Democrat and Chronicle from Rochester, New York • Page 4

DemocratandChronicle.com DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE 4 A THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2009 ized drop in GDP in the Drexel 'confident, fun loving' younger siblings, ages 5 and 11. For the past 10 years, she has played in various soccer leagues, including one at Total Sports Experience in Gates. Friends say she often talked about how much fun she had and that she saw it as a stress-reliever during tough times. "Britt is just a fun-loving party girl who liked to dance and just hang out with her friends," said Jen Murray, 17, a senior at Webster Schroeder High School. "That is one of the reasons why her friends and even though I wasn't always good at finding the right words, Brit always knew what I meant and my hair always looked great," said Capo, 19, of Brockport, one of Drexel's best friends.

"It is just a skill that came natural to her, as if she has been cutting hair for years." Drexel, a junior at Gates Chili High School, has been missing since Saturday night when she was last seen in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The daughter of Dawn Drexel and Chad Drexel of Gates, she has two ''V- Economy FROM PAGE 1A level since Feb. 9. Many consumers have been fortified by fatter paychecks from tax cuts and smaller mortgage bills from refinancing. If they keep spending, their dollars could deliver a powerful punch: Businesses will need to replenish shrunken inventories, leading factories to boost production.

Against that backdrop, many analysts think the economy is sinking less during the current quarter than it did during the first three months. Most believe the economy could start growing again by summer, or more likely, by the final quarter of the year. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and his colleagues, in opting Wednesday against further action to shore up the economy, detected glimmers that the recession might be easing. "The economy has continued to contract, though the pace of contraction appears to be somewhat slower," Fed policymakers said in a statement, hours after the government released its report on the first-quarter gross domestic product. Though Fed policymakers noted that consumer spending "has shown signs of stabilizing," they said spending remains "constrained" by rising unemployment, home values that are still falling in some cities, and hard-to-get credit.

"The recession is definitely not out of the woods yet," said Brian Bethune, economist at IHS Global Insight. But, he added: "The good news is that the most severe phase of the recession is behind us." The 6.1 percent annual -JiT first quarter was worse than economists ex pected. The biggest causes were sharp cut backs in business invest ment and the largest drop U.S. exports in 40 years The decline in GDP, which measures the total output of goods and serv ices in the country, was nearly as sharp as the fi nal three months of last year. That's when the economy shrank at a 6.3 percent pace, the worst showing in a quarter-cen tury.

All told, the economy logged its poorest six-month performance since the recession of 1957-58 The current recession which began in December 2007, has wiped out a net total of 5.1 million jobs and caused the economy to shrink from a value of $11.7 trillion last summer to $11.3 trillion at the end of March. Still, consumers roared back in the first quarter after holding back on spending during the 2008 holiday shopping season. They boosted their spending at an annual rate of 2.2 percent, the most in two years. Gains in dis posable income helped by tax refunds and govern ment benefit checks such as Social Security helped spur the spending gains, analysts said. Americans' higher con sumption, though, was swamped by deep spend ing cuts in virtually every other area of the economy.

The Fed on Wednesday pledged anew to keep its key lending rate at a record low range of zero to 0.25 percent for an "extended period." Economists predict the Fed will keep rates there well into next year. Even if the recession were to end this year, the economy would remain feeble and unemployment would keep climbing, analysts said. Cooper says it's unclear what might have caused the flames. The plane dumped fuel over Puget Sound before landing. Airport spokeswoman Terri-Ann Betancourt said there were no flames or fire when the plane landed.

The flight was headed to Seoul. Hyomin Lee, a spokeswoman for Asiana Airlines in Seoul, said 176 passengers and 16 crew were on board. SABREE HILL From left, Brittanee Drexel's grandfather Alan Wagner, and Drexel's friends David Samis and Rachel Stein leave the Bar Harbor Motel in Myrtle Beach, S.C. ERNST LAMOTHE JR. STAFF WRITER When Casey Capo needs a fresh hairdo, astute fashion advice or a little bit of makeup to bring out her eyes, she goes to her favorite Chili hair salon Brittanee Drexel's house.

Drexel, an aspiring cosmetologist, would often cut and style her friends' hair during her spare time. She also did some modeling locally for a few years. "It would be amazing because I would try to describe what style I wanted Drexel FROM PAGE 1A by telephone from Myrtle Beach. "We have been out all day passing out fliers in front of stores because she loved to shop. We are asking people if they have seen her.

We are doing everything we possibly can." A police team searched in the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday afternoon, said Wagner. And volunteer search ers, including Brittanee's grandfather Alan Wagner, were passing out fliers along the boardwalk at 9 p.m., and planned to pass out fliers at nightclubs later Wednesday night, Wagner said. On Wednesday morn ing, police said they re ceived a tip that a young woman, believed to be Drexel, had been on a bus that had traveled about 40 miles from Georgetown, S.C, to Myrtle Beach. The caller said the teen got off the bus near the Bar Harbor Motel, where Drexel had been staying, around 8:35 a.m. Police said a few other people confirmed the possible sighting.

The teen was wearing a pink hooded sweatshirt, a blue shirt, light-colored blue jeans and Crocs, said Capt. David Knipes of the Myrtle Beach Police De partment. He said the bus is one that transports hotel workers to Myrtle Beach. "It's a very hopeful sign," Knipes said. "We're very hopeful that she'll see herself on fliers posted around the strip and come to police." Officers searched for aetrex.

SO Emergency landing in Seattle a is it just want to know that she is safe, and we are here, and we would appreciate her to call back." Brittanee's friends were also feeling the strain. "It's gotten to the point where I don't try to read or listen to news stories about Brit because I don't want to have false hope," said Casey Capo, 19, of Brockport, one of Drexel's best friends. Capo said Drexel's boyfriend, John Grieco, who went to Myrtle Beach with Drexel's mother Dawn, keeps pushing forward and said that finding Drexel was taking a toll on him and her friends. Still, Capo, was straightforward about the situation. Drexel, a Gates Chili High School junior, headed to Myrtle Beach with friends last Wednesday without her parents' permission.

"I don't agree with Brit going someplace with friends she doesn't know well and not telling any of us," Capo said. "You can't go some place so far from 9 DEMOCRATAND CHR0NICLE.COM Have you ever taken one of the glider rides? Click on this article to comment. reached for comment. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison. Roberts said the incident was uncharacteristic of Bradley.

But he said Bradley didn't explain his alleged action to club members. "That's what bothers me most," Roberts said. The glider for which the certificate was allegedly forged was purchased in June 2008 from the York Soaring Associ- jT i 1 -La are hurting so badly now, because we are used to spending 99.9 percent of the time with her and now she is nowhere to be found." She described her friend as confident, self-assured and strong. "One thing about her is that she knows who she is and doesn't try to be someone else, and that is something that you don't find in teenagers too often," Murray added. "Sometimes we try to fit in and we aren't ourselves." home in this day or even walk alone in the street because things are getting more dangerous every day." On Saturday, Drexel had walked about a half-mile from the Bar Harbor Motel, where she was staying, to visit a friend at the Bluewater Resort.

She left to return to her own motel room about 8 p.m. but never made it back. According to Myrtle Beach police reports, Drexel may have been last seen at the Bluewater with Peter Brozowitz, 20, of Webster. Attorney John Parrinello, who is representing Brozowitz, did not return. several calls on Wednesday.

The case continues to draw national attention. On Wednesday, for the second night in a row, a segment of Nancy Grace on CNN Headline News focused on the case, specifically on hotel surveillance video that showed Drexel leaving the Blue-water alone the night she disappeared. VFREILElgiDemocratandChranic le.com ELAMOTHEloiDemocratandChronicle.com GMCLENDNaDemocratandChronicle.com Background Finqer Lakes Soarina Club was founded in Rochester in 1949. It moved to Batavia in 1954 and settled in Dansville in 1963. The club has 40 members and a fleet of six gliders and two tow planes.

The club offers walk-in glider rides as they're available. ation of Ontario, Canada, by Charles Taft, a member and chief maintenance officer of the Finger Lakes club. In August, Taft began a process of obtaining a certificate of aircraft registration from the FAA, court documents say. But on Aug. 31, an FAA official saw the glider flying and later observed an airworthiness certificate in the cockpit.

When the FAA official determined that the FAA hadn't issued the certificate, he contacted a special agent of the federal Department of Transportation. According to court documents, FAA inspector Sergio Perez contacted Bradley, who denied knowing how the certificate was installed in the cockpit. Two days later, however, he allegedly admitted removing the certificate from a wrecked glider, altering it on his home computer and presenting it to Taft, who installed it. "I can't believe I lied to you," Bradley allegedly told the FAA official. MZEIGLERfiDemocratandChronicle.com LI 1 ilUjiuaflirmance Center Drexel near the motel and along the Myrtle Beach strip, Knipes said.

By evening, he said, Drexel still had not been located. He noted that officers did Drexel not believe that her cell phone was still active. Chad Drexel, Brittanee's father, said he was still holding out hope after hearing more than a dozen leads on Wednesday but was trying to stay realistic. He stayed at home in Gates with the family's two younger children and said the leads might sound promising but he would remain guarded about what he was hearing from South Carolina. Carol Wagner said the family has added money to Brittanee's bank account, "in case she is out there," and said she wants her to know "nobody is mad at her." "We are staying at our time share on the north side of the ocean," Wagner said.

"She is more than welcome to call. We HUHer M. M. 'W M. FROM PAGE 1A moved from the hangar," Roberts said Court documents allege that Bradley removed a legitimate certificate from a wrecked glider, altered it on a computer and affixed it to a glider the club bought from a soaring club in Canada.

The glider, a Blanik L-13 built in Czechoslovakia, has since been granted a certificate and flies regularly for the club, Roberts said. The L-13 is considered to be the most widely used glider in the world. Bradley, 65, couldn't be Space Is Limited Call by May 8th to Reserve your Seat! 85-8724400 Improve your health and quality of life with dental implants. Enjoy increased function, clearer speech, a natural look, increased chewing ability. To learn more, attend our free informational seminar on Thursday, 514, 6-7 pm.

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