21.   Her birth family continued to visit Nikki, while at least five other families had made preliminary inquiries about adopting her.

22.   Hyde said he had ordered the preliminary inquiry at the request of House Speaker Dennis Hastert.

23.   If either of them believes the line of questioning is straying from the subject of the preliminary inquiry, he or she can object.

24.   In a separate development, Keller confirmed that his department is the subject of a preliminary inquiry by the National Institute of Mental Health into another research project.

25.   In the Gingrich matter, the committee has thus far shown some backbone in voting to proceed with a preliminary inquiry under the guidance of a special counsel.

26.   Investigators sent Enron a letter, asking for documents to aid a preliminary inquiry.

27.   It is unclear whether these charges will become part of the preliminary inquiry, and therefore referred to the special counsel and subcommittee.

28.   Johnson, however, defends her panel for not bringing in outside counsel and for questioning witnesses without voting to conduct a preliminary inquiry.

29.   Moving with dispatch, the House Judiciary Committee should be able to conclude a preliminary inquiry into possible grounds for impeachment before the end of the year.

30.   New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner made a preliminary inquiry about buying the New York Islanders, according to a published report.