Nation in brief

Government issues car-seat ratings

WASHINGTON - The federal government issued its first ratings of car seats for children Wednesday and called for improvements in a product that many parents have trouble installing correctly.

Only three models earned a straight-A grade in all five categories rated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for convenience and ease of use. Two were Graco Comfort Sport models and a third was an Evenflo Tribute.

"Our expectation is that all child seat manufacturers will make A-rated seats before too long," said Jeffrey Runge, head of the agency. "Not only would we want parents to buy "A' seats, we also want to drive manufacturers to make them."

Traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for children after the first year of life. In 2001, nearly half of the 497 children under age 5 killed in crashes were not strapped in, federal statistics show.

Safety advocates say some parents give up on child seats because they are hard to install, and checks have found many parents make mistakes installing them. "If you have a seat that is convenient to use, then you will be more likely to use it correctly," said Stephanie Tombrello of SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A.

The ratings can be found at www.nhtsa.gov

WASHINGTON - Tests suggest that damage to the space shuttle Columbia's wing that may have led to the craft's destruction was so subtle that NASA will have to develop very detailed inspection methods to detect such flaws before and during flights, the agency's administrator said Wednesday.

The administrator, Sean O'Keefe, said he was sobered by the minuscule size of breaches in the leading edge of a test wing subjected to high-speed impacts of insulation foam, much as the Columbia was shortly after liftoff.

The tests, conducted Friday by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, involved using a gas cannon to shoot foam pieces at the reinforced carbon-carbon composite material panels that protect the leading edges of shuttle wings from the heat of re-entry into the atmosphere.

Pictures of the test wing, which NASA released on Wednesday at a briefing O'Keefe held with reporters, showed hairline cracks, ranging from about an inch to 6 inches long, along the front and inside of the carbon panels.

"You've got to put your face 2 to 3 inches away to see the crack," he said.

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Enrique Sosa Alvarez, accused of kidnapping a 9-year-old girl, was arraigned on rape, sexual assault and burglary counts.

Alvarez appeared in court in handcuffs, chains and with his right arm wrapped in gauze. The suspect was attacked by a police dog during his arrest. His next court appearance was set for July 1.

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