Toll from bridge collapse could be low By SHARON COHEN and ADAM GELLER, AP National Writers

Toll from bridge collapse could be low By SHARON COHEN and ADAM GELLER, AP National Writers
1 hour, 23 minutes ago



MINNEAPOLIS - More than 100 cars and trucks and a school bus crawling bumper-to-bumper on a bridge that suddenly crashed into the Mississippi River seemed like a recipe for a massive death count. But on Friday came what this city's fire chief called a miraculous turn of events: the prospect that relatively few lives were lost.

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Divers still searched through the swirling, muddy currents for cars and bodies. However, the official death toll remained at five from Wednesday's collapse, and authorities cast doubt on an earlier estimate that as many as 30 people were missing. They said it could even be as few as eight.

Of the roughly 100 injured, 28 remain hospitalized, and only five were critical.

"We were surprised that we didn't have more people seriously injured and killed," Fire Chief Jim Clack told The Associated Press. "I think it was something of a miracle."

Clack cited a list of reasons: a bridge design that minimized falling debris, a quick response by rescue crews and the rush-hour crawl that gave vehicles little momentum to plunge into the river.

In addition, experts say the speed and depth of the water in the Mississippi River were much lower than normal on the day of the collapse — largely the result of a drought. That may have made it easier for people to escape the disaster.

"It's a horrible, tragic event. But it could have been a hell of a lot worse," said Kent Harries, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering in the University of Pittsburgh's School of Engineering.

Minnesota officials say they don't yet know how many cars were traveling the span during the collapse. But judging by the length of road, the lanes that were open, time of day and widely accepted traffic formulas, Northwestern University engineering professor Joseph Schofer estimated that between 100 and 150 vehicles were on the bridge.

Despite the low death toll, divers were still contending with a treacherous combination of sunken cars, broken cliffs of concrete and jagged rebar as they searched for bodies.

Firefighters pulled the fifth victim, the driver of a tractor-trailer that was engulfed in flames, from the wreckage late Thursday. Video of the burning rig — nose down in the crevasse between two broken concrete slabs — was among the most compelling images shown in the immediate aftermath of the collapse. The driver was identified as Paul Eickstadt, 51, of Mounds View.

Early in the day, authorities said as few as eight people were still missing. However, they cautioned later that number could rise, in part because there was no way to know how many victims were in the water. Some people without family in the area may not have been reported missing, said Police Lt. Amelia Huffman, a spokeswoman.

The missing included a 23-year-old pregnant woman and her 2-year-old daughter, who was in the back seat of the family's car when the bridge crumbled.

Sadiya Sahal, a 23-year-old immigrant from Somalia, called her family at 5:30 p.m. saying she was stuck in traffic, said Omar Jamal, executive director of the Somali Justice Advocacy Center. That was her last phone call. "Her husband is destroyed. He's in shock," Jamal said.

Authorities still do not know what caused the 6:05 p.m. collapse. Engineers had theories including heavy traffic and construction work that might have put an undue burden on the span. The bridge was deemed "structurally deficient" by the federal government as far back as 1990.

Minnesota transportation officials spent another day dealing with scrutiny arising from reports and inspections over the years that raised alarm about the bridge, including rust-eaten steel beams, missing bolts and cracks in the welding that held load-bearing parts together.

A consulting company that thoroughly examined the bridge noted that one possible fix — steel plating of fractures — carried a "relatively high cost," according to a January report. Transportation officials deny that cost pressures swayed their decisions.

President Bush was scheduled to visit Saturday, and first lady Laura Bush toured the scene Friday morning. She praised the rescuers who rushed to the bridge in the chaos after the collapse — a sentiment echoed by the fire chief in explaining why more people didn't die. Because the bridge was near the heart of downtown, several emergency crews and residents were close by.

"We could not have done it as firefighters alone. It took more people than we had. It was organized. It was pretty calm," Clack said.

Authorities and engineers were in agreement that the truss-style design of the bridge played a big role in saving lives. The steel that supported the bridge was below the structure — as opposed to above the span in more traditional bridge designs.

"I think that was a lifesaving feature," Schofer said. "They had this huge advantage. They weren't crushed by steel."

Even though the collapse occurred during rush hour, the heavy traffic was an advantage because the cars were almost stopped and didn't have much momentum, Clack said. Because of that, the collapse was less likely to hurl moving cars into the river.

"They didn't have forward velocity," he said, "so when the bridge fell, they went straight down."

While the entire span covers 1,907 feet, only 458 feet is directly over water, supported by giant pylons. The rest of the bridge rises over sloping banks and flood plains of the river channel.

The irregular slope of the riverbank on the south side of the bridge turned out to be a good thing. When that portion of bridge snapped at the middle, the support pylons held, and the roadway only had a short distance to fall until it was caught by a drop-off just before the river.

On the north side of the bridge, however, the bank slopes down in a steady angle to a broad tidal flat. As a result, when that portion of the bridge crumpled, there was nothing to catch it.

That was evident to Dr. John Hick, assistant medical director for emergency medical services at Hennepin County Medical Center, who noticed that injuries on the north end of the bridge were much more grave.

Another factor that may have limited the death toll is the behavior of the river itself.

Mark Rosenker, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, said investigators were particularly interested in learning why a part of the bridge's southern span shifted as it collapsed. That was the only part of the bridge that shifted, and it could help pinpoint the cause.

Scott Bratten, who regulates locks and dams on the river for the local district of the Army Corps of Engineers, said that because of the drought in Minnesota, the water at the time of the collapse was flowing at just a third of its normal speed.

That may have made it easier for people in cars to escape them, and it almost certainly made it easier for rescuers to make their way into the water and help the dazed and injured.

"During the spring it's a raging torrent in there and it would be a very dangerous place," said Whitney Clark, executive director of Friends of the Mississippi River. "The low water I'm sure was a factor in not making currents very much of an issue. ... If this had happened during the spring snowmelt or something it would have been a much different situation."

___

Associated Press writers Matt Crenson, Henry C. Jackson, Brian Bakst and Martiga Lohn contributed to this report.

Iraq soccer team returns without captain By KIM GAMEL and SAMEER N. YACOUB, Associated Press Writers

Iraq soccer team returns without captain By KIM GAMEL and SAMEER N. YACOUB, Associated Press Writers
1 hour, 54 minutes ago



BAGHDAD - There were no cheering crowds or ticker tape parade Friday along the dangerous airport road to greet Iraq's Asian Cup soccer champs. And the team's captain, a Sunni who scored the winning goal, didn't even return because he feared for his life. But several hundred fans waved Iraqi flags and scuffled with police as they pushed through airport security to greet the country's soccer heroes as they stepped off a charter plane about 7 p.m.

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Police wielded truncheons against some in the crowd who were trying to touch goalkeeper Nour Sabri. He was hoisted onto the teammates' shoulders and carried to a waiting bus, which took the team into central Baghdad for a meeting with the prime minister at his Green Zone office.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki gave each a diplomatic passport and put a wreath of flowers around their necks.

Tight security in the heart of the capital — and the team's late arrival — prevented many Baghdad residents from celebrating in the streets.

"It is an incomplete joy, because all other people welcome their winning teams in the streets of their capitals and we in Iraq had to be the last ones to receive them," said 40-year-old Naeem Abdullah.

There was therefore no repeat of the deadly bombings that marred celebrations after the team's semifinal victory last month.

While violence was much diminished Friday among Iraqis, the U.S. military reported four more American soldiers were killed in Baghdad — three in a single roadside bombing.

And in Najaf, the holy Shiite city south of the capital, yet another aide to the country's top Shiite spiritual leader was gunned down. Iraqi authorities tightened security around the residence and office of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani after the killing, the second slaying of one of his aides in less than two weeks.

A huge line of cars trailed behind the bus that sped the soccer team into Baghdad. It shot past Iraqi army security checkpoints lining the dangerous route. Hundreds more Iraqis danced and waved their national flag in the streets of the Green Zone.

Al-Maliki, whose beleaguered government was desperate for good news, appeared with team live on state television, smiling broadly and kissing each man three times on the cheek as they filed past him in warm-up suits.

"Greetings to the Lions of the Two Rivers who unified all Iraqis," al-Maliki said. "I say to the soccer team that you returned the smiles to Iraqi faces, while terrorists try to steal them."

The team, named the Lions of the Two Rivers, hasn't played a home game in 17 years because of fears of violence and U.N. sanctions under Saddam Hussein.

Besides handing out the coveted diplomatic travel documents, al-Maliki had already announced a $10,000 bonus for each man.

The team was then feted at a dinner attended by lawmakers and Cabinet members, as well as relatives of victims of two car bombings that struck revelers in Baghdad after the semifinals.

Many Iraqis interpreted the mixed religious makeup of the winning national team as proof that unity was possible and politicians were more concerned with their narrow sectarian agendas than national interests.

But team captain Younis Mahmoud, the Sunni who scored the winning goal in the final, did not make the trip home, saying he feared for his life in Iraq. Two other players — Nashat Akram, a Shiite, and Hawar Mulla Mohamad, a Kurd — also did not return. Officials said they were absent because of contract obligations outside the country.

Because of tenuous security at home, the players do not live in Iraq and must train and practice abroad, earning their wages playing for league teams across the Middle East.

Despite the boisterous welcome by a carefully selected several hundred people, most soccer-crazed Iraqis were not able to see the team in person.

But hundreds of Iraqi expatriates had turned out to celebrate the victory as the team returned toward Baghdad with stops in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Amman, Jordan. Iraq bested three-time champions Saudi Arabia 1-0 in the final cup game Sunday in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Baghdad erupted in raucous street parties after the victory despite the precarious security situation that still threatens the people here nearly six months after U.S. and Iraqi forces launched a crackdown aimed at ending the violence.

Two car bombings killed 50 revelers after the semifinals. At least five people were killed and scores wounded by celebratory gunfire.

Mohammed Kadhom, a 35-year-old Oil Ministry worker, said he wished the homecoming celebration could have been held at the al-Shaab stadium, a Saddam Hussein-era facility in a predominantly Shiite area in eastern Baghdad.

"It is sad that we can't receive our national team in a public celebration as others do," Kadhom said. "I myself fear for their safety."

The U.S. military announced the combat deaths of four more soldiers in Baghdad, including three killed Thursday in a single roadside bombing on the city's east side. The blast wounded 11 other U.S. troops. A fourth soldier was killed and three wounded in combat the same day in western Baghdad, the military said.

The killing of al-Sistani's aide also raised concern about the security of the spiritual leader.

Fadhil al-Akil, who was in charge of collecting a Shiite religious tax to fund al-Sistani's seminaries and charities, was gunned down Thursday as he was walking home after evening prayers in the holy city of Najaf, 100 miles south of Baghdad.

Al-Akil, 35, was the fourth aide to al-Sistani to be killed. Sheik Abdullah Falak al-Basrawi, who also collected religious taxes for al-Sistani, was stabbed to death inside the cleric's fortified compound on July 27 or 28, police said, and a security guard was arrested afterward. Two other aides died earlier this year.

Police said it was unclear if the killings were part of internal Shiite disputes or the work of Sunni insurgents opposed to the vast influence enjoyed by al-Sistani.

___

Associated Press writers Qassim Abdul-Zahra and Sinan Salaheddin in Baghdad contributed to this report.

UN: Coming months 'crucial' in Darfur By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press Writer

UN: Coming months 'crucial' in Darfur By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press Writer
19 minutes ago



UNITED NATIONS - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday called the coming months crucial in the quest for peace in Darfur, following political momentum and approval of a joint African Union-U.N. peacekeeping force to stem the violence.

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But in a report to the U.N. Security Council, Ban warned that "as long as hostilities continue in Darfur, efforts to reach a political settlement and achieve durable peace will not succeed."

The release of the report comes as a meeting gets under way this weekend in Arusha, Tanzania, organized by the U.N. and AU to get Darfur's various splinter rebel factions to agree on an agenda for peace talks.

It also follows Tuesday's unanimous approval by the U.N. Security Council of a 26,000-strong AU-U.N. peacekeeping force for Darfur to end four years of rape and slaughter of civilians in the vast Sudanese region.

"The coming weeks and months will be a crucial period in the quest for peace in Darfur," Ban said.

The joint U.N.-AU effort to achieve a political solution "will gain momentum" as special envoys from the two organizations "make every effort to commence negotiations" between all combatants and the government, he said.

The secretary-general said implementing the Security Council resolution on the AU-U.N. "hybrid" force will be "a major litmus test of the political will of all involved."

Ban said successfuly deploying the hybrid force "will very much depend on the government's cooperation and assistance, especially with regard to the provision of adequate land, permission to drill for water and the timely clearance of critical mission-support items through customs."

The international community in the next month must also offer the troops and police for the hybrid operation so that the AU-U.N. force can take over as quickly as possible from the underfunded and poorly equipped 7,000-strong AU force currently on the ground in Darfur, which has been unable to stem the violence, he said.

Meanwhile, Ban said he worried about Darfur's "very precarious" situation. Violence and insecurity continue, including Sudanese military bombings of civilian areas, ground attacks against civilian villages, a resurgence of inter-tribal clashes, and systematic rape.

This year, he said, more than 150,000 people have fled their villages, most seeking refuge in camps for internally displaced people that in many cases are already overcrowded.

Ban said the insecurity has forced humanitarian organizations to curtail some programs, leading to "the deterioration of the living conditions of the millions of conflict-affected people who depend on humanitarian agencies for their survival."

An estimated 566,000 of the 4.2 million conflict-affected persons in Darfur are cut off from humanitarian assistance, he said.

More than 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million uprooted since the conflict in Darfur began in February 2003, when ethnic African tribes rebelled against what they consider decades of neglect and discrimination.

Sudan's government is accused of retaliating by unleashing a militia of Arab nomads known as the janjaweed — a charge it denies. The Darfur Peace Agreement, signed a year ago by the government and one rebel group, has been unable to stop the violence.

Floods displace 19M in India, Bangladesh By BISWAJEET BANERJEE, Associated Press Writer

Floods displace 19M in India, Bangladesh By BISWAJEET BANERJEE, Associated Press Writer
20 minutes ago



LUCKNOW, India - Torrents of water washed away homes, crops and cows, leaving hungry and frightened villagers perched in treetops or on roofs as the death toll rose Friday from monsoon rains across northern India and Bangladesh.

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Vital to farmers, the annual rains are a blessing and a curse for the subcontinent — a fact highlighted by official tallies: At least 186 people have been killed and 19 million driven from their homes in recent days.

Even in areas where the rains are no worse than usual, the monsoon disrupted life. In Mumbai, the country's bustling financial capital, people waded through knee-deep water that covered many streets Friday after severe overnight rains flooded sewers.

The South Asian monsoon season runs from June to September as the rains work their way across the subcontinent. It's always dangerous — last year more than 1,000 people died, most from drowning, landslides or house collapses.

This year, estimates of total deaths vary wildly from a few hundred to well over a thousand.

With hundreds of villages submerged across the fertile plains that stretch along the southern edge of the Himalayas, people were taking refuge wherever they could — in Uttar Pradesh state, in northern India, women and children were spotted screaming for help from treetops.

In parts of the state — where an additional 8 inches of rain fell on Friday alone — river levels rose so quickly that villagers had no time to save any belongings.

"The gush of water was so sudden we did not get the time to react," Vinod Kumar, a resident of a flooded village in Basti district, told Enadu TV.

He made it out, but lost everything. "We do not have food, kerosene or even a match box," he said. "The officials are saying relief is coming, but nothing has come so far."

Health workers were fanning out across parts of Bangladesh and India to try to prevent the spread of waterborne diseases like diarrhea, typhoid and cholera.

In northwestern Bangladesh, farmer Rahmat Sheikh and his family were among 2,000 people who fled their flooded village for higher ground in the Sirajganj district.

"The floods have taken away all I had," said the 40-year-old Sheikh. "Rice paddies in the field, two cows and my house all are gone. I don't know how we will now survive."

Sirajganj, 65 miles northwest of the capital of Dhaka, is one of Bangladesh's hardest-hit areas, and officials said they were sending in food, water and medicine.

Like most of those displaced, Sheikh will return to his village as soon as the waters recede and start rebuilding.

The more immediate problem is finding food. With many farms and crops destroyed — costing an already poor region millions of dollars — food shortages were becoming a pressing problem.

One woman in Uttar Pradesh who identified herself only as Savitra said she had not "eaten anything for the last two days."

"Whatever we had at our home was washed away," she told Enadu TV.

In the northeastern state of Assam, Haneefa Begum and her two children said the portions of rice and lentils at their makeshift relief camp were not enough to stave off hunger.

So far this year, some 14 million people in India and 5 million in Bangladesh have been displaced or marooned by flooding, according to government figures. At least 132 people have died in recent days because of the floods in India and 54 more in Bangladesh.

In one of the worst single incidents this year, 28 people died Wednesday when an overcrowded boat evacuating them capsized in a rain-swollen river.

In Assam, about 100,000 displaced people were staying in government relief camps and hundreds of thousands of others set up makeshift dwellings of their own. Millions of people have been cut off from the rest of the country.

The floods in Bangladesh inundated parts of a major highway connecting the capital, Dhaka, with much of the rest of the country.

India's Meteorological Department said unusual monsoon patterns this year have led to heavier than normal rains. "We've been getting constant rainfall in these areas for nearly 20 days," said B. P. Yadav, a spokesman for the department.

___

Associated Press reporters Farid Hossain in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wasbir Hussain in Gauhati, Ramola Talwar Badam in Mumbai and Muneeza Naqvi in New Delhi contributed to this report.

Foot and mouth disease detected in UK By D'ARCY DORAN, Associated Press Writer

Foot and mouth disease detected in UK By D'ARCY DORAN, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 12 minutes ago



LONDON - Cattle on a southern England farm have been infected with foot-and-mouth disease, prompting a nationwide ban on shipping hooved livestock, British authorities said Friday.

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The report drew reminders of the last outbreak of the disease in Britain in 2001, which lead to the slaughter of millions of animals.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown chaired a meeting of the government's emergency committee Friday night to discuss the development, according to a spokeswoman for the leader.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government policy, said the government's top priority is to prevent the spread of the disease.

The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, or DEFRA, said animals on a farm near Guildford in Surrey had tested positive for the disease. It did not immediately say how many animals were affected.

All cattle on the farm must be slaughtered, a department spokesman said on condition of anonymity in line with government policy.

A 2-mile radius protection zone and a surveillance zone of 6 miles had been placed around the premises. A national movement ban of all hooved animals, including pigs, was also been imposed, DEFRA said.

The 2001 outbreak started with a pig herd in Northumberland and spread to cows and sheep. The disease was also reported in France, Ireland and the Netherlands. It does not affect humans.

Prior to 2001, a foot-and-mouth disease epidemic last struck Britain in 1967.

Rockies win fifth in six games By TOM SALADINO, AP Sports Writer

Rockies win fifth in six games By TOM SALADINO, AP Sports Writer
1 hour, 48 minutes ago



ATLANTA - Garrett Atkins hit a three-run home run to back Jeff Francis and the Colorado Rockies beat the Atlanta Braves 9-2 on Friday night.

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Francis (12-5) allowed a run and six hits in six innings. The left-hander, who has won seven straight decisions, didn't walk any and struck out eight. He's 7-0 in his last 10 starts and 11-1 in his last 17 starts.

Kazuo Matsui went 3-for-5 and scored three runs for the Rockies.

Mark Teixeira hit a solo home run in the ninth, his third in three games since being traded to Atlanta from Texas.

The Rockies, who have won five of six, moved a season-high four games over .500 (56-52) for the first time since finishing a sweep of the New York Yankees on June 21, before going on a 1-9 road trip.

Colorado scored two unearned runs in the opening inning off John Smoltz (10-6) when Teixeira booted a two-out, bases loaded grounder off the bat of Brad Hawpe, scoring Willy Tavaras, who doubled and Matsui, who had singled.

Colorado added two more runs in the second on a two-out double by Matt Holliday, scoring Matsui and Yorvit Torrealba, who reached on singles, for a 4-0 lead.

The three-run homer by Atkins in the seventh made it 7-1 and ended the night for Smoltz. Atkins went 3-for-5, including a double in the third and a single in the ninth.

Troy Tulowitzki added a two-run single in the ninth.

Smoltz allowed seven runs — five earned — and nine hits in 6 2-3 innings. He walked four and struck out five.

The cooled-off Braves, losers of two in a row after winning three, had scored in double figures in their previous four games, getting 49 runs on 68 hits.

The Braves run off Francis came after Chipper Jones doubled to open the fourth and went to third on a single by Teixeira. Andruw Jones then hit into a double play, scoring Chipper Jones.

Notes:@ Atkins has 14 RBI in his last 11 games and 70 on the season. ... Braves SS Edgar Renteria was placed on the 15-day DL after spraining his right ankle in the eighth inning of Thursday night's 12-11, 14 inning loss to Houston on a one-hop liner by Ty Wigginton. He was hitting .336 with 11 homers and 53 RBI. He was replaced by rookie Yunel Escobar. ... The Braves signed former major league pitcher Ryan Drese to a minor league contract. He had a 34-39 record and 5.31 ERA in parts of six seasons with Cleveland, Texas and Washington. He underwent Tommy John surgery in April, 2006. ... Smoltz got career strikeout 2,900, fanning Holliday for his fifth of the game.

Sizemore sparks Indians past Twins 5-2 By DAVE CAMPBELL, AP Sports Writer

Sizemore sparks Indians past Twins 5-2 By DAVE CAMPBELL, AP Sports Writer
49 minutes ago



MINNEAPOLIS - Grady Sizemore homered and had four RBIs for the Cleveland Indians, who started an important four-game series against the Minnesota Twins with a 5-2 victory on Friday night.

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Importance was a relative term, though, two days after the freeway bridge that collapsed a few blocks away and killed at least five people. A crowd announced at 31,664 came to catch a ballgame and forget about the tragedy for a while.

Fans saw ace Johan Santana (11-9) lose his third straight decision, to C.C. Sabathia (14-6). Cleveland moved past Detroit into first place in the AL Central for the first time in nearly a month, and Minnesota fell to 6 1/2 games back. Michael Cuddyer and Torii Hunter had two hits apiece for the Twins.

Sabathia gave up eight hits and two walks while needing 107 pitches to complete six innings, but he struck out three and worked his way out of trouble well to win for the second time in his last six starts.

Joe Borowski pitched the ninth for his 30th save in 33 attempts.

On the day after he turned 25, Sizemore showed some of the all-around skills that are among the best in baseball by first bashing a 1-0 pitch from Santana into the football seats above right field for a two-run shot in the third inning. Sizemore then singled in the fifth to follow Franklin Gutierrez's leadoff triple and give the Indians the lead again at 3-2.

In the seventh after Santana was removed, Sizemore fought off a pitch from Dennys Reyes near his fists and managed to muscle a broken-bat RBI single with one out in the seventh that made it 4-2.

Santana's usual after-the-All-Star-break dominance hasn't appeared yet this year. He's had four quality starts of three earned runs or less and six innings or more, with only one clunker, but he's won just once and Minnesota is a mere 2-3 when he's pitched in the second half.

The minimal offensive support hasn't helped, of course, and Twins players were upset earlier this week when popular second baseman and leadoff hitter Luis Castillo was dealt for two minor-leaguers and the team didn't acquire anyone to help the lineup before Tuesday's trade deadline. Santana criticized the direction and philosophy of the franchise, going so far to say it didn't "make any sense" for him to be in Minnesota.

The mood in the clubhouse changed from tense to somber the next day when the bridge collapsed, causing the postponement of Thursday's game against Kansas City. The Twins honored the victims and rescuers with a video tribute and Interstate 35W decals on their batting helmets, plus a larger logo that was posted in remembrance behind the plate.

Players from both teams humbly talked before the game about the irrelevance of their sport in light of the collapse, but they hoped to at least help divert attention from the disaster for a few hours.

It was, essentially, back to normal except for the detours many fans had to take to get there. They cheered when Santana took the mound and retired the Indians in order in the first. They booed when Joe Mauer was called out on strikes to end the bottom of the frame. And they roared in the eighth when a handful of people mischievously batted beach balls while ushers tried to confiscate them.

Santana completed six innings and pitched to two batters in the seventh. Kenny Lofton reached when Castillo's replacement, Alexi Casilla, dropped his soft fly for an error, and Gutierrez got on with a single. Casey Blake's fielder's choice grounder with Pat Neshek pitching allowed the fifth run to score.

Two of those were unearned for Santana, who allowed six hits and two walks while striking out eight and throwing 113 pitches.

Notes:@ Cleveland's Jhonny Peralta struck out all three times against Santana, dropping to 3-for-28 with an incredible 22 strikeouts in his career against the two-time AL Cy Young Award winner. ... The Indians were planning to call up 22-year-old LHP Aaron Laffey to start on Saturday and make his major league debut by replacing the recently demoted Cliff Lee in the rotation. ... Minnesota's Nick Punto left four runners on base and went hitless in three at-bats, extending his slump to 0-for-16.

Uribe's slam sends White Sox to win 2 hours, 11 minutes ago

Uribe's slam sends White Sox to win 2 hours, 11 minutes ago



DETROIT - Juan Uribe hit his third career grand slam, and Jermaine Dye added a solo shot as the Chicago White Sox beat the Detroit Tigers 7-4 on Friday night.

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Josh Fields also homered for the White Sox, who dealt Detroit its third straight loss and ninth in 11 games.

Mark Buehrle (9-6) won consecutive starts for just the third time this year. He gave up three runs and seven hits in eight innings, striking out three and walking two.

Dye is 27-for-84 with 10 homers, eight doubles and 18 RBIs since the All-Star break. He became the first White Sox player with four extra-base hits in a game since Robin Ventura on July 19, 1991, when he hit two homers and had two doubles in Chicago's 13-9 victory over the New York Yankees on Thursday.

Andrew Miller (5-5) left the game after four innings with a mild left hamstring strain. The rookie left-hander suffered the injury while warming up for the fifth inning and was listed as day-to-day.

Miller gave up six runs and seven hits, with five strikeouts and a walk.

Dye gave Chicago a 1-0 lead when he lined Miller's 1-2 pitch over the left-field fence to lead off the second, his 22nd of the season.

The White Sox broke the game open with five runs in the fourth. The first four came on Uribe's grand slam, a high drive into the right-centerfield stands. It was Uribe's first grand slam since last Sept. 24, and his 11th homer of the season. The other run came on Andy Gonzalez's fielder's choice.

Detroit cut the lead in half in the bottom of the fourth on Magglio Ordonez's two-run double and Mike Hessman's RBI single.

Fields hit a two-out, solo homer to left in the ninth off Todd Jones.

Ivan Rodriguez's sacrifice fly off Ehren Wassermann scored Carlos Guillen, who had tripled. But Wassermann got Hessman to ground out to end it.

Before the game, Tigers infielder Neifi Perez was suspended 80 games for testing positive for a third time for a banned stimulant, a penalty that finishes his season.

Note:@ Detroit DH Gary Sheffield will undergo therapy and rehab for shoulder soreness and numbness in his right arm and hand. He is listed as day-to-day. ... Chicago DH Jim Thome was out of the lineup after leaving Thursday's game against the Yankees with back spasms. ... Tigers RHP Jose Capellan was optioned to Triple-A Toledo to make room for RHP Zach Minor, who returned from the bereavement list on Friday. ... IF Alex Cintron was unavailable with the flu. ... Buehrle had been away from the team, tending to the birth of his first child and his grandmother's illness, since his last start on Saturday. ... The Tigers are 26-22 at home this season.

Yankees beat Royals, A-Rod still at 499 By JAY COHEN, AP Sports Writer

Yankees beat Royals, A-Rod still at 499 By JAY COHEN, AP Sports Writer
1 hour, 43 minutes ago



NEW YORK - Melky Cabrera put one into the seats — behind the dugout, that is. Yep, the New York Yankees are doing just fine without any homer help from Alex Rodriguez.

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Cabrera hit a bizarre two-run double and Robinson Cano homered, leading Chien-Ming Wang and the Yankees over the Kansas City Royals 7-1 Friday night.

Rodriguez went 1-for-3 and remained at 499 career homers. He hasn't homered in 28 at-bats since July 25 against Kansas City — New York has scored 49 runs in its last five games anyway.

Rodriguez bounced out to shortstop in the first, lined a double to left-center field in the third and walked in the fifth as the crowd showered Kansas City starter Odalis Perez with boos. There were the usual bright flashes of light with each at-bat, and fans gasped at every swing.

He came up with the bases loaded in the sixth and lofted a high fly ball that was met with loud cheers before Mark Teahen settled under it in the grass in medium right. The sacrifice fly gave New York a 6-1 lead.

Kansas City made two errors in the eighth, allowing Rodriguez to get another at-bat. With lightning beginning to increase in frequency over the Bronx, he flied out on Ryan Braun's first pitch.

The Yankees led 3-1 in the sixth when Cabrera came up with the bases loaded and one out. He hit a liner off Braun's right foot, and the pitcher frantically looked around before realizing the ball was sailing over the Yankees first-base dugout.

Ross Gload's two-out RBI single in the third was all Kansas City could manage against Wang (13-5), who allowed seven hits in seven-plus innings to win his third straight game. Wang is 10-1 in his last 13 starts.

Cano went 2-for-3 and is batting .462 (36-for-78) with five homers and 20 RBIs in his last 20 games. Cabrera had three hits for New York, which improved to 16-7 since the All-Star break.

Johnny Damon's RBI double off Perez (6-10) gave New York a 3-1 lead in the fourth.

Notes:@ Braun stayed in the game after Cabrera's liner. ... 2B Mark Grudzielanek's fifth-inning walk was Kansas City's first free pass since Sunday. It was the first time the Royals had gone three consecutive games without a walk since they went four straight from Sept. 1-4, 1992. ... RHP Kyle Davies will make his Royals debut Saturday against the Yankees. Kansas City acquired Davies from Atlanta for reliever Octavio Dotel on Tuesday. "I'm anxious to see him," Royals manager Buddy Bell said. "Heard a lot of great things about him." ... Yankees RHP Phil Hughes will be reinstated from the disabled list so he can start Saturday's game. ... Yankees catcher Jorge Posada wasn't in the starting lineup because of a bruised left knee. ... Rocker Jon Bon Jovi was on the field before the game.

Ford recalling 3.6 million vehicles By KEN THOMAS, Associated Press Writer

Ford recalling 3.6 million vehicles By KEN THOMAS, Associated Press Writer
55 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - Ford Motor Co. said Friday it is recalling 3.6 million passenger cars, trucks, sport utility vehicles and vans to address concerns about a cruise control switch that has led to previous recalls based on reports of fires.

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Ford said the recall covered more than a dozen vehicle models built from 1992-2004. The company said it was responding to concerns from owners about the safety of their cars and questions about the speed control deactivation switch in the vehicles that is powered at all times.

The Dearborn, Mich.-based automaker previously had recalled nearly 6 million vehicles beginning in January 2005 because of engine fires linked to the cruise control systems in trucks, SUVs and vans.

"Customers remain concerned about the long-term durability of the speed control system and about the safety of their vehicles," said Ford spokesman Dan Jarvis.

He said the automaker had received "a few reports of fires" in Ford Crown Victoria passenger cars prior to the recall. He did not have a precise number.

The recall involves the following vehicles: 1998-2002 Ford Ranger, 1992-1997 Lincoln Town Car, 1992-1997 Ford Crown Victoria, 1992-1997 Mercury Grand Marquis, 1993-1998 Lincoln Mark VIII, 1993-1995 Taurus SHO, 1999-2001 Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer.

Also covered are the 2001-2002 Ford Explorer Sport, 2001-2002 Ford Explorer Sport Trac, 1992-1993 E150-350 vans, 1997-2002 E150-350 vans, 1993 Ford F-Series pickups, 1993 Ford Bronco, 1994 Mercury Capri, 2003-2004 Ford F-150 Lightning, and 1995-2002 Ford F53 motor homes.

An additional 177,000 vehicles in Canada, Mexico and Europe are covered by the recall.

Jarvis said there have been no deaths, injuries or accidents associated with the recall.

It was Ford's sixth recall, involving a total of more than 10.4 million vehicles, conducted since 1999 because of problems with the speed control system, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The nation's largest single recall involved 7.9 million Ford vehicles in 1996 to replace an ignition switch.

Texas Instruments Inc. supplied the speed control switch in all of the vehicles covered under Friday's announcement, Ford said.

TI spokeswoman Chris Rongone said Friday evening in an e-mail response that the company sold its former Sensors and Controls business in April 2006. It later became Sensata Technologies. She said neither TI, nor Sensata Technologies, has received any communication from Ford about the recall and nothing indicates the switch failed to meet Fords specifications.

Rongone said in August 2006 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration concluded a two-year investigation and determined that the incidents were system-related and not caused by the deactivation switch.

Owners will begin receiving recall notices on Aug. 13. Jarvis said the parts for passenger cars would not be available until early October. In the meantime, owners can take their vehicle to a dealer to have their cruise control deactivated until the parts arrive. The parts are available for trucks, Jarvis said.

Dealers will install a fused wiring harness into the speed control electrical system or replace the deactivation switch if its found to be leaking.

Owners with questions about the recall can contact Ford at (888) 222-2751.

___

On the Net:

Ford Motor Co.: http://www.ford.com/

'LonelyGirl15' season ends with a twist By GARY GENTILE, AP Business Writer

'LonelyGirl15' season ends with a twist By GARY GENTILE, AP Business Writer
1 hour, 16 minutes ago



LOS ANGELES - After more than a year and 260 episodes, 16-year old Bree, the main character on the Web drama "LonelyGirl15," was killed off Friday at the hands of the religious cult that had chased her for the life-giving qualities of her rare blood type.

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In her last appearance on the popular and influential Web show, Bree, portrayed by Jessica Lee Rose, lies lifeless on a table while her blood is transfused into one of the cult's elders. The monotone of her flat-lining heart pierces the silence as her devastated friends watch from a distance.

But her death was not in vain! Setting the show up for its second season, Bree reveals in a post-mortem voice mail that the cult, "The Order," is pursuing other girls with the same blood properties.

The Season One finale played out in 12 videos posted over a 12-hour period exclusively on MySpaceTV and the "LonelyGirl15" Web site.

Starting next week, the show will continue with the same title with the remaining characters weighing what to do with Bree's dire warning.

"I was real emotional, filming that," Rose said. "I'm really going to miss filming 'LonelyGirl.'"

Rose, who is a regular on the ABC Family show "Greek" and is in the upcoming film "Perfect Sport," said she didn't mind not having a more dramatic death scene.

"I didn't want it to be over the top or cheesy," she said.

Rose has come a long way since walking into an audition for a project titled "Children of Anchor Cove" in April 2006.

At first, she thought it was the kind of a scam they warned her about in film school — a series of Internet videos for which she would not be paid, at least for a while.

Rose kept her jobs working at an Abercrombie & Fitch store and a TGI Friday's while filming the first few weeks of "LonelyGirl15."

But by September, the series had created a sensation, with stories appearing in major media outlets once it had been revealed that Bree was not a real 16-year-old posting video blogs on YouTube, but an actress playing a part in a scripted show.

The show continued to attract fans, and the cast developed into more of an ensemble. But as Rose's career began to take off, the creators decided it was time to bring the plot to a close.

"This was a character who was meant to do the ceremony," said Miles Beckett, one of the show's three writer-producers. "It's going to give the show a lot more space to breathe. Jessica is doing other things now, and we are excited about her future and her career."

Rose hasn't abandoned the Web. She is developing a new Web comedy that should launch later this year. And she has signed on to a TV project titled "E-lebrity," along with fellow online stars Taryn Southern and Stevie Ryan.

Meanwhile, "LonelyGirl15" will add new characters who will help battle the evil Order.

___

On the Net:

http://www.lonelygirl15.com

http://www.myspacetv.com

http://www.myspace.com/officialjessicarose

ABC's Robin Roberts has breast surgery 20 minutes ago

ABC's Robin Roberts has breast surgery 20 minutes ago



NEW YORK - "Good Morning America" anchor Robin Roberts had "very successful" surgery for breast cancer Friday and has left the hospital for home, ABC said.

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Roberts, 46, revealed her diagnosis to viewers Tuesday. She said doctors believed they had caught the cancer early.

"The tests following her surgery take some time to process, so when we have more information we will update you," said ABC News spokeswoman Bridgette Maney. "Thank you for your thoughts and prayers for Robin."

Roberts' mother and sisters traveled from the Mississippi Gulf Coast and New Orleans to be with her for the surgery. The former college basketball star and sportscaster grew up in Pass Christian, Miss.

The family has asked Roberts' friends and the public to respect her need for a private, quiet recovery time.

"I'm blessed with the medical care I am getting," Roberts told the Sun Herald newspaper of Mississippi this week.

"I work for a company that says 'Just whatever you need,' and I'm grateful. But that just is not the way it is for everyone. It shouldn't be a privilege I have; it should be everyone's right."

In mid-July, before she knew she had cancer, Roberts agreed to be keynote speaker at an Aug. 29 Pink Heart fundraiser in Biloxi, Miss. Roberts, who has been actively helping with Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts, had planned to be on the coast that day for the "GMA" broadcast of the hurricane's second anniversary.

The nonprofit Pink Heart Fund was conceived when JoAn Niceley, a hair stylist and cancer survivor, realized that cancer patients who had already lost much because of Katrina were having difficulty getting wigs and breast prostheses.

Roberts has said she will still be the Pink Heart keynoter.

She has been an anchor at "GMA" since 2005.

___

ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Co.

___

On the Net:

ABC:

http://abc.go.com/

'LonelyGirl15' season ends with a twist By GARY GENTILE, AP Business Writer

'LonelyGirl15' season ends with a twist By GARY GENTILE, AP Business Writer
1 hour, 15 minutes ago



LOS ANGELES - After more than a year and 260 episodes, 16-year old Bree, the main character on the Web drama "LonelyGirl15," was killed off Friday at the hands of the religious cult that had chased her for the life-giving qualities of her rare blood type.

ADVERTISEMENT

In her last appearance on the popular and influential Web show, Bree, portrayed by Jessica Lee Rose, lies lifeless on a table while her blood is transfused into one of the cult's elders. The monotone of her flat-lining heart pierces the silence as her devastated friends watch from a distance.

But her death was not in vain! Setting the show up for its second season, Bree reveals in a post-mortem voice mail that the cult, "The Order," is pursuing other girls with the same blood properties.

The Season One finale played out in 12 videos posted over a 12-hour period exclusively on MySpaceTV and the "LonelyGirl15" Web site.

Starting next week, the show will continue with the same title with the remaining characters weighing what to do with Bree's dire warning.

"I was real emotional, filming that," Rose said. "I'm really going to miss filming 'LonelyGirl.'"

Rose, who is a regular on the ABC Family show "Greek" and is in the upcoming film "Perfect Sport," said she didn't mind not having a more dramatic death scene.

"I didn't want it to be over the top or cheesy," she said.

Rose has come a long way since walking into an audition for a project titled "Children of Anchor Cove" in April 2006.

At first, she thought it was the kind of a scam they warned her about in film school — a series of Internet videos for which she would not be paid, at least for a while.

Rose kept her jobs working at an Abercrombie & Fitch store and a TGI Friday's while filming the first few weeks of "LonelyGirl15."

But by September, the series had created a sensation, with stories appearing in major media outlets once it had been revealed that Bree was not a real 16-year-old posting video blogs on YouTube, but an actress playing a part in a scripted show.

The show continued to attract fans, and the cast developed into more of an ensemble. But as Rose's career began to take off, the creators decided it was time to bring the plot to a close.

"This was a character who was meant to do the ceremony," said Miles Beckett, one of the show's three writer-producers. "It's going to give the show a lot more space to breathe. Jessica is doing other things now, and we are excited about her future and her career."

Rose hasn't abandoned the Web. She is developing a new Web comedy that should launch later this year. And she has signed on to a TV project titled "E-lebrity," along with fellow online stars Taryn Southern and Stevie Ryan.

Meanwhile, "LonelyGirl15" will add new characters who will help battle the evil Order.

___

On the Net:

http://www.lonelygirl15.com

http://www.myspacetv.com

http://www.myspace.com/officialjessicarose

Dogs apparently kill man at actor's home By SANDY COHEN, AP Entertainment Writer

Dogs apparently kill man at actor's home By SANDY COHEN, AP Entertainment Writer
1 hour, 39 minutes ago



LOS ANGELES - Two dogs belonging to actor Ving Rhames apparently mauled a man to death at the star's home Friday, authorities said.

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The 40-year-old victim, who has not been identified, had lived on the property and worked as a caretaker at the home for about two years, police said. He was among those responsible for caring for the dogs, said Los Angeles police Officer Sandra Gonzalez. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.

Three bull mastiffs and an English bulldog were seized by animal services, police said.

"Two of those dogs appeared to be responsible for the tragic death," said Officer Jason Lee, adding that several dogs remain at the property.

Police were called at about 7:15 a.m. by someone reporting a dead body at the home in Brentwood. Gonzalez didn't know who made the call.

"The victim had a large number of bites and scratches which appear to be dog bites," Lt. Ray Lombardo said during a press conference.

The victim was found on the front lawn, Gonzalez said.

An autopsy was scheduled for Monday, said Capt. Ed Winter of the coroner's office.

"It's premature to say how he died," Winter said. "We don't know if he was attacked by the dogs and suffered a heart attack."

Rhames, 46, an action star who appeared in the "Mission Impossible" series, was not home at the time of the attack, Gonzalez said. The actor told Time magazine in 2001 that he had "eight Fila Brasileiro mastiffs — the national dog of Brazil, also used by U.S. Marines in jungle warfare."

Calls to Rhames' agent, Steve Muller, were not returned.

Foot and mouth disease detected in UK By D'ARCY DORAN, Associated Press Writer

Foot and mouth disease detected in UK By D'ARCY DORAN, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 1 minute ago



LONDON - Cattle on a southern England farm have been infected with foot-and-mouth disease, prompting a nationwide ban on shipping hooved livestock, British authorities said Friday.

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The report drew reminders of the last outbreak of the disease in Britain in 2001, which lead to the slaughter of millions of animals.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown chaired a meeting of the government's emergency committee Friday night to discuss the development, according to a spokeswoman for the leader.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government policy, said the government's top priority is to prevent the spread of the disease.

The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, or DEFRA, said animals on a farm near Guildford in Surrey had tested positive for the disease. It did not immediately say how many animals were affected.

All cattle on the farm must be slaughtered, a department spokesman said on condition of anonymity in line with government policy.

A 2-mile radius protection zone and a surveillance zone of 6 miles had been placed around the premises. A national movement ban of all hooved animals, including pigs, was also been imposed, DEFRA said.

The 2001 outbreak started with a pig herd in Northumberland and spread to cows and sheep. The disease was also reported in France, Ireland and the Netherlands. It does not affect humans.

Prior to 2001, a foot-and-mouth disease epidemic last struck Britain in 1967.

Hackers: Social networking sites flawed By JORDAN ROBERTSON, AP Technology Writer

Hackers: Social networking sites flawed By JORDAN ROBERTSON, AP Technology Writer
1 hour, 14 minutes ago



LAS VEGAS - Social networking Web sites such as MySpace.com are increasingly juicy targets for computer hackers, who are demonstrating a pair of vulnerabilities they claim expose sensitive personal information and could be exploited by online criminals.

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The flaws are being demonstrated this week at the Black Hat and Defcon hacker conferences, which draw thousands of people to Las Vegas each year for five days of training and demonstrations of the latest exploits.

Black Hat, the more genteel of the two events with heavy industry sponsorship and big admission fees, ended Thursday with some 4,000 attendees. Defcon, larger and more roguish, started smoothly Friday, without any of the registration problems that irked fire officials last year and caused lengthy delays. Organizers said more than 6,800 people attended the first day, with more expected Saturday.

There was a moment of drama in the afternoon when organizers received a tip that an undercover NBC producer was covertly filming some of the sessions. The woman was identified during one of the presentations, and she hustled away from the convention site without comment.

An NBC spokeswoman said the network doesn't comment on its newsgathering practices. Defcon organizers said NBC had been offered press credentials but declined.

Infiltrating password-protected social networking sites has been an increasingly fruitful area of study for hobbyists and professional computer security researchers.

One hacker, Rick Deacon, a 21-year-old network administrator from Beachwood, Ohio, says he's discovered a so-called "zero-day" flaw — or a problem that hasn't been patched yet — in MySpace that allows intruders to commandeer personal Web pages and possibly inject malicious code.

Deacon is scheduled to present his findings Sunday. So far, it only affects older versions of the Firefox Web browser and does not affect Internet Explorer, he said.

The attack uses a so-called "cross-site scripting" vulnerability, a common type of flaw found in Web applications that involves injecting code onto someone else's Web page.

The vulnerability could not be independently verified, but experts said these types of attacks are a particular problem for social networking sites, where it's difficult to police the content of the millions of posts each day.

Deacon said the flaw he discovered requires that a user click on a link that leads to a Web page where the computer's "cookie" information is stolen. Deacon said he discovered the problem several months ago along with several other researchers and alerted MySpace, but the company didn't fix the problem.

"Facebook and MySpace both patch things that they find, but it's like a sandbox," Deacon said. "There's so much. And there are probably hundreds more cross-site scripting vulnerabilities there. There's no way they can find them all."

A MySpace spokeswoman declined to comment specifically about Deacon's presentation. The company said in a statement that "it's our responsibility to have the most responsive, solely dedicated 24-7 safety and security team, and we do."

In a separate demonstration, Robert Graham, chief executive of Atlanta-based Errata Security, showed a program for snooping on the computers on public wireless networks to steal the "cookie" information and hijack e-mail accounts and personal Web pages on social networks.

In his Black Hat presentation, he took over the e-mail account of an audience member using Google Inc.'s Gmail service. Graham said his program demonstrates the vulnerability of public wireless connections.

"Everyone has gotten into their minds that passwords over WiFi are toxic, so let's fix that, and they have," Graham said. "What I'm saying is that everything else is just as toxic."

Graham's demonstration would not have worked if the audience member had been using the encrypted version of Gmail.

Google declined to comment specifically on the presentation but said the company is expanding its capacity to enable automatic encryption for all Gmail users.

Teacher ready to fly to space station By MIKE SCHNEIDER, Associated Press Writer

Teacher ready to fly to space station By MIKE SCHNEIDER, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 20 minutes ago



CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - When former schoolteacher Barbara Morgan leaves Earth on a space shuttle next week, she hopes her students back in Idaho learn a lesson from her 22-year wait to get into orbit: perseverance and patience. That's what defines teachers, said the astronaut, who is achieving her dream at age 55.

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Morgan will fly with six other astronauts to the international space station on the shuttle Endeavour, assuming launch goes forward on Wednesday as planned.

The seven arrived at Kennedy Space Center Friday afternoon. Astronaut Alvin Drew noted that the crew was first assigned in 2002. "In the words of the great philosopher poet, Larry the Cable Guy, 'It's time to get her done,'" he said.

The mission comes less than two weeks after am embarrassing report by a panel of medical experts suggested some astronauts were cleared to fly after drinking too much — despite concerns raised by flight surgeons and other astronauts. NASA says it's investigating those claims. The report on astronaut health also called for regular psychological tests.

Endeavour commander Scott Kelly said he has already discussed behavior expectations for the upcoming flight. Until the news about possible astronaut drinking, most of the attention in recent weeks has been on the next mission and Barbara Morgan.

In 1985, Morgan was chosen from thousands of applicants to be the back-up to teacher-in-space Christa McAuliffe. They trained together at Johnson Space Center in Houston for six months, and it was McAuliffe who was on board Challenger when it blew apart on Jan. 28, 1986. A poorly designed seal in the shuttle's solid rocket booster was blamed for the disaster that killed her and six astronauts.

After the Challenger accident, Morgan returned to teaching grade school students in Idaho, but NASA asked her to stay on as the teacher-in-space designee. She gave speeches and served on a federal task force for women. She helped NASA figure out how to include space in schools' curriculum.

She waited to go to space.

NASA struggled with whether to continue the teacher-in-space program or whether to include teachers in the astronaut experience in another way. The agency chose the latter, and in 1998 Morgan was asked to become a full-fledged astronaut. Three other teachers have since joined the astronaut corps.

For Morgan, astronaut-educators are just another category of professionals in the astronaut corps. NASA's original astronauts were test pilots, but the astronaut corps opened up to scientists and engineers during the Apollo program in the late 1960s.

Morgan's duties during the Endeavour mission will include helping move 5,000 pounds of cargo from the shuttle to the space station and relocating a stowage platform using the shuttle's robotic arm.

"She's a tough cookie and I don't think anything is going to stand in the way of her doing the job that she has been asked to do and that she has been trained well to do," said crew mate Tracy Caldwell, who was selected in the same astronaut class as Morgan.

Unlike McAuliffe, who wasn't a fully trained astronaut, Morgan has no plans to give a lesson from space. Instead she will answer questions from schoolchildren in Idaho. If the 11-day shuttle mission is extended to 14 days as expected, she also will get a chance to talk to young students in Virginia and Massachusetts.

"Because she is an educator, we will be able to get the attention of students and educators in a way which perhaps we were unable to do in previous missions," said Joyce Winterton, NASA's assistant administrator for education.

The Endeavour crew — which includes commander Scott Kelly, pilot Charles Hobaugh and mission specialists Drew, Tracy Caldwell, Dave Williams and Rick Mastracchio — have been good- natured about all the attention on Morgan, although Kelly recently admitted it has been a little distracting.

"If you have any other questions for the rest of the crew, Barbara will be happy to answer them," Kelly joked to reporters.

The astronauts will be flying in a vehicle that has been refurbished from nosecap to tail, part of a regular maintenance overhaul for the shuttles every three or four years. Original plans for a Tuesday liftoff were delayed for a day because NASA had to replace a leaky valve in the crew cabin.

During the 11-day mission, the astronauts will deliver 5,000 pounds of cargo to the space station, attach a new truss segment to the outpost and replace a gyroscope which helps control the station's orientation. Three spacewalks are planned.

If the mission is extended to 14 days_ a decision that won't be made until the mission is well under way — the astronauts will take a fourth spacewalk to install protective panels to stop debris from hitting the station.

Despite her celebrity, Morgan has insisted all along that McAuliffe "was, is and always will be our first teacher in space" — even though McAuliffe technically never reached space since Challenger broke apart 73 seconds after liftoff.

"I'm just another teacher going in space and there are more to come," Morgan said. "People will be thinking of Christa and the Challenger crew and what they were trying to do and that's a good thing."

___

On the Net:

NASA at http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html

Stocks fall sharply amid credit fears By TIM PARADIS, AP Business Writer

Stocks fall sharply amid credit fears By TIM PARADIS, AP Business Writer
1 hour, 27 minutes ago



NEW YORK - Wall Street plunged anew Friday, hurtling the Dow Jones industrial average down more than 280 points after comments from a major investment bank exacerbated the market's fears of a widening credit crunch.

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The drop of more than 2 percent in major stock market indexes was a fitting end to two volatile weeks on Wall Street and followed back-to-back, late-day triple digit gains in the Dow. This time, the catalyst for a sharp skid was Bear Stearns Cos. Chief Financial Officer Sam Molinaro, who described turmoil in the credit market as the worst he'd seen in 22 years.

Stocks started the day with a decline after the government said jobs growth was not as strong as expected last month and a trade group reported that the nation's service sector grew at a slower pace than expected in July. Then, credit concerns, which have dogged investors for months and have roiled markets since last week, further weighed on investor sentiment; Standard & Poor's Ratings Services lowered its credit outlook on Bear Stearns to negative from stable because of the investment bank's exposure to the distressed mortgage and corporate buyout markets.

"I think there is a tremendous amount of uncertainty with regard to the credit markets and how the situation will ultimately settle," said Mike Malone, trading analyst at Cowen & Co.

Investors remain worried that problems in subprime mortgages — those made to borrowers with poor credit histories — will force lenders to make credit less available. When people and companies can't borrow money as easily, the economy tends to slow down.

"There is not going to be one sort of clear signal that suggests everything is OK," Malone said, referring to the subprime and credit worries. "I think it's going to take time and the equity markets are going to experience heightened volatility."

Investors could be in for more tumultuousness in the coming week, which not only includes economic figures on productivity and consumer credit, but also brings a meeting of the Federal Reserve's Open Market Committee, which has left short-term interest rates unchanged for the past year. Investors will likely be looking to its statement following its meeting for any word on the mortgage and credit markets.

The Dow fell 281.18 to 13,182.15. As has been typical in recent selloffs, much of the decline came late in the session; the Dow lost more than 100 points in the final 15 minutes Friday. Despite the day's loss, the index was off only 0.63 percent for the week.

Broader stock indicators also fell sharply Friday. The Standard & Poor's 500 index dropped 39.14, or 2.66 percent, to 1,433.06, and the Nasdaq composite index fell 64.73, or 2.51 percent, to 2,511.25. For the week, the S&P fell 1.77 percent, while the Nasdaq fell 1.99 percent.

The concerns have pulled stocks from highs seen only weeks ago. The Dow, which on July 19 closed above 14,000 for the first time, now sits about 819 points below that level. That 5.9 percent decline puts the Dow more than halfway toward the technical threshold of a correction, which is 10 percent.

Small-capitalization stocks were hit hard again Friday, partly because the global economy appears to be growing faster than that of the United States. Investors often contend profits at larger companies are more likely to hold up amid a U.S. slowdown because much of their business is drawn from overseas. The Russell 2000 index of small-capitalization stocks fell 28.57, or 3.64 percent, to 755.42.

The session also saw a notable rise in the bond market, as investors fled to the relative safety of fixed-income investments. The yield on benchmark 10-year Treasury note fell to 4.68 percent from 4.77 percent late Thursday. Bond prices move opposite yields.

The unease over the mortgage market and tightening credit Friday again dragged down financial stocks, which have been hard hit in recent weeks.

Bear Stearns fell $7.28, or 6.3 percent, to $108.35. Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. fell $4.67, or 7.7 percent, to $55.78; the stock traded as low as $55.46, below its 52-week low of $58.85. Merrill Lynch & Co. fell $2.50, or 3.5 percent, to $70.05. The stock traded as low as $69.14, below its earlier 52-week low of $70.86.

Investors also fled lenders. American Home Mortgage Investment Corp. confirmed late Thursday it has stopped taking mortgage applications and is laying off most of its 7,000 staffers. American Home dropped 76 cents, or 52 percent, to 69 cents.

Countrywide Financial Corp. fell $1.77, or 6.6 percent, to $25. The nation's biggest mortgage lender said late Thursday it has adequate access to cash and isn't facing the liquidity crunch that is hitting dozens of other smaller players.

In economic news, which didn't provide much reason for investors to look past the mortgage and credit concerns, the Labor Department said nonfarm payrolls rose 92,000 last month, less than the 132,000 jobs created in June and below the average forecast of about 135,000. Also, unemployment ticked up to 4.6 percent — a six-month high — from 4.5 percent in June. Still, overall unemployment remains low, analysts noted.

Also, the Institute for Supply Management said its non-manufacturing index, which measures service sector activity, fell in July to 55.8 from 60.7 in June. Wall Street had expected a reading of 59, according to Thomson Financial/IFR.

Investors still uncertain about the effect of rising subprime mortgage defaults on the broader economy have regarded the stable job market and consumer spending as signs the economy might hold up despite a tighter lending climate. That's because people with steady paychecks are more likely to keep spending and pay back their debt. At the same time, some pullback in employment might ease some concerns about wage inflation.

"I think the ISM and the jobs numbers are going to accelerate the general consensus view that maybe the economy is slower than anticipated," said Subodh Kumar, global investment strategist at Subodh Kumar & Assoc.

"The market has become very much driven from data point to data point because of uncertainty of a number of issues," he said, citing unease over credit, oil prices, and a weak dollar.

Crude oil futures settled down $1.38 at $75.42 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange after the employment report suggested the economy could slow and demand for oil could fall. Crude closed at a record $78.21 a barrel on Tuesday, though ended the week 2 percent lower.

Declining issues outnumbered advancers by about 5 to 1 on the New York Stock Exchange, where consolidated volume came to 4.54 billion shares compared with 4.18 billion traded Thursday.

In Asian trading, Japan's Nikkei stock average fell 0.03 percent, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose 0.4 percent, and China's Shanghai Composite Index rose 3.5 percent. In Europe, Britain's FTSE 100 fell 1.21 percent, Germany's DAX index fell 1.31 percent, and France's CAC-40 fell 1.48 percent.

___

The Dow Jones industrial average ended the week down 83.56, or 0.63 percent, at 13,181.91. The Standard & Poor's 500 index finished down 25.89, or 1.77 percent, at 1,433.06. The Nasdaq composite index ended down 50.99, or 1.99 percent, at 2,511.25.

The Russell 2000 index finished the week down 22.41, or 2.88 percent, at 755.42.

The Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Composite Index — a free-float weighted index that measures 5,000 U.S. based companies — ended Friday at 14,432.34, down 278.44 for the week. A year ago, the index was at 12,826.14.

___

On the Net:

New York Stock Exchange: http://www.nyse.com

Nasdaq Stock Market: http://www.nasdaq.com

Police raids linked to editor's slaying By MICHELLE LOCKE, Associated Press Writer

Police raids linked to editor's slaying By MICHELLE LOCKE, Associated Press Writer
8 minutes ago



OAKLAND, Calif. - A gun linked to the slaying of an Oakland journalist was seized during raids early Friday targeting members of a Black Muslim group that operates a chain of bakeries, police said.

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Colleagues said Oakland Post editor Chauncey Bailey, 57, had been working on a story about Your Black Muslim Bakery before he was ambushed and killed Thursday morning in downtown Oakland. Witnesses said a masked gunman shot Bailey near the county courthouse around 7:30 a.m. Thursday and fled.

Oakland Police Lt. Ersie Joyner said he believes the seven people arrested Friday include those responsible for Bailey's death. Police say that they still do not have a motive for Bailey's killing, and that they had no knowledge that he was working on a story about the bakery.

Before dawn, officers raided the Muslim group's headquarters at the bakery and three houses in Oakland. The seven arrests were on charges including homicide, robbery and assault, but it was unclear whether any of those charges were tied directly to Bailey's slaying.

"The search warrant yielded several weapons and other evidence of value including evidence linking the murder of Chauncey Bailey to members of the Your Black Muslim Bakery," Assistant Police Chief Howard Jordan said, adding the raids were part of a yearlong investigation into a variety of violent crimes.

Joseph Debro, who writes a column for the Oakland Post, said Bailey had recently asked him for information about Your Black Muslim Bakery's financial troubles for a story Bailey was writing.

"To him it was just another story," Debro said. "He wasn't apprehensive or anxious about it at all. He said he was working on a bunch of stories and this was one."

According to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, the last journalist killed in the line of duty in the U.S. was Robert Stevens, a photo editor who died in 2001 after anthrax was mailed to American Media Inc. in Florida.

Your Black Muslim Bakery was founded in 1968 by the late Yusuf Bey as a haven for struggling urban families. It sells natural baked goods alongside books by Malcolm X and other black leaders.

Bailey was a longtime reporter for the Oakland Tribune before becoming editor of the Post, a weekly newspaper geared toward the Bay Area black community, earlier this year.

He had written stories for the Tribune about the bakery and its founder when Bey was facing rape charges. Most of those charges were later dropped, although one was still pending when Bey died in 2003.

Bey's son, Yusuf Bey IV, who was in custody Friday, took control of the original bakery and several franchises.

In 2005, he was accused by police of being the ringleader in a group of Black Muslims who smashed liquor bottles in Oakland corner stores and berated the Muslim owners for selling alcohol to the black community.

Your Black Muslim Bakery has been plagued with financial problems for several years, culminating in a bankruptcy filing last October.

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Associated Press writers Bob Porterfield and Sudhin Thanawala in San Francisco contributed to this report.

Hundreds near Calif. fire ordered out 10 minutes ago

Hundreds near Calif. fire ordered out 10 minutes ago



LOS OLIVOS, Calif. - A huge wildfire grew significantly in a national forest Friday night, raining ash on communities miles away and forcing hundreds of people to evacuate their rural homes and campgrounds.

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The month-old fire in northern Santa Barbara County has burned an estimated 38,000 acres — or 60 square miles — and was 70 percent contained. However, fire officials said the blaze had grown during the day.

"We got additional wind on it today and the fire started burning more actively midmorning," said Kathy Good, Los Padres National Forest spokeswoman. "Now it's headed south-southeast."

Told to evacuate were 300 people in 160 homes, 300 people from five campgrounds, 75 children and 12 staff members from Los Prietos Boys Camp, and an unknown number from an RV camp, said William Boyer, a county spokesman.

No homes were immediately threatened, Boyer said, but evacuation was ordered because "the way the fire is moving, we want to give them enough time to get out."

The fire was burning through heavy vegetation, which is "generating a lot of smoke and ash that's extending over to Santa Barbara and Montecito, basically to the coast," Good said.

The area is crowded with thousands of visitors for Santa Barbara's annual Old Spanish Days Fiesta.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was in the area and declared a state of emergency in the county to free up state resources for fighting the fire.

The blaze was started July 4 by sparks from equipment repairing a water pipe. To date, the fire has cost about $42.8 million to fight.

Firefighters battled blazes across the West and another in New Jersey.

In southwestern Montana, 25 houses threatened by a wind-whipped fire were ordered evacuated about 20 miles from Philipsburg, said Karen Semple, a fire information officer. The houses are east of a 2,400-acre fire, she said.

Other residents north of Helena who fled a 49-square-mile fire Thursday night were allowed to return to their homes. But the Lewis and Clark County sheriff told them to be prepared to leave again.

Crews had contained 33 percent of the fire burning in the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness since July 21. Fire managers hoped progress achieved during the week would not be reversed as forecasts called for 35 mph gusts, said Cheryl Larsen, a fire information officer.

"We've had a window of opportunity the last couple of days to make some good advances, continuing construction of the fire line and fortifying it," Larsen said.

In Washington state, at least 400 firefighters were being deployed to battle the nearly 500-acre blaze sparked by a helicopter crash on Thursday, fire information officer Scott Crawford said. Four people died in crash about 60 miles east-southeast of Seattle on the east slope of the Cascade Range.

"We have one way in and one way out, which is a big safety challenge," he said. "There's going to be a super focus on safety in fighting this fire."

The fire was not immediately threatening any buildings. An unoccupied cabin sits about a mile away.

In Idaho, fire crews contained a blaze that had scorched more than 1,000 square miles and forced the evacuation of two small towns near the Nevada line. No homes were destroyed, fire officials said.

Hot, dry conditions persisted as crews fought 13 other large fires that had burned 600 square miles across the state, including a fast-moving fire in northern Idaho. It grew to 100 acres — less than a fifth of a square mile — by Friday evening but forced the evacuation of several homes, officials said.

Another fire torched 3,000 acres — about 4.7 square miles — in a remote corner of the Wharton State Forest in New Jersey. Fire officials could not estimate when the blaze might be contained, but no homes have been threatened.

AP: Tillman memo contradicted citation By SCOTT LINDLAW and MARTHA MENDOZA, Associated Press Writers

AP: Tillman memo contradicted citation By SCOTT LINDLAW and MARTHA MENDOZA, Associated Press Writers
1 hour, 19 minutes ago



SAN FRANCISCO - Just a day after approving a medal claiming former NFL player Pat Tillman had been cut down by "devastating enemy fire" in Afghanistan, a high-ranking general tried to warn President Bush that the story might not be true, according to testimony obtained by The Associated Press.

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Despite this apparent contradiction, Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal was spared punishment in the latest review of Tillman's shooting. On Tuesday, the Army overruled a Pentagon recommendation that he be held accountable for his "misleading" actions.

In a sometimes contentious November interview under oath and via videoconference, Pentagon investigators sharply questioned McChrystal about the conflicting accounts, according to the testimony obtained by the AP under the Freedom of Information Act.

McChrystal acknowledged he had suspected several days prior to approving the Silver Star citation on April 28, 2004, that Tillman may have died by fratricide.

He said that suspicion led him to send a memo to top generals imploring "our nation's leaders," specifically "POTUS" — the acronym for the president — to avoid cribbing the "devastating enemy fire" explanation from the award citation for their speeches.

"Why did you recommend the Silver Star one day and then the next day send a secret back-channel message warning the country's leaders about using information from the Silver Star in public speeches because they might be embarrassed if they do?" an investigator asked McChrystal.

Despite numerous questions, the general never directly explained the discrepancies.

"That question seems to imply the fact that we were giving the award with one hand and then with the other hand saying it was something different," he protested. "But that's exactly the opposite of the way I felt and feel now."

McChrystal told the investigators that he believed Tillman deserved the award, and that he wanted to warn top U.S. military and political leadership that friendly fire was a possibility.

"Because I thought it was friendly fire I thought it was important that key attendees know that that theory could become the finding of the investigation, and if they were going to make a statement about 'killed by enemy fire,' it might not be certain," McChrystal said.

The "secret back-channel message" was a memo known as a P4 that McChrystal wrote on April 29, 2004, to Gen. John Abizaid, head of Central Command, and to two other generals.

The P4 noted rumors that Bush and other top officials "might include comments about Cpl. Tillman's heroism and his approved Silver Star medal in speeches." He warned that it "might cause public embarrassment" if the circumstances of Tillman's death were released.

In the Silver Star citation, McChrystal had praised Tillman for placing himself "in the line of devastating enemy fire."

Tillman's comrades who were nearby in the moments before he was killed have testified that fellow Americans were shooting at them. A few also have testified that the enemy may have been firing as well, but ineffectively. No enemy bullet, rocket or mortar appeared to come close to Tillman during his last minutes on a barren hillside in eastern Afghanistan.

McChrystal was then and remains commander of the covert Joint Special Operations Command, the military's clandestine "black ops" corps, which fights in the shadows of battles in Iraq, Afghanistan and beyond.

Among those who work with him, McChrystal is respected and admired for his leadership and integrity. He also has the trust of Bush, who — despite the secrecy of McChrystal's operation — publicly praised him last year when al-Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed in a U.S. airstrike.

Attempts to reach McChrystal this week by telephone and e-mail were unsuccessful. Ken McGraw, a spokesman for US Special Operations Command, said in an e-mail Friday that it would be "inappropriate" for McChrystal to comment or speculate about the punishment decisions.

McChrystal also declined an invitation to appear Wednesday before a congressional committee investigating the misinformation given to Tillman's family and the American public following his friendly fire death in Afghanistan.

Tillman's parents have been critical of the military's punishments surrounding their son's death. The Army waited about five weeks after it suspected friendly fire was involved before telling Tillman's family the true nature of his death.

McChrystal testified in a previous investigation that he had decided not to tell the Tillman family of friendly fire "based on my thought that providing incorrect information before an initial investigation was complete was not in line with normal policies." However, Army regulations require that families be notified when such an investigation is under way — not when it is completed.

Like several other officers involved in the case, McChrystal testified that he did not know about the rule.

After a year-long inquiry that ended in March, the Pentagon's acting inspector general found that McChrystal should be held "accountable for the inaccurate and misleading assertions" in the Silver Star award recommendation; and for failing to notify the officials processing the award that friendly fire was likely.

"The P4 message did not request or suggest any action to correct the information in the award recommendation package," wrote Thomas Gimble, then the Pentagon's top investigator.

Gimble recommended that the acting Army secretary "address and take action" against McChrystal and one subordinate for failing "to submit an accurate Silver Star recommendation." McChrystal was the highest-ranking of nine officers Gimble recommended be "held accountable" for their involvement in the aftermath of Tillman's death.

But the Army cast that aside Tuesday when it overruled the Pentagon's recommendation.

Another Army general, William Wallace, concluded McChrystal had behaved reasonably in assuming the supporting material presented to him for Tillman's Silver Star recommendation was accurate. The Army's statement Tuesday made no mention of McChrystal's acknowledgment under oath that he had known prior to approving the Silver Star that fratricide was a strong possibility.

Asked by a reporter at a news conference Tuesday why McChrystal did not simply call Tillman's family, Army Secretary Pete Geren said that was the job of another chain of command run by Lt. Gen. Philip R. Kensinger Jr., who then led Army special operations forces.

Kensinger, who has since retired, was censured by the Army for allegedly lying to investigators and for a "a failure of leadership."

Inquiry begun into bridge inspections By JOHN C. HENRY, Associated Press Writer

Inquiry begun into bridge inspections By JOHN C. HENRY, Associated Press Writer
13 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - Federal transportation officials announced plans Friday to investigate the agency responsible for inspecting highway bridges, an inquiry triggered by the collapse of an interstate highway bridge in Minneapolis.

The inspector general for the Transportation Department said the inquiry would focus on the Federal Highway Administration's inspection program and ways to improve the agency's oversight of more than 70,000 bridges that have been found structurally deficient.

"The Interstate 35W bridge collapse raises questions" about the highway administration oversight of bridge inspections, said Calvin L. Scovel III, the transportation department's inspector general.

Scovel said his inquiry will examine whether highway administration officials followed recommendations in 2006 to improve oversight of structurally deficient bridges and to work more closely with state transportation officials "address the most serious deficiencies found during bridge inspections."

Also under review, Scovel said, is the federal funding provided to states and whether they are making efficient repairs to deficient bridges.

The Minneapolis bridge was found structurally deficient in 1990.

Transportation Secretary Mary Peters requested the review. Asked Friday whether she could be sure none of the other structurally deficient bridges are unsound, said there are no indications, but substantive changes in bridge inspections are needed.

Peters said changes could come, however, depending on the results of inspections ordered Thursday of 756 steel-deck truss bridges similar to the Minneapolis bridge and on findings from the investigation into the collapse.

"Obviously something happened here that none of us expected," said Peters.

Repairing all spans rated structurally deficient would take at least a generation and cost more than $188 billion — at least $9.4 billion a year over 20 years.

Those bridges carry an average of more than 300 million vehicles a day.

At least 73,533 of roughly 607,363 bridges in the nation, or about 12 percent, were classified as "structurally deficient," including some built as recently as the early 1990s, according to 2006 statistics from the Federal Highway Administration.

A bridge is typically judged structurally deficient if heavy trucks are banned or there are other weight restrictions, if it needs immediate work to stay open or if it is closed. In any case, such a bridge is considered in need of substantial maintenance, rehabilitation or even replacement.

The Federal Highway Administration has said addressing the backlog of needed bridge repairs would take at least $55 billion. That was five years ago, with expectations of more deficiencies to come.

It is money that Congress, the federal government and the states have so far been unable or unwilling to spend.

The federal government provides 80 percent of the money for construction, repair and maintenance of the so-called federal-aid highway system including Interstate highways and bridges. But states set priorities and handle construction and maintenance contracts.

The federal government is now providing about $40 billion a year to improve and expand the nation's highways and bridges.

An analysis of 2006 Federal Highway Administration data found that Minnesota bridges were generally in better shape than those in other states. Only about 6 percent of the state's 20,000 bridges were listed as being structurally deficient. In Oklahoma, nearly 27 percent of bridges were cited by the federal government as being structurally deficient, the highest percentage among the states.

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Associated Press writers Sharon Theimer and H. Josef Hebert contributed to this report.

Toll from bridge collapse could be low By SHARON COHEN and ADAM GELLER, AP National Writers

Toll from bridge collapse could be low By SHARON COHEN and ADAM GELLER, AP National Writers
29 minutes ago



MINNEAPOLIS - More than 100 cars and trucks and a school bus crawling bumper-to-bumper on a bridge that suddenly crashed into the Mississippi River seemed like a recipe for a massive death count. But on Friday came what this city's fire chief called a miraculous turn of events: the prospect that relatively few lives were lost.

Divers still searched through the swirling, muddy currents for cars and bodies. However, the official death toll remained at five from Wednesday's collapse, and authorities cast doubt on an earlier estimate that as many as 30 people were missing. They said it could even be as few as eight.

Of the roughly 100 injured, 28 remain hospitalized, and only five were critical.

"We were surprised that we didn't have more people seriously injured and killed," Fire Chief Jim Clack told The Associated Press. "I think it was something of a miracle."

Clack cited a list of reasons: a bridge design that minimized falling debris, a quick response by rescue crews and the rush-hour crawl that gave vehicles little momentum to plunge into the river.

In addition, experts say the speed and depth of the water in the Mississippi River were much lower than normal on the day of the collapse — largely the result of a drought. That may have made it easier for people to escape the disaster.

"It's a horrible, tragic event. But it could have been a hell of a lot worse," said Kent Harries, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering in the University of Pittsburgh's School of Engineering.

Minnesota officials say they don't yet know how many cars were traveling the span during the collapse. But judging by the length of road, the lanes that were open, time of day and widely accepted traffic formulas, Northwestern University engineering professor Joseph Schofer estimated that between 100 and 150 vehicles were on the bridge.

Despite the low death toll, divers were still contending with a treacherous combination of sunken cars, broken cliffs of concrete and jagged rebar as they searched for bodies.

Firefighters pulled the fifth victim, the driver of a tractor-trailer that was engulfed in flames, from the wreckage late Thursday. Video of the burning rig — nose down in the crevasse between two broken concrete slabs — was among the most compelling images shown in the immediate aftermath of the collapse. The driver was identified as Paul Eickstadt, 51, of Mounds View.

Early in the day, authorities said as few as eight people were still missing. However, they cautioned later that number could rise, in part because there was no way to know how many victims were in the water. Some people without family in the area may not have been reported missing, said Police Lt. Amelia Huffman, a spokeswoman.

The missing included a 23-year-old pregnant woman and her 2-year-old daughter, who was in the back seat of the family's car when the bridge crumbled.

Sadiya Sahal, a 23-year-old immigrant from Somalia, called her family at 5:30 p.m. saying she was stuck in traffic, said Omar Jamal, executive director of the Somali Justice Advocacy Center. That was her last phone call. "Her husband is destroyed. He's in shock," Jamal said.

Authorities still do not know what caused the 6:05 p.m. collapse. Engineers had theories including heavy traffic and construction work that might have put an undue burden on the span. The bridge was deemed "structurally deficient" by the federal government as far back as 1990.

Minnesota transportation officials spent another day dealing with scrutiny arising from reports and inspections over the years that raised alarm about the bridge, including rust-eaten steel beams, missing bolts and cracks in the welding that held load-bearing parts together.

A consulting company that thoroughly examined the bridge noted that one possible fix — steel plating of fractures — carried a "relatively high cost," according to a January report. Transportation officials deny that cost pressures swayed their decisions.

President Bush was scheduled to visit Saturday, and first lady Laura Bush toured the scene Friday morning. She praised the rescuers who rushed to the bridge in the chaos after the collapse — a sentiment echoed by the fire chief in explaining why more people didn't die. Because the bridge was near the heart of downtown, several emergency crews and residents were close by.

"We could not have done it as firefighters alone. It took more people than we had. It was organized. It was pretty calm," Clack said.

Authorities and engineers were in agreement that the truss-style design of the bridge played a big role in saving lives. The steel that supported the bridge was below the structure — as opposed to above the span in more traditional bridge designs.

"I think that was a lifesaving feature," Schofer said. "They had this huge advantage. They weren't crushed by steel."

Even though the collapse occurred during rush hour, the heavy traffic was an advantage because the cars were almost stopped and didn't have much momentum, Clack said. Because of that, the collapse was less likely to hurl moving cars into the river.

"They didn't have forward velocity," he said, "so when the bridge fell, they went straight down."

While the entire span covers 1,907 feet, only 458 feet is directly over water, supported by giant pylons. The rest of the bridge rises over sloping banks and flood plains of the river channel.

The irregular slope of the riverbank on the south side of the bridge turned out to be a good thing. When that portion of bridge snapped at the middle, the support pylons held, and the roadway only had a short distance to fall until it was caught by a drop-off just before the river.

On the north side of the bridge, however, the bank slopes down in a steady angle to a broad tidal flat. As a result, when that portion of the bridge crumpled, there was nothing to catch it.

That was evident to Dr. John Hick, assistant medical director for emergency medical services at Hennepin County Medical Center, who noticed that injuries on the north end of the bridge were much more grave.

Another factor that may have limited the death toll is the behavior of the river itself.

Mark Rosenker, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, said investigators were particularly interested in learning why a part of the bridge's southern span shifted as it collapsed. That was the only part of the bridge that shifted, and it could help pinpoint the cause.

Scott Bratten, who regulates locks and dams on the river for the local district of the Army Corps of Engineers, said that because of the drought in Minnesota, the water at the time of the collapse was flowing at just a third of its normal speed.

That may have made it easier for people in cars to escape them, and it almost certainly made it easier for rescuers to make their way into the water and help the dazed and injured.

"During the spring it's a raging torrent in there and it would be a very dangerous place," said Whitney Clark, executive director of Friends of the Mississippi River. "The low water I'm sure was a factor in not making currents very much of an issue. ... If this had happened during the spring snowmelt or something it would have been a much different situation."

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Associated Press writers Matt Crenson, Henry C. Jackson, Brian Bakst and Martiga Lohn contributed to this report.

U.N. chief: momentum in Darfur By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press Writer

U.N. chief: momentum in Darfur By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press Writer
2 hours, 18 minutes ago



UNITED NATIONS - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday called the coming months crucial in the quest for peace in Darfur, following political momentum and approval of a joint African Union-U.N. peacekeeping force to stem the violence.

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But in a report to the U.N. Security Council, Ban warned that "as long as hostilities continue in Darfur, efforts to reach a political settlement and achieve durable peace will not succeed."

The release of the report comes as a meeting gets under way this weekend in Arusha, Tanzania, organized by the U.N. and AU to get Darfur's various splinter rebel factions to agree on an agenda for peace talks.

It also follows Tuesday's unanimous approval by the U.N. Security Council of a 26,000-strong AU-U.N. peacekeeping force for Darfur to end four years of rape and slaughter of civilians in the vast Sudanese region.

"The coming weeks and months will be a crucial period in the quest for peace in Darfur," Ban said.

The joint U.N.-AU effort to achieve a political solution "will gain momentum" as special envoys from the two organizations "make every effort to commence negotiations" between all combatants and the government, he said.

The secretary-general said implementing the Security Council resolution on the AU-U.N. "hybrid" force will be "a major litmus test of the political will of all involved."

Ban said successfuly deploying the hybrid force "will very much depend on the government's cooperation and assistance, especially with regard to the provision of adequate land, permission to drill for water and the timely clearance of critical mission-support items through customs."

The international community in the next month must also offer the troops and police for the hybrid operation so that the AU-U.N. force can take over as quickly as possible from the underfunded and poorly equipped 7,000-strong AU force currently on the ground in Darfur, which has been unable to stem the violence, he said.

Meanwhile, Ban said he worried about Darfur's "very precarious" situation. Violence and insecurity continue, including Sudanese military bombings of civilian areas, ground attacks against civilian villages, a resurgence of inter-tribal clashes, and systematic rape.

This year, he said, more than 150,000 people have fled their villages, most seeking refuge in camps for internally displaced people that in many cases are already overcrowded.

Ban said the insecurity has forced humanitarian organizations to curtail some programs, leading to "the deterioration of the living conditions of the millions of conflict-affected people who depend on humanitarian agencies for their survival."

An estimated 566,000 of the 4.2 million conflict-affected persons in Darfur are cut off from humanitarian assistance, he said.

More than 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million uprooted since the conflict in Darfur began in February 2003, when ethnic African tribes rebelled against what they consider decades of neglect and discrimination.

Sudan's government is accused of retaliating by unleashing a militia of Arab nomads known as the janjaweed — a charge it denies. The Darfur Peace Agreement, signed a year ago by the government and one rebel group, has been unable to stop the violence.