

Buccaneers

back; day to day

Patrick Crayton, TE

Cowboys

ankle; probable for Green Bay

Donovan McNabb, QB

Eagles

thumb, ankle; status uncertain

Michael Pittman, RB

Buccaneers

ankle; questionable

Chris Hope, S

Titans

concussion; questionable

Troy Williamson, WR

Vikings

head injury; questionable

Source: Seattle Times news services