JOHN R. McCUTCHEN / Union-Tribune Gordy Shields, 89, shattered a national record in the 20-kilometer time trial yesterday at Fiesta Island.

What's Inside Famous brothel is field trip for college students Radio talk show host quits after suspension Entertainment for stranded travelers Government lets vaccine critics in on safety debate Villagers say Marine led spartan life No problem for Olympic torch in Argentina Most e-mailed U-T stories Governor wants $7 billion boost for prisoner care More News

As the sun crested the horizon yesterday, 18-and 19-year-old collegiate rowers logged their early-morning workouts on Mission Bay. Not more than a couple of hundred yards away, 89-year-old Gordy Shields of El Cajon pedaled his bike around Fiesta Island. Almost 45 minutes after shoving off, Shields accomplished his goal, shattering a national record in the 20-kilometer time trial.

WASHINGTON – Iran is engaging in a proxy war with the United States in Iraq, adopting tactics similar to those it has used to support fighters in Lebanon, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq said yesterday. The remarks by the ambassador, Ryan Crocker, reflected the sharper criticism of Iran by President Bush and his top deputies over the past week, as administration officials have sought to trace many of their troubles in Iraq to Iran.

Pope Benedict XVI will straddle second base in Yankee Stadium in New York but stand over center field at Nationals Park in Washington. There are 100,000 ponchos on hand in the Bronx in case of rain, while three Polish nuns have dusted off a gold and silver garment, hand-woven more than a century ago, for the pontiff to wear at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in the capital.

• For lucky few, tickets to Pope Benedict's Mass

It was 7:30 a.m. last Saturday, and people were pouring into Balboa Park to be part of the Walk for Recovery. Ricky Martin's “She Bangs” blasted from a set of speakers. The air smelled of kettle corn and gourmet coffee. As with dozens of weekends each year, hordes of walkers and runners descended upon the park that day, sneaker-clad and ready to sweat to raise money for a good cause.

WASHINGTON – OMG. Dat u mom? Yes, it is. Parents are horning in on their teenagers' lives through text messaging. Sending shorthand cell phone messages used to be the province of the younger set – under the dinner table, in the car, at all hours of the night.