52 Up Front
Stricken with cancer, Deborah Cook and her 12-year-old daughter, Edlyn, are winning their dual battle

56 Much of America didn't buy it when Scott Falater claimed he stabbed his wife 44 times while sleepwalking

60 The 15-ton bronze horse was da Vinci's idea, but Nina Akamu and Charles Dent made it whinny

62 A decade after the Exxon Valdez oil spill, Capt. Joseph Hazelwood begins his community service

67 Coping
Her cochlear implant enables deaf actress Amy Ecklund to hear everything—which isn't always easy

73 In His Own Words
Bard College president Leon Botstein blasts the average high school for giving our students too little, too late

79 Oh, Baby!
Golfer Phil Mickelson got into the rough at the U.S. Open—because of his resolve to be a daddy-do-right

80 Wedding
Media titan Rupert Murdoch weighs anchor in matrimony with Wendi Deng

85 Pages
Young readers and critics alike are bewitched by J.K. Rowling's wizardly series

89 Out of the Past
Robert Ripley died 50 years ago, but his oddball Believe It or Not! entertainment empire still thrives

95 Song
Nashville's Faith Hill juggles motherhood and marriage to fellow country star Tim McGraw with her sizzling career

101 Double Trouble
Twins Robert and Richard Tenniswood are identical, all right: They had heart attacks within minutes of each other

102 Cover
As the public learns more about accused Railroad Killer Rafael Resendez Ramirez, fear rises faster than the body count

112 Collectors
Ever pray for a foul ball? Twenty-one-year-old Zack Hample has snagged nearly 1,400

115 Where Are They Now?
After three decades on drugs, former teen TV star Lance Kerwin finds God—and sobriety—on a spartan Christian ranch

119 Local Heroes
Louisiana VFW boss Precilla Wilkewitz is a tireless advocate for the men and women who have secured our freedom

125 Kin
Soviet strongman Nikita Khrushchev must be spinning in his grave as his son Sergei Khrushchev becomes an American citizen

133 Screen
Devoted to his wife and late dad, Austin Powers star Mike Myers proves a good man behind very bad teeth

141 Anniversary
In his centennial year, Ernest Hemingway still fascinates with his powerful writings and personality

150 Happy
America's swing craze brings dancer-turned-postal-worker Frankie Manning back into the spotlight

6 Mailbag
10 Scoop
18 Star Tracks
25 The Way We Were
27 Picks & Pans
51 Insider
122 Passages
128 Puzzler
131 Style Watch
154 Chatter