Diocese splits from Episcopal Church

NEW YORK - A third theologically conservative diocese has broken away from the liberal Episcopal Church in a long-running dispute over the Bible, gay relationships, and other issues. The Diocese of Quincy, Ill., took the vote at its annual meeting that ended yesterday. Two other dioceses - San Joaquin, based in Fresno, Calif., and Pittsburgh - have already split off. Next weekend, the Diocese of Fort Worth, Texas, will vote whether to follow suit. (AP)

A group of New Yorkers is fighting to save Tin Pan Alley, the half-dozen row houses where iconic American songs were born. The four-story, 19th-century buildings on Manhattan's West 28th St. were home to publishers of some of the catchiest American tunes and lyrics - from "God Bless America" and "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" to "Give My Regards to Broadway." The buildings were put up for sale earlier this fall for $44 million, with plans to replace them with a high-rise. (AP)

EVANSTON - A 90-year-old woman well-liked by her neighbors apparently has been living in a house with the bodies of three siblings, one of whom may have been dead since the early 1980s, police say. Police Commander Tom Guenther says the bodies were found Friday in Evanston, a Chicago suburb, after authorities were called by a senior advocate. Autopsies were planned but Guenther said police do not suspect foul play. (AP)