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Nation in brief

Mine official: major safety improvements before blast

By wire services
Published January 12, 2006

BUCKHANNON, W.Va. - The operator of the Sago Mine said Wednesday that the company had spent heavily on safety improvements in the months before an explosion that led to the deaths of 12 miners.

Ben Hatfield, chief executive of International Coal Group Inc., said the company rebuilt two miles of primary escapeway, upgraded the mine's rail transportation system and implemented employee safety training that exceeded legal requirements.

In the past six months of 2005, there was a 60 percent reduction in lost-time injuries at the mine.

ALASKAN VOLCANO ERUPTS: A volcano on an uninhabited island erupted early Wednesday, spewing ash about 5 miles into the sky and prompting authorities to warn planes to steer clear of the cloud. The ash from Augustine Volcano was not expected to reach Anchorage, 200 miles to the northeast.

NAVY JET FOUND: A missing Navy jet with four aviators aboard was found late Wednesday, more than 24 hours after it failed to make its scheduled landing at Pensacola Naval Air Station in Florida after a low-level bomb training mission, the Civil Air Patrol said. Capt. Paige Joyner said the fate of the crew was not known.

NO SCHWARZENEGGER CHARGES: California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger won't be charged with a driving violation for his weekend motorcycle crash, officials said. Schwarzenegger was on his Harley-Davidson when he collided Sunday with a car. Police said he was driving without a license, but the city attorney declined to file any charges after reviewing the accident report.

[Last modified January 12, 2006, 01:25:23]