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ByAlexSanz The Associated Press FERGUSON, MO. Activists, authorities and the family of Michael Brown called for calm Friday as a grand jury drew closer to an announce- ment in the Ferguson police shooting. But a spokesman for St. Louis County's top prosecutor said the panel is still in session. There was no indication precisely when the grand jury would render a deci- sion. The St. Louis area was on edge as it awaited word on whether the panel would indict Ferguson officer Dar- ren Wilson in the Aug. 9 death of Brown, who was 18 and unarmed when he was killed. Ed Magee, a spokesman for county Prosecutor Bob McCulloch, said Friday in an email to reporters that the grand jury is still re- viewing the case. The time, date and place for a news conference announcing the decision had not been de- cided, he wrote. Wilson, 28, reportedly told the grand jury he feared for his life as Brown, who was 6-foot-4 and nearly 300 pounds, came at him. Witnesses said Brown was trying to surrender and had his hands up. The shooting of a young black man by a white po- lice officer led to protests, some of which turned vio- lent. Demonstrations have continued for more than three months, though num- bers have dwindled and vi- olence has become uncom- mon. Still, there were signs of rising tension. Protesters were ar- rested Thursday outside Ferguson police headquar- ters for the second night in a row after around 40 demonstrators blocked South Florissant Road. One of the three people arrested pushed an offi- cer and was hit with pep- per spray, according to St. Louis County Police spokesman Brian Schell- man. Calls for peace and re- straint emanated from sev- eral quarters — business owners, civil rights lead- ers and outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder. Most prominently, those calls came from Brown's father. "Hurting others or de- stroying property is not the answer," Brown said in the video released by the group STL Forward. "No matter what the grand jury decides, I don't want my son's death to be in vain. I want it to lead to incredi- ble change, positive change, change that makes the St. Louis region better for ev- eryone." Holder on Friday issued a general reminder to police to prepare appropriately for demonstrations and to "minimize needless con- frontation." POLICE SHOOTING Official: Ferguson grand jury still meeting By George Jahn The Associated Press VIENNA Contentious nu- clear talks between world powers and Tehran hit a new snag Friday after Iran apparently again turned down U.S. demands for concessions, leaving nego- tiations in limbo just three days before a deadline for a deal. In hours of high drama reflecting the delicate stage of the talks, both U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Ja- vad Zarif first made, then cancelled plans to walk away from the talks — at least temporarily — for additional consultations. Such developments could have meant possible prog- ress, suggesting that the Iranians needed political approval from Tehran to move forward. After initially announc- ing he was flying to Paris, Kerry suddenly reversed course and scheduled a new meeting with Zarif late Friday, with the two talking into the evening for more than two hours. Iranian media initially spoke of a new U.S. initia- tive that Zarif needed to have his superiors sign off on, but the Iranian diplo- mat dashed those hopes. "There have been a lot of discussions in Vienna, but there were no remarkable offers and ideas to take to Tehran," Zarif told Iran's official IRNA news agency. The remark reflected the probability that substan- tial obstacles remain in the way of a deal that would cap Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions re- lief — a view reinforced by senior diplomats of other nations taking part in the negotiations. The Russian For- eign Ministry said that a phone call between Kerry and Russian Foreign Min- ister Sergey Lavrov re- vealed that "more efforts are needed" to meet Mon- day's deadline for a deal. And after consulting in Vi- enna with participants in the talks, British Foreign Secretary Philip Ham- mond spoke of "a very sig- nificant gap between the parties." Kerry and Zarif have both emphasized that there has been no discus- sion about extending the talks — for a second time — if the deadline is not met. At the same time, the stub- born differences increas- ingly suggest little choice than to agree to continue talking past Monday — or to call the negotiations a failure, something neither side can afford to do. Breaking off the talks would embolden Iran to end a freeze on nuclear activities it says it needs for civilian purposes, but which can also be used to make atomic arms. Teh- ran could turn instead to expanding its atomic pro- gram, reigniting the threat of Israeli and potential U.S. military action. Even if the deadline is missed, both sides hope they can persuade skep- tics at home that enough progress was achieved to warrant further pursuit of a full deal. The U.S. administration needs to persuade oppo- nents in Congress that it's in Washington's interests — a prospect made more difficult by the Republican sweep in Nov. 4 elections. That could make it eas- ier to muster a two-thirds majority for new sanctions legislation in the new year — something President Barack Obama would be powerless to veto. Republican senators sent a letter to the White House on Wednesday urg- ing the administration against trying to circum- vent Congress in any deal with Iran. "Unless the White House genuinely engages with Congress, we see no way that any agree- ment consisting of your ad- ministration's current pro- posals to Iran will endure," said the letter, which was signed by all 45 Senate Re- publicans. In Iran, restive hard- liners will likely embark on a big push against any deadline extension. Pres- ident Hassan Rouhani's negotiating team has so far been supported by Su- preme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. But a lack of agreement by Monday may sway Khamenei, who has frequently expressed distrust of U.S. aims at the talks even while back- ing the process up to now. IRAN Nu ke t al ks s ta ll ed , despite Kerry efforts POO—RONALDZAK Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, le , shakes hands with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry as former EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton looks prior to closed-door nuclear talks with Iran in Vienna, Austria, on Thursday. By Alan Fram The Associated Press WASHINGTON House Re- publicans filed a federal lawsuit Friday accusing the Obama administra- tion of exceeding its con- stitutional powers in car- rying out President Barack Obama's prized health care law, giving legal voice to conservatives who have long protested that he has abused his office's authority. Democrats said Obama had acted legally and mocked the case as an un- winnable, politically moti- vated attack. Legal experts expressed doubts that the GOP would prevail or that the case could be concluded during Obama's presidency. The suit echoed Re- publican complaints over Obama's Thursday night announcement of executive orders preventing the de- portation of 5 million peo- ple who immigrated to the U.S. illegally. GOP lawmak- ers said those unilateral actions were unconstitu- tional and have promised unspecified congressional action. Friday's lawsuit did not address immigration. A Re- publican official said party leaders might amend the suit to include Obama's im- migration actions, which would require approval by the GOP-run House. The of- ficial spoke on condition of anonymity to describe in- ternal Republican deliber- ations. In a written state- ment, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said Obama "has chosen to ig- nore the will of the Amer- ican people" and cast the battle as one with impor- tant implications. "If this president can get away with making his own laws, future presi- dents will have the ability to as well," said Boehner. "The House has an obli- gation to stand up for the Constitution." Asked about the law- suit, White House spokes- man Eric Schultz said, "At a time where we, I think, the American people want Washington focused on jobs and the economy, the House Republicans choose to sue us, sue the president for do- ing his job." House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called the lawsuit "a bald- faced attempt to achieve what Republicans have been unable to achieve through the political pro- cess." Her written state- ment added, "Republicans are prioritizing the special interests and the howls of impeachment-hungry ex- tremists before the needs of the nation." Friday's lawsuit said that despite constitutional stric- tures, "the administration repeatedly has abused its power by using executive action as a substitute for legislation." ACA House GOP sues Obama on health care law By Zeina Karam The Associated Press BEIRUT More than two months into its assault on Kobani, the Islamic State group is still pouring fight- ers and resources into try- ing to capture the besieged Syrian Kurdish town, but the drive has been blunted. Helped by more than 270 airstrikes from a U.S.- led coalition, the border town's unwavering Kurd- ish defenders are gaining momentum — a poten- tially bruising reversal for the extremists who only a few weeks ago appeared to be unstoppable. The setback in Kobani is "a statement of IS group's vulnerability," said David L. Phillips, an expert on Kurdish issues. Retired Marine Gen. John Allen, the U.S. envoy for the international coali- tion fighting the Islamic State militants, said the group continues to mass around Kobani, creating more targets for the U.S. and its allies. "ISIL has, in so many ways, impaled itself on Kobani," he said in an in- terview Wednesday in An- kara with the Turkish daily Milliyet, using an acronym for the Islamic State group. An early focus of the U.S. operation against the Islamic State group, the dusty and remote town in northern Syria has emerged as a major test in the propaganda war. Kobani has been under attack since mid-Septem- ber, when the Sunni Mus- lim extremists seized a se- ries of villages and much of the town. Most of Koba- ni's 60,000 residents fled to neighboring Turkey in the first few days of the of- fensive, amid expectations that it would fall quickly. But the fate of Kobani soon became tied to the success of the coalition campaign against the Is- lamic State group. A com- bination of concentrated airstrikes and the arrival late last month of a group of 150 Iraqi peshmerga forces with advanced weapons blunted the edge of the IS offensive. The U.S. has also dropped weapons and other supplies to the Kurd- ish fighters, the first time it has done so in Syria in the course of the country's four-year conflict. Kobani-based activists say Kurdish fighters have made small but steady advances in the past two weeks following the arrival of the peshmerga forces. Last week, Kurdish fighters known as the YPG seized a hill that overlooks part of the town. On Tuesday, they captured six IS-controlled buildings and confiscated a large amount of weapons and ammunition. "The front lines are more defined now. We have a more organized and co- herent defense strategy, and Daesh advances have been halted — but the dan- ger remains," said Kurd- ish activist Mustafa Bali, referring to the Islamic State group by an Arabic acronym. IS, however, still controls about a quarter of the heavily damaged town, and the balance of power is still tenuous. SYRIA Is la mi c St at e gr ou p' s dr iv e fo r Ko ba ni is b lu nt ed Landscape/Fence Steve's Tractor &LandscapeService •FenceBuilding•Landscaping • Trenching • Rototilling • Disking • Mowing • Ridging • Post Hole Digging • Blade Work • Sprinkler Installation • Concrete Work Cont. 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