KUP'S COLUMN

So far, all the discussion about the proposed casino complex forChicago has revolved around the gambling aspect. Now comes theentertainment component. Those plans will be unveiled today byHollywood's Doug Trumbull, a special-effects expert who will describethe Disney-like attractions being planned. . . . Ditka's is gone,but another restaurant bearing a famous sport figure's name, MichaelJordan, is ready to sign the lease for the old Burhop spa on LaSalle.Jordan's associates will be the owners of Bigsby & Kruthers, and anearly fall opening is planned.

MORE WOMAN POWER: England now has another "member of theso-called weaker sex" in a top governmental role. That resulted …

US leads Colombia 2-1 after winning doubles

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Mardy Fish and John Isner defeated Colombia's Robert Farah and Carlos Salamanca 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-3 to give the United States a 2-1 lead in their Davis Cup World Group playoff on Saturday.

In Sunday's reverse singles on the outdoor red clay court at the Santamaria bull ring in Bogota, Fish is slated to play first against Santiago Giraldo and Sam Querrey faces Alejandro Falla.

Fish could make a bit of history on Sunday. The last American to win three times in a tie was Pete Sampras in the 1995 final in Moscow.

Asked if he would be tired on Sunday, Fish replied: "Not at all. This is what we train for. That's why we got here early."

If Fish …

Wis. lawmakers draw battle lines on energy bill

State lawmakers started poring over a sweeping renewable energy bill Wednesday, establishing battle lines as the measure inches toward a vote.

The bill creates new renewable fuel standards, lifts Wisconsin's ban on nuclear power plants and calls for new vehicle emission standards to match California's. Environmentalists have praised the package, saying it is a key step toward fighting global warming and it will create jobs.

But the state's business community is divided over the bill. Several large employers are on board, but the state's largest business group, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce has blasted it, saying it could cost billions of dollars and …

White donors win ironclad state leases

Secretary of State Jesse White gave two campaign contributors rareironclad leases last December, just two weeks after they bought theChicago buildings.

One of the buildings was bought from the brother of Cook CountyCommissioner Ted Lechowicz, a longtime White ally. The other buildingis now owned by a man who worked in White's office last year.

In an unusual arrangement, White agreed not to cancel either leasefor the first 4 1/2 years of the five-year deals. "It's somethingthat's pretty common on the leases we've inherited in this office,"White spokesman David Druker said.

Most state leases, however, have escape clauses so they can becanceled at any time. …

Ballesteros funeral to be Wednesday in Pedrena

PEDRENA, Spain (AP) — Seve Ballesteros' funeral will be held Wednesday in his native Pedrena.

The 54-year-old golf great died early Saturday, more than two years after undergoing multiple surgeries to remove a brain tumor.

Ballesteros' brother Baldomero told reporters the funeral will be held at St. Peter's …

New Testimony in Bribery Trial

SAN DIEGO - Two Defense Department officers testified Wednesday that former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham made phone calls on behalf of a contractor now on trial on charges of bribing the lawmaker.

Brent Wilkes has pleaded not guilty to charges of buying Cunningham's help with cash payments and perks including meals out, shooting lessons, jetboats and weekend stays at the Four Seasons hotel in Las Vegas.

Testimony on the second full day of Wilkes' trial focused on the intricacies of the federal contracting process - so much so that U.S. District Judge Larry Burns at one point called lawyers aside and told them to spare jurors the details.

"I've already given you a note that one person was asleep" in the courtroom, the judge said while admonishing both sides.

Cunningham's calls came during what one witness characterized as a "food fight" between Wilkes and other defense contractors over a pot of money set aside by Congress for converting military records into digital formats.

"I'm talking about constituents all fighting over the same money that's been set aside as an earmark," said Gary Jones, a government technical consultant who oversaw the distribution of $45 million for the program at the Pentagon in the late 1990s.

Wilkes' company, which had lobbied Congress for the earmark, was not initially awarded funds. Jones said that changed after he and other top Pentagon brass received "constant and increasing" pressure from Cunningham.

He described a scene in which Wilkes arrived at Jones' office for a meeting, threw unpaid invoices across his desk and told Jones, "You don't know who you're dealing with." Jones said Wilkes told him he had a meeting with Cunningham later in the day.

Wilkes' attorney, Mark Geragos, said during his cross-examination that Wilkes was upset because he had not been paid for work he had done as a subcontractor on a project connected to the handover of the Panama Canal at the end of 1999. Geragos argued that it was within the rights of a congressman to make sure his interests - and those of his constituents - were protected from bureaucratic interference.

"That's the way our constitutional style of government works," Geragos said. "You can make your strong recommendations but at the end of the day, it's not up to you."

Earlier in the day, a contracting official told jurors that Cunningham called him three times about Wilkes' work for the government.

Paul Behrens said his first conversation with the congressman came during a meeting with Wilkes in a smoke-filled suite at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, when Cunningham called on Wilkes' cell phone to speak with Behrens. Wilkes asked to meet because he was unhappy about a delay in payment for government work he was doing, Behrens said.

Wilkes, 53, is the first person to stand trial in the Cunningham case, the largest of several congressional corruption scandals to have emerged in recent years. He is charged with 14 counts of conspiracy, bribery, fraud and money laundering. If convicted, Wilkes could be sentenced up to 20 years in prison.

Cunningham, a San Diego Republican who was elected to eight terms, is serving more than eight years in federal prison after pleading guilty in 2005 to accepting $2.4 million in bribes from Wilkes and others.

Prosecutors have not decided whether he'll be called as a witness, though Geragos said he'll call the lawmaker to the stand if the government does not.

NYC manhole explosion kills 1 worker, injures 2nd

The New York Police Department says a manhole explosion in New York City has killed one utility worker and injured another.

Consolidated Edison spokeswoman Elizabeth Clark says two workers were splicing cable when the explosion occurred in Brooklyn on Thursday afternoon. The man who died was 26. His 28-year-old co-worker was treated at a hospital and released.

Clark says a fire in the manhole has been extinguished.