1.   Department officials had been monitoring the convoy which spent about two weeks at a roadside halt near Ardglass before slipping into Downpatrick overnight.

2.   Although the interest in the director jobs is high, department officials expect only a fraction of the candidates to have the necessary credentials.

3.   Although the interest in the director jobs is high, department officials expect only a few candidates to have the necessary credentials.

4.   Although the number of insanity commitments has remained about the same during the past decade, the number of those found incompetent has increased, department officials said.

5.   Although they acknowledged that Aflac had been pushing hard for the rule change, Serio and other department officials said the lobbying had not affected their decision.

6.   And it may even have been a violation of a law prohibiting department officials from receiving gifts.

7.   And department officials conceded that there were technical questions about the feasibility of the plan to solidify the plutonium for storage.

8.   Another department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Davis had overreacted to the latest FBI warning.

9.   At a Senate hearing Thursday, senior Defense, State and Commerce department officials urged lawmakers to keep the current system.

10.   At the recreation center, city parks and recreation department officials canceled daily after-school sessions and senior citizen activities.