USA
Improved weather and more manpower helped fire crews hold the line against two fires burning more than 407 square miles in northeastern Nevada this weekend. So far this year, the state has lost more than 2,290 square miles to fire, an area just shy of the size of Delaware.
After a dramatic flight from the law that authorities say included stolen cars, firearms, and the shooting of three state troopers – one fatally – Ralph "Bucky" Phillips found himself back behind bars Saturday. It had been five months since he escaped through the kitchen ceiling of a New York jail, sparking one of the largest manhunts in the state's history.
Asked about his "dark side" on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday, Vice President Dick Cheney defended his role as a leading advocate for invading Iraq, warrantless surveillance, and harsh treatment of suspected terrorists. "Part of my job is to think about the unthinkable, to focus on what in fact terrorists may have in store for us," he said.
St. Lucie County, Fla., has grand plans to ditch its dump – by vaporizing garbage at temperatures hotter than parts of the sun. A $425 million facility will use lightninglike plasma arcs to turn trash into gas (which will generate electricity) and rock-like material (which can be used to build roads). Slated to be operational in two years, the plant is expected empty the county's 4.3 million-ton landfill in 18 years.
A proposed contract for pilots of FedEx Express, operator of the world's largest cargo airline, is heading to union members for a vote. The board of the FedEx pilots' union recommended its members approve the new agreement, which calls for "industry-leading pay" and better retirement benefits.
Randolph-Macon Woman's College students and alumnae react to the Board of Trustees' decision Saturday to admit men to the 115-year-old institution, beginning fall 2007. Some 400 protesters drowned out the board's announcement with boos and catcalls of "traitors" and picketed on campus.
More than 400 department stores across the nation converted to Macy's Saturday as a result of the year-old sale of the May Department Stores Co. The switch to the Macy's name will give parent-company Federated more than 800 Macy's stores in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
