31.   It is touch and go for several months, until finally the local school board approves a budget that effectively kills the Woodlands takeover.

32.   Last fall, John Rockwell, then the European cultural correspondent at The New York Times, was hired as the festival director before the budget was approved.

33.   Lawmakers are expected to approve the budget with few changes late tonight or tomorrow.

34.   Lawmakers renewed negotiations, with some urging a second session after Christmas but before the New Year, when the budget must be approved to avoid a constitutional crisis.

35.   Lower fares from most major airlines are expected to be available until a new federal budget is approved and the taxes are reinstated.

36.   Moreover, House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert had promised that the budget would be approved on time this year.

37.   Mexican stocks, led by retailers, rose for a second day on higher-than-expected industrial production and after Congress approved the budget.

38.   Now, before a budget has been approved and we actually know how many dollars will go where.

39.   Once the budget has been approved, the opposition will have fulfilled its campaign promise to try to ease the burden on low income earners, legislators said.

40.   One would penalize lawmakers if they did not approve a budget on time, and the other would help dairy farmers receive higher prices for milk.