No 11957, Friday 17 Mar 2017, Afterdark

ACROSS
1   Recruiter, volunteer fast to approach Supreme Court to get out (6,5) TALENT SCOUT {TA}{LENT} {SC}{OUT}
7   Bird tied in tree tops (3) TIT Acrostic

9   But termination withheld is unqualified (5) UTTER [T]
10 Opener's pager given by Spooner to apiarist (9) BEEKEEPER {(-k+b)BEE}{(-b+k)KEEPER}
11 Duration of life is determined by desire, brevity and killing brother (9) LONGEVITY {LONG}{brEVITY}
12 Mug's steaming, breaks when AGM drops (5) STEIN STEamINg

13 Stickler to observe female at America while starting (7) FUSSPOT {F}{US}{SPOT}
15 Brave lawyer faces creep regularly (4) DARE {DA}{cReEp}
18 Column by President Mark (4) POST {P}{OST} OST - Original Sound Track? See comments
20 Won't create a planned urban community (3,4) NEW TOWN [RA]
23 Letters from Honolulu pinned on plant (5) LUPIN [T]

24 Braggart's a hoodlum roaming around Pondy, say (9) LOUDMOUTH {HOODLUM}* over {UT}
26 Seek protection from buyout, borrow one hundred (4,5) TAKE COVER {C} in {TAKEOVER}
27 Supply cannula, no time to get man out (5) CATER CAtheTER
28 Layer of heroin found on nurse (3) HEN {H}{EN}
29 Venues destroyed by a barrage of darts from a daredevil woman (11) ADVENTURESS {VENUES+DARTS}*

DOWN
1   It’s realistic for outfielder to miss duke ball and get injured (4-4) TRUE LIFE {oUTFIELdER}*
2   Tardiness displayed by deadhead (8) LATENESS {LATE}{NESS}
3   Sues often to get chargeback in advance from support (5) NURSE {RUN<=}{SuEs}
4   Continue to sit clutching edge of the seat on reversing vehicle (7) SUBSIST {BUS<=}{SI{Seat}T}
5   Doyen's hurt, takes energy drug with half the vision perhaps (3-4) ONE-EYED {E}{E} in {DOYEN}*
6   Mammal lobbed around a fish, perhaps, rejected (4,5) TREE SHREW {SEER<=} in {THREW}

7   Delete clue on page once (6) TIPPEX {TIP}{P}{EX}
8   Crowd put out mostly at north Germany (6) THRONG {THROw}{N}{G}
14 I phone CIA in a frenzy to find old civilization (9) PHOENICIA*

16 Meat dish offered right away to flirtatious woman (8) COQUETTE CrOQUETTE
17 Type of mushrooms with tips off can be made as liquid containers (8) INKHORNS stINKHORNS Had to Google this mushroom to solve this one

19 A live TV broadcast in city (3,4) TEL AVIV*
20 Particle found in information transmitter is kind of square inside (7) NEUTRON {NEU{T}RON}
21 Blemish on lawyer, book and charge 33% (6) BLOTCH {BL}{OT}{CHarge}
22 Told Rod to head north (6) SPOKEN {SPOKE}{N}
25 Obama caucus withholding a region of China (5) MACAU [T]

GRID