Forty UNDER 40: Brian Edward Shunk, 37

Brian Edward Shunk was brought onboard by Pittsburgh's Trans Associates Engineering Consultants Inc. in May 1998 to begin a fulltime presence by the firm in the Harrisburg area. Since then, the office staff has grown from one person to six.

Trans Associates is a civil engineering firm specializing in transportation project development. The firm offers services as transportation planners, as well as designers. The firm's main office in Pittsburgh has 31 employees.

As the Harrisburg office manager and project manager for Trans Associates, Shunk is responsible for the development of the firm's traffic engineering and planning activities throughout Central …

Unusual four-legged creatures found at golf course

The O'Brien County sheriff's office is looking for the owner of two unusual four-legged creatures found wandering on a golf course in Primghar. Two hinnies, a cross between a stallion and a female donkey, were found about two weeks ago.

Deputy Dean Fjeld said officials corralled the pair and took them a city pasture. So …

Garza throws eight innings as Cubs top Reds

CHICAGO - Matt Garza pitched eight strong innings, Aramis Ramirezhad a tiebreaking two-run single, and the Chicago Cubs beat theCincinnati Reds 4-3 on Monday.

Garza (8-10) gave up six hits and three runs - one earned - whilestriking out eight and walking three to win for just the second timeat home since June 27. Carlos Marmol finished up for his 32nd save.

Ramirez had his two-run single in the fifth, walked twice andscored a run. Starlin Castro added a single, walk and two runs.

Dontrelle Willis (0-5) allowed six hits and four runs over seveninnings, striking out eight and walking five on a crisp day atWrigley Field. Drew Stubbs singled, walked and …

Fla. Firefighter Searched Burning Homes

SANFORD, Fla. - Ryan Cooper was standing in his driveway when he saw the small plane crash into his neighborhood, setting two homes ablaze. Minutes later, the off-duty firefighter dashed into the houses in search of survivors.

The fast-moving blaze was being fed by hundreds of gallons of aviation fuel pouring from one floor to the next as Cooper groped through the smoke and flames without an air pack.

He rescued a 10-year-old boy, then went back for the father. He also tried to save neighbors in the burning house next door but couldn't find anyone before a police officer pulled him out for his own safety.

In one of the homes, "the conditions on the outside had …

International donors pledge aid toward creating Palestinian state

Donors began committing funds from around the world Monday for the moribund Palestinian economy amid a renewed international push for a Palestinian state.

Mideast envoy Tony Blair called it not just a donors' conference but also a "state-building conference." The meeting's host, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, called it a turning point in Mideast peace efforts after Israeli-Palestinian negotiations resumed last week after seven stalled years.

"What we must do now is work together before the end of 2008 for the creation of an independent, democratic, viable Palestinian state," Sarkozy said in a speech to representatives from nearly 90 …

Davydenko ousted in 2nd round of Malaysian Open

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Defending champion Nikolay Davydenko crashed out of the Malaysian Open in the second round on Wednesday, beaten by fellow Russian Igor Andreev.

Andreev won 7-6 (7-5), 5-7, 6-3 in 2 hours, 47 minutes in stifling heat for his first victory over Davydenko in seven years.

Davydenko, who got a bye in the first round, looked to be on course for a relatively straightforward victory when he led 5-1 in the first-set tiebreak, but Andreev found his range with his forehand and rattled off six points in a row to steal it.

Davydenko started the second set on fire, racing to a 5-1 lead, and although Andreev fought back to level it 5-5, Davydenko took the …

Helping HR Professionals Make Web Connections

Generation X relies on social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace to keep up with their friends. Recruiters and human resources managers now have their own networkTalent Trader(R) - to connect and fill jobs nationwide.

Developed by Londonderry-based HireAbility, Talent Trader(R) is a member-only online professional network for recruiters that includes chat rooms, forums, candidate listings, and rankings for staffing agencies based on their placement history.

"It's what we think is the new generation of products of this type," says Craig Silverman, executive vice president of sales and marketing for HireAbility, a recruiting services and software company. "The staffing …