News In Brief

HEY, YOU DESERVED BETTER

If it isn't in the first rank of famous New York addresses, Bleecker Street surely is in the second. The historic Greenwich Village landmark, widely known as the "Left Bank of America," was celebrated in a 1964 Simon & Garfunkel song. And that was after Beat Generation poet Allen Ginsberg and pioneer filmmaker D.W. Griffith immortalized it in their disciplines. So it was perhaps fitting that the city's transportation department apologized last week to residents of the artery. Why? Because eight new official signs misspelled its name, leaving out the "c." The goof will cost $150 to fix.

YOU'LL HAVE TO STAY UP LATE

Its impact is "adverse." It promotes "negative values." Its attitude toward women is "often demeaning." Its participants use "crude language." So, for these reasons and more, Singapore's Broadcasting Authority has - um - encouraged local TV stations to stop carrying World Wrestling Federation programming during prime time despite its runaway popularity.

School teacher pay is tops in Connecticut, union reports

Pay for public school teachers isn't keeping pace with inflation, a survey by the American Federation of Teachers shows. The average for the 1999-2000 academic year was $41,820, up 3.2 percent from the year before but shy of the 3.4 percent inflation rate. Union president Sandra Feldman said improving salaries is key to easing the US's teacher shortage. While a new teacher typically earns just under $28,000, new hires can start at $47,112 in tech jobs. Highest and lowest average teacher pay, by state, according to the AFT:

Highest

1. Connecticut $52,410

2. New York 51,020

3. New Jersey 50,878

4. Michigan 48,729

5. Pennsylvania 48,321

Lowest

1. South Dakota $29,072

2. Oklahoma 29,525

3. North Dakota 29,863

4. Mississippi 31,897

5. Montana 32,121

By Associated Press

(c) Copyright 2001. The Christian Science Monitor