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Memphis woman said to be oldest person dies

By TIMES WIRES
Published December 12, 2006

Elizabeth "Lizzie" Bolden, recognized as the world's oldest person, died Monday in a nursing home, the home's administrator said. She was 116. Bolden was born Aug. 15, 1890, according to the Gerontology Research Group, a Los Angeles organization that tracks the ages of the world's oldest people.

Guinness World Records recognized Bolden as the oldest person in the world in August after the death of Maria Esther de Capovilla of Ecuador, who also was 116.

Bolden suffered a stroke in 2004, and her family said she spoke little after that and slept much of the time.

MEMPHIS MANATEE FOUND DEAD IN TENNESSEE LAKE

A manatee that traveled 720 miles up the Mississippi River and eluded his would-be rescuers was found dead Monday on the banks of a lake, police said.

Sgt. Vince Higgins said the manatee was discovered at Lake McKellar, a lake off the Mississippi River south of Memphis. "We believe it to be the same one sighted a few weeks ago."

The manatee was first spotted in October in the Wolf River harbor just north of downtown. It disappeared a few days later .

Teams from the Memphis Zoo and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service planned to examine the animal to determine how it died, Higgins said.

Manatees, an endangered species, generally prefer warm coastal waters from Alabama to South Carolina. In winter they usually stay off Florida.

THREE MOUNT HOOD CLIMBERS MISSING

COOPER SPUR, Ore. - Rescue teams headed up the flanks of Mount Hood Monday to search for three climbers reported missing in heavy snow, but were ordered off the mountain when conditions became too dangerous. Officials described the three men as experienced but said none had climbed Mount Hood before.

The mother of Kelly James, 48, of Dallas, told authorities that he had called his son on a cell phone Sunday to say he was stranded in a snow cave just below the summit of the 11,239-foot peak and his companions had gone for help. Authorities were unable to re-establish cell phone contact.

"From the conversation, it left us very concerned for the person's welfare," Chief Sheriff's Deputy Jerry Brown said.

ELSEWHERE

CHICAGO: Mayor Richard M. Daley said that he will run for a sixth term, a move that could put him in office longer than his legendary father. Daley was first elected mayor in 1989. If he wins re-election on Feb. 27 and serves the full term, he will become Chicago's longest-serving mayor. His father, Richard J. Daley, served 21 years before dying while in office.

MONTGOMERY, ALA.: It's been part of the lore of America's first black fighter pilots since the end of World War II: The Tuskegee Airmen never lost a bomber to enemy fire. Now, more than 60 years later, a leader of the group says he has uncovered records proving the claim is not accurate. William Holton, historian of Tuskegee Airmen Inc., said that Air Force records show that at least a few bombers escorted by the red-tailed fighters of the Tuskegee Airmen were shot down, and that the losses may have been much greater.

TRIAL VIEWERS' BUTTONS GET COURT'S NOD

The Supreme Court, in a first-of-its-kind ruling, concluded unanimously Monday that murder trial spectators were free to wear buttons with a picture of the victim in front of the jury that convicted the defendant.

The justices ruled in favor of California prosecutors who said the buttons were a harmless expression of grief by family members at the trial of Mathew Musladin.

It was the first time the justices ruled on whether the conduct of courtroom spectators deprived a defendant of a fair trial, which in this instance resulted in a conviction that was reversed by an appeals court.

[Last modified December 12, 2006, 01:40:43]