USA

May 14, 2007

Voters in a Dallas suburb became the first in the nation Saturday toprohibit landlords from renting to most illegal immigrants. The ban, passed in Farmers Branch, Texas, requires apartment managers to verify that renters are US citizens or legal immigrants before leasing to them or face a misdemeanor charge punishable by a fine of up to $500. The ordinance includes exemptions for minors, seniors, and some families whose members include legal residents and illegal immigrants. It passed 68 percent to 32 percent, according to final, unofficial returns.

The Missouri River neared its highest point in Jefferson City, Mo., Saturday, after a week of flooding towns upstream, but it was not near the 34-foot peak predicted. As of Saturday morning, the river reached 29 feet – six feet above flood stage – flooding some riverside roads and paths and nearly 1,400 acres of farmland.

An alleged sex offender from the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted" list was arrested Saturday in Montreal, the FBI said. Richard Steve Goldberg had been on the run for six years. He is scheduled to appear in Canadian court on Monday for violating that country's immigration laws. He is expected to be extradited to the US.

A fire on Catalina Island, Calif., should be encircled by Tuesday evening, according to Andrew Olvera, Los Angeles County Fire Capt. The blaze has caused about $2.1 million in damage. Many of the 4,000 evacuated residents are returning to the island. In Georgia and northern Florida, another wildfire has burned more than 330 square miles over the past week.

Presidential candidate Mitt Romney was to defend his oppositionto gay marriage Sunday on "60 Minutes" by citing the Bible. "We're people that are designed to live together as male and female and we're gonna have families," he said, according to prereleased transcripts.

The first-ever "forever" stamps are being rolled out Monday, at 41 cents each for a first-class letter. Although the postage price is now 2 cents higher than previous rates, the new stamp will remain valid regardless of any future increases.