IN BRIEF

RESORT SCORECARDS

Two resorts get low environmental grades

Northstar and Heavenly have received the lowest grades for their environmental practices among Lake Tahoe, Calif., ski resorts in a coalition's annual scorecard.

The conservation group calling itself the Ski Area Citizens Coalition gave Northstar a "D" and Heavenly a "C."

Squaw Valley, Alpine Meadows, Homewood and Boreal topped the list with an "A", while other Tahoe resorts were awarded a "B."

A Heavenly spokesman criticized the scorecard, saying it's "inherently biased."

But a coalition spokeswoman defended it, saying it offers a "fair assessment" of various components of ski resorts' environmental programs.

The scorecard is billed as the only independent review of ski areas' environmental performance.

MODESTO, Calif.

Some parishioners OK with confessing vote

Several people attending mass Saturday evening at St. Joseph's Catholic Church said they support a Modesto, Calif., priest who urged parishioners to go to confession if they voted for Barack Obama.

The Rev. Joseph Illo took issue with Obama's pro-choice position in a Nov. 21 letter sent to 15,000 members of the St. Joseph's parish.

Illo was not scheduled to preside over the Mass but said he would make a statement about his letter at services Sunday morning.

The Most Rev. Stephen Blaire, bishop of the Stockton diocese, disagreed with Illo. Catholics were not in need of confession if they voted for Obama after considering many issues, Blaire said. Confession would be necessary only if someone voted for a candidate specifically because of his or her pro-choice ideology, he said.

The bishop also said Catholics should not be compelled to disclose how they voted to their priest.