 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Nation in brief
Compiled from Times wires Radioactivity scare unfoundedA Washington-bound Aeroflot flight from Moscow was stopped in New York on Wednesday after Russian officials asked U.S. authorities to search it for radioactive material. U.S. customs officials found nothing but furs on board. Two passengers were detained and questioned for about five hours after fur coats were found in their luggage, then allowed to depart. Mother who beat girl on video is told to get help, take classesSOUTH BEND, Ind. -- A woman caught on videotape beating her 4-year-old daughter must undergo counseling and take classes in parenting and rage control before she can regain custody of the child, a judge ordered Wednesday. Probate Judge Peter Nemeth also ordered Madelyne Toogood to maintain stable housing, maintain consistent contact with the state Office of Family and Children and visit her daughter, Martha, regularly. She also must complete a parenting assessment. Toogood, 25, and her husband, John Toogood, 29, wouldn't comment Wednesday outside court but agreed to the stipulations. If they meet the court's demands they likely will be reunited with their daughter in six months to a year. The girl is now living with her maternal grandmother. Bush's poll numbers on economy slippingPresident Bush's overall job approval remains solid with just over two weeks until the elections, but public sentiment about his handling of the economy is sliding. Two-thirds approve of his overall handling of the presidency, while just under half now approve of his handling of the economy, according to a CNN-USA Today-Gallup poll out Wednesday. Approval of his handling of the economy has slipped from 63 percent in midsummer to 49 percent now, with 44 percent disapproving. Public approval of his handling of foreign affairs has slipped from 71 percent at midsummer to 58 percent now. Democrats ranked ahead of Republicans by 47-36 on which party would do a better job of handling the economy. Republicans ranked ahead of Democrats by 50-32 on which party would do a better job of handling a war with Iraq. Republicans were ahead of Democrats by 52-23 on handling terrorism, while Democrats were ahead of Republicans by 52-29 on handling health care. The poll of 1,018 adults was taken Oct. 21-22 and had an error margin of plus or minus 3 percentage points. No one hurt as quake rattles chunk of AlaskaANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A strong earthquake rocked a broad swath of Alaska on Wednesday, waking people up hundreds of miles from the epicenter and knocking items off shelves but causing no major damage or injuries. The quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 6.7, hit at 3:27 a.m. and was centered about 30 miles southeast of Denali National Park. It was felt as far as 350 miles away, said Bruce Tanner, a seismologist with the Alaska Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer. Final condor chick of three is found deadLOS PADRES NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. -- The last of three California condors that were first to hatch in the wild in nearly two decades has died, officials said. The chick, which was about 5 months old, was found Tuesday in a remote sandstone cave. The birds were the offspring of adults raised in captivity and later released. The first chick died three weeks ago and the second was found dead last week by a biologist monitoring a cave. It was not yet clear what killed the first bird or the last. A necropsy on the second chick turned up 12 bottle caps, shards of glass, electrical fixtures, screws and washers in the bird's stomach.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From the Times wire desk
From the AP |
