Danielle Steel

Guarded by scarlet leather-bound doors and bordered inside with gilt-lettered books and marble busts, the Boston Athenaeum for decades was the province of the city's elite families. The Cabots and the Adamses and the Coolidges all claimed membership in the private library on Beacon Hill, handing down their membership ``shares'' through the generations. To belong to the Athenaeum - to have license to troll through the personal library of George Washington and a rare collection of Confederate documents and memorabilia - was to belong to Boston's highest society, or at least have access to it. Entree was coveted, sought after, and not always granted. ``Any barriers that surround it have been high enough to keep out nuisances,'' the Athenaeum's library director from 1946 to 1973, Walter Muir Whitehill, once said. Yet in an age when elite institutions are no longer built on last names, and in the face of new technology and a battering recession, the Athenaeum has found itself confronting ne

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Calif. woman pleads guilty to embezzling $400K from romance novelist Danielle Steel. A former employee of Danielle Steel who embezzled more than $400,000 from the romance novelist has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and tax evasion.

Former Danielle Steel aide faces prison after admitting stealing at least $400,000 from author. A former aide to Danielle Steel is facing time in federal prison after admitting she stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from the romance novelist.

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Slain gay rights leader Milk, 'Star Wars' creator Lucas named to California Hall of Fame. Slain gay rights activist Harvey Milk, "Star Wars" creator George Lucas and feisty football commentator John Madden will be among the newest inductees to the California Hall of Fame.

Gay activist Harvey Milk is among the 13 new inductees to the California Hall of Fame. Gay activist Harvey Milk is among the 13 new inductees to the California Hall of Fame, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver announced Tuesday. According to the California Museum's website, the California Hall of Fame was created to ?honor legendary people who embody California's innovative spirit and have made their mark on history.? Shriver founded the Sacramento-based museum in 2006. ?Harvey Milk is truly deserving of this honor ? his tremendous legacy is still felt today worldwide,? Geoff Kors, executive director of Equality California (EQCA), said in a statement. Milk is the first openly gay elected official from a major U.S. City. He was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977 on a pledge to back gay and lesbian rights. Milk was killed by Dan White, a former supervisor, the following year. Earlier this month President Obama awarded Milk the Presidential M