USA
The three-week effort to prod a humpback whale and her calf back to the Pacific Ocean from California's Sacramento River is set to continue Tuesday. Scientists plan to use boats equipped with fire hoses to drive the whales, now about 50 miles inland, farther downriver. The closer they come to the ocean the saltier the water, a change thought to be conducive to their recovery from injuries probably sustained in a collision with a boat.
Beginning in mid-June, the Army will teach soldiers simple lifesaving techniques at five basic-training bases, it announced over the weekend. The goal of the instruction is to cut down on long-term injuries and deaths by providing critical medical care on the battlefield.
US immigration agencies only deported 12 people on terrorism-related charges from 2004 to 2006, according to a study released Sunday by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, a private research group at Syracuse University. The study's authors acknowledge that the figure understates Homeland Security Department efforts, and that some people suspected of terrorism are charged with lesser, easier-to-prove infractions that lead to removal from the country.
Little fanfare accompanied the Golden Gate Bridge's 70th anniversary Sunday. The government agency that oversees the landmark preferred to keep things low key as it considers raising tolls to deal with a $87 million deficit over the next five years. When completed in 1937, the Golden Gate was the largest suspension bridge in the world, with a main span of 4,200 feet. Today it is second longest in the US to New York's Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.
Invasive Chinese mitten crabs have turned up in the Chesapeake Bay for a third year in a row, Reuters reported Sunday. Environmental researchers view the fuzzy-clawed crustaceans as a potential threat to blue crabs, a major source of bay commerce.
Scotsman Dario Franchitti won his first Indianapolis 500 Sunday by holding off several fast-charging rivals in an abbreviated race. Rain led to a three-hour interruption, and a subsequent downpour caused officials to call the race with 166 laps or 415 miles completed. Danica Patrick came in eighth, making her the highest finisher among a record three women in the 33-car field. Above, Franchitti hoists a bottle of milk, a tradition for the winning driver.
Gretchen Wyler, a singer, dancer, and actress in such Broadway hits as "Guys and Dolls," "Damn Yankees," and "Bye Bye Birdie," died Sunday in Camarillo, Calif. Besides her career in theater, she became heavily involved in the animal rights movement.
