USA

September 22, 2003

A vast cleanup was under way in Mid-Atlantic states in the wake of hurricane Isabel, which is blamed for at least 30 deaths. Despite round-the-clock work by utility crews, 2 million people remained without electricity Sunday, mainly in Virginia. President Bush declared a federal disaster in that state as well as in North Carolina, Maryland, Delaware, and in Washington, D.C. Elsewhere, federal emergency officials warned of fresh floods as runoff moves downstream.

John Reed was appointed interim chairman of the New York Stock Exchange Sunday. Reed, the former chairman and chief executive of Citigroup, said he would be paid $1, and pledged to make corporate governance a priority. He replaces Richard Grasso, who resigned last week amid controversy over a $140 million pay package that critics denounced as excessive.

A new national opinion poll puts the most recent presidential entry, retired Gen. Wesley Clark, ahead of his nine rivals for the Democratic nomination, less than a week after he joined the race. A Newsweek Poll of more than 1,000 adults found 14 percent support for Clark, compared with 12 percent each for ex-Gov. Howard Dean of Vermont and Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts got 10 percent. When matched up against Bush, Clark and Kerry each drew 43 percent support, to 47 percent and 48 percent, respectively, for the incumbent.

A suspect was in custody in connection with a string of rapes in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood. Reynaldo Rapalo, a Honduran with an expired visa, was detained Friday when police noticed him canvassing the area in a car that matched descriptions of the rapist's vehicle, and his DNA reportedly matched samples from some crime scenes. The serial rapist was linked to seven attacks on women and young girls in the past year.

Two people were in custody following a fatal shooting outside Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles Friday. The shooting reportedly followed an argument between fans of the Dodgers and the arch-rival San Francisco Giants.

Miss Florida, Ericka Dunlap, was crowned Miss America 2004 in Atlantic City, N.J., Saturday. The title comes with a national speaking tour and a $50,000 scholarship.