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CHICAGO (AP) — Harold Ramis, the bespec- tacled ''Ghostbusters'' side- kick to Bill Murray whose early grounding in live comedy led to blockbuster movies such as ''National Lampoon's Animal House,'' ''Caddyshack'' and ''Groundhog Day,'' died Monday. He was 69. Ramis, who suffered for several years from an autoimmune disease that caused inflammation and damage to his blood ves- sels, died at his home in the Chicago suburbs, surround- ed by family and friends, his talent agency said. Perhaps his greatest legacy is his influence on generations of comedians, actors and directors due to his ability to infuse comedy with a broader, sometimes spiritual message, said Andrew Alexander, presi- dent and CEO of The Sec- ond City. Ramis got his start with the Chicago- based improvisational com- edy theater, along with future co-stars Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi and Murray. ''There was always a nuanced meaning to his pictures,'' Alexander said, including an ''almost Bud- dhist philosophy to 'Groundhog Day''' — a movie Ramis co-wrote and directed that tells the story of a man who re-lives the same day over and over as he examines his life. ''He was a generous, nurturing, humble guy,'' Alexander added. Aykroyd issued a state- ment Monday, saying he was ''deeply saddened to hear of the passing of my brilliant, gifted, funny friend ... May he now get the answers he was always seeking.'' Ramis joined The Sec- ond City in 1969, and in 1976 became head writer for the Canadian-based comedy show Second City Television, or SCTV. He soon moved on to bigger projects — the leg- endary 1978 blockbuster film ''National Lampoon's Animal House,'' which starred fellow Second City alum John Belushi. With Murray as the comic lead, the Second City alums paired up for numerous projects: Ramis co-wrote 1979's ''Meat- balls'' and co-wrote and directed 1980's ''Cad- dyshack.'' But the most well- known of their collabora- tions was ''Ghostbusters,'' which also features Aykroyd. Ramis helped write the 1984 movie, in which he stars as Egon Spengler, the brainy, com- monsense member of a group of parapsycholo- gists who try to catch ghosts. ''The best comedy touches something that's timeless and universal in people,'' Ramis told The Associated Press in a 2009 story about the 50th anniversary of Second City. ''When you hit it right, those things last.'' Lower Mississippi River back open after oil spill NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Coast Guard has reopened all of the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, though ships and other ves- sels must pass slowly near the site of a weekend oil spill. About 31,500 gallons of light crude oil spilled into the river after a tank barge hit a towboat Saturday after- noon. Petty Officer Matthew Schofield says the last 25- mile stretch downriver from the accident site was opened Monday afternoon. Forty miles from New Orleans toward Baton Rouge were opened earlier in the day. The accident was at least the third in three years involving a towboat owned by Settoon Towing of Louisiana. Company attorney Alex Pucheu (PEE- shoo) did not immediately return calls and emails requesting comment. Schofield says at least 30 vessels waited for the reopening. 8A Daily News – Tuesday, February 25, 2014 530 529-2040 1355 Vista Way, Red Bluff Complete Autobody Repair INTERCITY BODY & PAINT • Painting • Fiberglass Repair • Exotic Metals • Color Matching • Frame Repair • Spray-In Bedliners • All Auto Manufacturers • Rental Cars Available Factory Trained Specialists In: We accept all Insurance Carriers www.expresspros.com 530-527-0727 243 So. Main Street Respecting People. Impacting Business Call us. And get back to work. 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The nation can afford a smaller military so long as it retains a technological edge and the agility to respond on short notice to crises any- where on the globe, Hagel said. He said the priorities he outlined reflect a consen- sus view among America's military leaders, but Repub- licans in Congress were quick to criticize some pro- posed changes. In a speech at the one- year mark of his tenure as Pentagon chief, Hagel revealed many details of the defense spending plan that will be part of the 2015 bud- get that President Barack Obama will submit to Con- gress next week. Hagel described it as the first Pen- tagon budget to fully reflect the nation's transition from 13 years of war. At the core of his plan is the notion that after wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that proved longer and more costly than foreseen, the U.S. military will no longer be sized to conduct large and protracted ground wars. It will put more emphasis on versatile, agile forces that can project power over great distances, including in Asia. Hagel stressed that such changes entail risk. He said, ''We are entering an era where American domi- nance on the seas, in the skies and in space can no longer be taken for grant- ed.'' However, budget con- straints demand that spend- ing be managed differently from the past, with an eye to cutting costs across a wide front, including in areas cer- tain to draw opposition in the Congress, he said. He proposed, for exam- ple, a variety of changes in military compensation, including smaller pay rais- es, a slowdown in the growth of tax-free housing allowances and a require- ment that retirees and some families of active-duty ser- vice members pay a little more in health insurance deductibles and co-pays. ''Although these recom- mendations do not cut any- one's pay, I realize they will be controversial,'' Hagel said, adding that the nation cannot afford the escalating cost of military pay and benefit packages that were enacted during the war years. ''If we continue on the current course without mak- ing these modest adjust- ments now, the choices will only grow more difficult and painful down the road,'' he said. Although Congress has agreed on an overall num- ber for the military budget in fiscal 2015 — just under $500 billion — there are still major decisions to be made on how that money should be spent to best pro- tect the nation. Early reaction from Republicans in Congress was negative. ''I am concerned that we are on a path to repeat the mistakes we've made dur- ing past attempts to cash in on expected peace divi- dends that never material- ized,'' said Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, a possible presidential contender in 2016. ''What we're trying to do is solve our financial prob- lems on the backs of our military, and that can't be done,'' said Rep. Howard ''Buck'' McKeon of Cali- fornia, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. Another proposal likely to draw fire on Capitol Hill is Hagel's call for a new round of domestic military base closings in 2017. In the years following the last round, in 2005, members of Congress fought to protect bases in their home districts and states, arguing that the process does not yield as much savings as advertised. Among other changes Hagel proposed: — The active-duty Army would shrink from today's 522,000 soldiers to between 440,000 and 450,000 — the smallest number since 1940 when the nation was gearing up to enter World War II. The Army currently is sched- uled to be reduced to 490,000. The Army's post-World War II low was 480,000 in 2001, according to figures provided by the service. In 1940 the Army had just 267,000 active-duty mem- bers, but that number surged to 1.46 million the follow- ing year as America pre- pared for war in Europe and the Pacific. — The Army National Guard would drop from 355,000 soldiers to 335,000 by 2017, and the Army Reserve would drop by 10,000, to 195,000. The National Guard also would send its Apache attack heli- copters to the active-duty Army in exchange for Black Hawk helicopters more suitable for domestic disaster relief missions. — The Marine Corps would shrink from 190,000 to 182,000. — The Navy would keep its 11 aircraft carriers but ''lay up,'' or temporari- ly remove from active ser- vice, 11 of its 22 cruisers while they are modernized. The Navy would reduce from 52 to 32 its purchase of littoral combat ships, which are smaller vessels designed to operate closer to shore. — The Air Force would retire its fleet of A-10 ''Warthog'' tank-killer planes for an estimated sav- ings of $3.5 billion over five years. It also would retire the venerable U-2 spy plane, which debuted early in the Cold War as a stal- wart of U.S. intelligence. Hagel built his case on what he called a foundation of realism. He quoted one of his predecessors, the World War II-era secretary of war, Henry Stimson, as saying Americans must ''act in the world as it is, and not in the world as we wish it were.'' ''This is a time for reali- ty,'' Hagel said. He empha- sized that the period of explosive growth in defense budgets was over, making it more important to preserve a technological edge as other nations modernize their militaries. He made no direct mention of China or Russia, but both are invest- ing heavily in their military capabilities. ''Budget reductions inevitably reduce the mili- tary's margin of error in dealing with these risks,'' Hagel said, adding that a smaller U.S. force ''strains our ability to simultaneous- ly respond'' to multiple global crises. He and Gen. Martin Dempsey, the Joint Chiefs chairman who appeared with him, both argued strongly against a return to the across-the-board con- gressional budget cuts known as sequestration that were partially suspended for the 2014 and 2015 bud- gets. Hagel likened a return to such cuts to ''gambling with our military.'' Dempsey, too, said those deeper reductions would have exceedingly harmful effects on the entire mili- tary. ''We're all willing to take risks,'' Dempsey said. ''None of us are willing to gamble.'' Under a congressional deal passed two months ago, the Pentagon's 2015 budget would be set at $496 billion — the same as in 2014. But Hagel said Obama's overall budget proposal also will include a government-wide ''Oppor- tunity, Growth and Security Initiative'' that would pro- vide the Pentagon with an additional and separate $26 billion — assuming there will be no return to seques- tration. He said the new money would be used for increased training and other partially neglected activities central to making the mili- tary ready for combat. 'Ghostbuster' writer, actor Harold Ramis dies