Alzheimer’s drug concerns

The findings of a new federally funded clinical trial challenge conventional wisdom about some of the medications used to treat Alzheimer’s patients and offer a grim portrait of treatment for the disease.

An estimated 4.5 million Americans have the disease, a disorder of the brain’s nerve cells that progressively impairs memory, thinking and behavior.

There are no approved drugs for the psychotic symptoms, but studies suggest benefits from strong antipsychotic drugs developed for schizophrenia.

The latest study of 421 patients was conducted on a trio of drugs at 33 university and hospital clinics and nine doctors’ offices. It finds few if any benefits and some severe side effects. Page A8

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Did photo buttons sway jurors?

The U.S. Supreme Court takes up a San Jose case with a double-barreled import.

First, can the conduct of courtroom spectators wearing buttons displaying a small photo of the victim deprive the defendant of a fair trial?

And how far can federal judges go to reverse convictions of state courts? Ten years ago, Congress ordered that federal judges should refrain from second-guessing state convictions without violations of “clearly established law.” Page A14

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Bustamante fudges on campaign vow

Democratic Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, now running for insurance commissioner, promised to return the sizable campaign donations from companies and industries he would be charged with regulating.

He has collected $260,000 from entities he would oversee if elected. So far, he has returned only $123,000 to insurance agents and companies and the lawyers representing them, bail bonds firms and title insurance companies. Page B1

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Lidle remembered as South Hills star

In the news, Cory Lidle was described as the 34-year-old Yankees pitcher who crashed his private plane into a tall New York City apartment building.

But at South Hills High School he was remembered as a baseball junkie, a starting pitcher with an excellent fastball.

“He touched a lot of lives here,” says his former principal, Judi North. “He was a wonderful member of the community.”

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Say, baseball fans, what time is it?

You’ll never guess what precise time the Chicago White Sox will start 55 weeknight home games next season.

7:11.

That should suggest which national chain of convenience stores is paying for the promotional deal.

“It’s great to be part of a winning team,” says a spokeswoman for 7-Eleven, which plans to distribute 25,000 coupons to fans at each game until 2009.

A Sox official explains, “You want to have the financial resources to put the best possible resources on the field.”

Stay tuned. 7-Eleven says it’s talking to other teams too.

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Building the myth

North Korean ruler Kim Jong-Il maintains one of the world’s most closed lands. Many of its 22 million people are starving, and the economy is half the size of Microsoft’s sales. But through secret police and military and prison camps, he imposes a homemade policy of so-called self-reliance stressing threats such as a U.S. attack. Page A7

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BUSINESS

Strong profits for corporations?

Which way is the U.S. economy heading? A tipoff might be found in corporate earnings, which are expected to be strong this quarter.

And, according to analysts, that suggests that the economy, at least apart from housing, hasn’t slowed nearly as much as some experts had projected.

Although profits figure to slow in the energy sector, companies in the blue-chip Standard & Poor’s 500 index are expected to post average operating earnings growth of 14% in the third quarter from a year earlier, based on estimates from analysts. Page C1

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Lettuce growers upset at Mexico

Agribusiness interests aren’t happy with Mexico’s ban on lettuce imports from the U.S.

Mexico’s Ministry of Health is blocking the imports in light of a recall of lettuce grown in the Salinas, Calif., area. Although that country isn’t a major buyer of U.S. lettuce, the ban “has just added to our overall woes with consumer perception,” a Monterey County official says.

An official at the Mexican Embassy in Washington defends the ban, saying that “countries can take actions [to] safeguard the lives of their citizens even if it seems subjective.” Page C2

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SPORTS

Reassuring words from NASCAR

Unlike one prominent sports league (no need to name names, but its initials are N-F-L), NASCAR is showing a commitment to keeping a Southland presence.

NASCAR’s Brian France says it will continue to stage two Nextel Cup races a year at California Speedway, even though attendance at the Fontana venue has been disappointing.

“I cannot envision a scenario” in which either of the races -- held in late February and on Labor Day weekend -- would be dropped, France says. Page D3

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Clips’ Livingston: next big thing?

Two years out of high school, the Clippers’ Shaun Livingston continues his growth, physically and in his understanding of the NBA.

Livingston’s development has been slowed by injuries in each of two seasons in L.A., but the 6-7 point guard says he has added muscle in the off-season and now weighs about 200 pounds. He also says he has added mental heft. “My mentality about the game ... is just different than what it used to be. I’ve learned a lot and just know what to expect,” Livingston says. Page D3

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ON LATIMES.COM

A ghoul tour of Hollywood films

Hollywood terror tour: Use our online interactive map to visit the final resting places of Hollywood’s classic horror directors and stars, and view video clips from their most famous films. Dracula, Frankenstein and his Bride, the Wolf Man, directors William Castle, Fritz Lang, Tod Browning and many others are featured in this spooky Halloween spectacular. www.calendarlive.com/halloween

Return of the Lakers: It’s hoops time again, and the Lakers blog is back up and running with Round-the-Clock Purple and Gold coverage. With the season opener less than three weeks away, bloggers Andrew and Brian Kamenetzky take a look at what the absence of injured star Kobe Bryant means for the team. Although it’s clearly significant, Brian Kamenetzky writes, “One potential silver lining is the chance for others to step up and lead, and for the team to learn and develop a personality that doesn’t center around ‘give it to Kobe.’ ” Are the Lakers better off without No. 24 for now? Share your thoughts at latimes.com/lakersblog

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HOME

‘Retro and futuristic all at once’

That’s what Bardy Azadmard thought when he bought a beat-up trailer seven years ago, thinking he might use it as a kitschy toolshed. Then he found out it was a rarity, designed by a noted industrial and race car designer. “I feel like I’m on my luxury yacht,” he now says of the restored caravan. Page F3

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It mirrors her work

Sue Wong designs clothes known for their vintage glamour, such as cocktail dresses and ball gowns richly decorated with beads. So when she saw a faded 1926 Los Feliz hilltop mansion -- itself richly decorated with gilded ceilings and thousands of tiny cherubs -- she jumped in to restore it.

Now, after several hundred thousand dollars’ worth of work, the 9,000-square-foot Cedars estate reflects her signature style. “It’s the first house I’ve had that is a natural habitat for the clothes,” she says. “The mood, the romanticism, the opulence, the period feeling, it really works with the clothes.” Page F1

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Spinach without Eek! coli

Spinach could use some good press these days, so here’s a note about red Malabar spinach. It grows as a vine, and it’s pretty, with electric green leaves and edible, pinkish-purple little berries. It also isn’t really spinach, but at least the villagers aren’t threatening to torch it either.

You can grow this at home as you would other vegetables. But what if you use a compost containing cattle manure, a suspect in the recent E. coli outbreaks? Page F4

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Righting the passage

Here’s the hallway in the house where you grew up: off-white paint, greenish-tinged light fixture on the ceiling, switch plate cover in the shape of a clown’s head, family photos displaying decades of unfortunate fashion and eyewear choices ....

Enough. Don’t repeat the cycle. In the Take My Advice feature, Lisa Boone talks to interior designer Christina Helm, who suggests pinstriping this overlooked space. Helm even offers step-by-step instructions on how to go about it. Page F5

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CALENDAR WEEKEND

A.k.a. ‘dating’

At age 38, having lived in Los Angeles for two years, single writer Stacey Collins recently learned about men who are known as “cougar hunters.”

What’s more, she found out she was among the prey.

“Cougar hunters” are men in their 20s who pursue women older than 35. There are even bars -- known as “dens” -- known for facilitating such hunting.

Chalk it up to societal changes. But, Collins wonders, do we have to label something in order to validate it? Page E18

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Fun, in a scary way

The season of “fall” doesn’t arrive until late November around these parts, so to get in the proper dead-tree mood for Halloween we go to, oddly enough, amusement parks. Our expert on hallowed horrors, Thomas Mills, rates the scary fare at venues such as the Queen Mary, which at right appears to be in the clutches of travel agents demanding higher booking fees.

Not your bag of tricks? Then try taking a tour or horror-movie filming sites, or spending an hour -- maybe several hours -- inside a corn maze. Page E28