During the three-hour hearing, senators generally heaped praise and gentle questions on the four-star general.

None of the aldermen actually asked Springer if the violence was staged until more than an hour into the three-hour hearing.

And so it went for the rest of the three-hour hearing.

By the City Council's tally, 24 people testified in favor of the bill during the three-hour hearing and eight spoke against it.

The Council's approval, by a 4-to-1 vote, followed a three-hour public hearing, the second in two months, that attracted equal numbers of opponents and proponents.

During the three-hour hearing, Mason said, "I am genuinely sorry to those who were personally frightened by my actions.

Tyson was often so courteous and reserved during the nearly three-hour hearing that his responses could be barely be heard.

Mr. Kramer attended today's three-hour hearing, and presumably renewed his arguments against introduction of any information from the gynecological records.

Mr. Manes spent most of the three-hour hearing seated at the defense table with his head down.

Clearly, the appellate judges had carefully studied their briefs and interrupted the lawyers frequently with questions at the more than three-hour hearing.