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Digest
Crude oil spill adds to flooding woes
By TIMES WIRES
Published July 4, 2007
OSAWATOMIE, KAN. Hundreds of residents fled their northeastern Oklahoma homes Tuesday with all they could carry as floodwaters pushed downstream, and one river carried an oil slick toward a large reservoir that supplies water to several cities. About 42, 000 gallons of thick crude oil that spilled from an overflowing Kansas refinery Sunday floated with mud and debris down the Verdigris River, coating everything it touched. The slick wasn't expected to have an effect on water supply intakes located well below the surface of Oklahoma's Oologah Lake, said Skylar McElhaney of the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality. But industry experts said Midwestern states that depend on fuel supplies from the flooded refinery will see some of the highest prices in the nation for gasoline and diesel this summer. The oil joins other causes of misery for thousands affected by flooding in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. WASHINGTON Major cities pump up security for holiday Authorities in Washington and other U.S. cities announced increased security measures Tuesday to thwart the possibility of a car bomb targeted at Fourth of July celebrations, after three terrorism attempts in London and Glasgow last week. Washington police officers announced extra restrictions on parking, urged local companies to report unusual sales of propane and said they were enlisting meter maids to report cars that appear to be sagging or emitting an acrid odor. U.S. Homeland Security and local law enforcement officials said there is no credible intelligence of a threat on U.S. soil. But they said similarities between the London bombing attempts and past foiled plots targeting nightclubs and other "soft" targets in the United States and Britain had prompted a greater sense of urgency - especially with hundreds of thousands of people expected to jam downtown Washington for the parade, concert and fireworks. Major U.S. cities are taking unusual safety precautions. New York intensified the use of vehicle checkpoints and expanded police patrols at Herald, Union and Times squares and in the theater and financial districts. Los Angeles increased security around large nightclubs, financial institutions and several high-rise buildings as well as airports and ports, officials said. MIAMI Star Padilla witness apologizes for TV spot The prosecution's star witness in the Jose Padilla trial on terrorism-support charges apologized Tuesday after being admonished by the judge for speaking to CNN about the bomb investigation in Britain. "I'm not pleased, " said U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke. She has expressed repeated concerns that jurors could be swayed by news accounts of terrorism-related events around the world, which have occurred throughout the eight weeks of testimony. LOS ANGELES Mayor acknowleges affair with reporter Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who is in the midst of divorce proceedings with his wife, acknowledged Tuesday that he is in a relationship with a Spanish-language television reporter. The mayor insisted at a news conference that his relationship with Telemundo newswoman Mirthala Salinas would not interfere with his job, and he pleaded for privacy for his family. "I have had a relationship with Ms. Salinas over time. It has evolved, and today I have acknowledged that relationship, " said Villaraigosa, who announced his separation from his wife, Corina, last month after 20 years of marriage. LOS ANGELES Mayor acknowledges affair with reporter Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who is in the midst of divorce proceedings with his wife, acknowledged Tuesday that he is in a relationship with a Spanish-language television reporter. The mayor insisted at a news conference that his relationship with Telemundo newswoman Mirthala Salinas would not interfere with his job, and he pleaded for privacy for his family. "I have had a relationship with Ms. Salinas over time. It has evolved, and today I have acknowledged that relationship, " said Villaraigosa, who announced his separation from his wife, Corina, last month after 20 years of marriage. WASHINGTON Young diplomats take on passport backlog The State Department has ordered about 350 young diplomats and recently employed civil servants to help clear a crushing backlog of passport applications. The backlog has led to major processing delays and disrupted thousands of Americans' summer travel plans. Three groups of 150 employees were removed from their current posts in Washington and told Tuesday to report for two months of duty at passport facilities in Louisiana and New Hampshire as the department struggles to cope with overwhelming demand, officials said. MELVINDALE, Mich. Fireworks explosion kills woman, 27 A powerful firework exploded in the face of a woman trying to set it off, killing her as her fiance and 8-year-old son watched, police said. Danialle Barse, 27, was unfamiliar with the commercial-grade aerial firework she was using Monday night, said Mike Welch, a police detective in a Detroit suburb. Barse and another woman were trying to set off a 3-inch mortar bomb.
[Last modified July 4, 2007, 00:06:01]
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