Florida Today
Cities take the lead on climate change
By KARL RITTER
Associated Press Writer
VAXJO, Sweden (AP) -- When this quiet city in southern Sweden decided in 1996 to wean itself off fossil fuels, most people doubted the ambitious goal would have any impact beyond the town limits.
A few melting glaciers later, Vaxjo is attracting a green pilgrimage of politicians, scientists and business leaders from as far afield as the U.S. and North Korea seeking inspiration from a city program that has allowed it to cut CO2 emissions 30 percent since 1993.
Vaxjo is a pioneer in a growing movement in dozens of European cities, large and small, that aren't waiting for national or international measures to curb global warming.
From London's congestion charge to Paris' city bike program and Barcelona's solar power campaign, initiatives taken at the local level are being introduced across the continent - often influencing national policies instead of the other way around.
"People used to ask: Isn't it better to do this at a national or international level?" said Henrik Johansson, environmental controller in Vaxjo, a city of 78,000 on the shores of Lake Helga, surrounded by thick pine forest in the heart of Smaland province. "We want to show everyone else that you can accomplish a lot at the local level."
http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EUROPE_CLEAN_CITIES?SITE=FLROC&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-10-13-16-48-46
Fiery Calif. pileup kills at least 2
By NOAKI SCHWARTZ
Associated Press Writer
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (AP) -- A crash in a Southern California freeway tunnel quickly turned into a fiery, chain-reaction pileup that mangled several trucks, killed at least two people and shut down the key north-south route as the wreckage burned for hours.
Firefighters began hauling the mangled, blackened debris of more than a dozen big-rig trucks out of the tunnel Saturday afternoon. The crash late Friday involved at least 15 trucks and possibly one or more passenger cars, and sent people fleeing for their lives. At least 10 people were injured.
"It looked like a bomb went off," said Los Angeles County firefighter Scott Clark, one of about 300 firefighters who battled the blaze throughout the night.
California Highway Patrol Officer David Porter confirmed Saturday that the bodies of two crash victims had been found in the tunnel. He couldn't immediately say whether one was a trucker who had been listed as unaccounted for.
Firefighters were just starting to enter the tunnel Saturday afternoon and might find more bodies, said Ron Haralson, Los Angeles County Fire Department inspector.
http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/T/TRUCK_PILEUP?SITE=FLROC&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-10-13-18-10-36
Myanmar arrests 4 prominent activists
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) -- Myanmar's junta arrested four prominent political activists Saturday, Amnesty International said, including one who went into hiding after leading some of the first major marches against the government several weeks ago.
The United Nations has called on the military government to halt its crackdown on the protesters, and a U.N. special envoy was expected in the region on Sunday to help coordinate a response among key Asian governments.
Among those detained Saturday was Htay Kywe, who led some of the first marches several weeks ago before going into hiding to escape a government manhunt, Amnesty said. Others arrested were Aung Htoo and Thin Thin Aye, also known as Mie Mie.
The three were believed to be the last remaining activists at large from the 88 Generation Students' Group - the country's boldest dissident group - which was at the forefront of a 1988 democracy uprising and one of the main forces behind the protests that started in August.
A fourth activist, Ko Ko, was also arrested, the London-based rights group said. All four were believed to have been rounded up in Yangon, the country's main city.
http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MYANMAR?SITE=FLROC&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-10-13-17-53-46
Shiite leader backs Iraqi regional plan
By HAMZA HENDAWI
Associated Press Writer
BAGHDAD (AP) -- The son and heir apparent of Iraq's top Shiite politician came out strongly Saturday in favor of autonomy for Iraq's religiously and ethnically divided regions, a potentially explosive issue on Iraq's already highly polarized political landscape.
Ammar al-Hakim, who is being groomed to take over the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, the country's largest Shiite party, has been a firm supporter of federalism from the outset. But his unusually strident language appeared to signal growing impatience with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's inaction on key issues and his failure to bring fractured groups together.
Addressing hundreds of supporters at the party's Baghdad headquarters, al-Hakim called on Iraqis to press ahead with the creation of self-rule regions, but cautioned that the country's unity must be safeguarded.
"Federalism is one way to accomplish this goal," he said.
http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/IRAQ?SITE=FLROC&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-10-13-18-03-38
Federal review looms in boot camp death
By MELISSA NELSON
Associated Press Writer
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (AP) -- Seven former juvenile boot camp guards and a nurse had barely processed an all-white jury's decision to acquit them in a black teenager's death before federal authorities announced they would review the case.
Since jurors on Friday acquitted them of manslaughter charges, federal prosecutors likely would have to try another tactic, such as seeking an indictment alleging obstruction of justice, legal experts said.
"It's too early to say that the final chapter has been written with respect to the criminal justice system in this case," said Kendall Coffey, a former U.S. attorney in Miami.
Florida civil rights leaders called for federal charges hours after a jury took 90 minutes to exonerate the eight in state court in the death of Martin Lee Anderson, 14.
By Friday evening, officials from the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Tallahassee announced they were reviewing the state's prosecution.
http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BOOT_CAMP_DEATH?SITE=FLROC&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-10-13-17-25-57
Report ranks jobs by rates of depression
By KEVIN FREKING
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- People who tend to the elderly, change diapers and serve up food and drinks have the highest rates of depression among U.S. workers.
Overall, 7 percent of full-time workers battled depression in the past year, according to a government report available Saturday.
Women were more likely than men to have had a major bout of depression, and younger workers had higher rates of depression than their older colleagues.
Almost 11 percent of personal care workers - which includes child care and helping the elderly and severely disabled with their daily needs - reported depression lasting two weeks or longer.
http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/D/DEPRESSING_JOBS?SITE=FLROC&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-10-13-17-19-14
Maria von Trapp's stepson dead at 91
By WILSON RING
Associated Press Writer
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) -- Werner von Trapp, a member of the musical family made famous by the 1965 movie "The Sound of Music," has died, his family said. He was 91.
Von Trapp died Thursday at his home in Waitsfield. The cause of death was not announced. The family confirmed his death, but declined to comment further.
"The Sound of Music" was based loosely on a 1949 book by his stepmother, Maria von Trapp, who died in 1987. It tells the story of an Austrian woman who married a widower with seven children and teaches them music.
Born in 1915 in Zell am See, Austria, von Trapp was the fourth child and second son of Captain Georg von Trapp and his first wife, Agathe Whitehead. In the movie "The Sound of Music," Werner von Trapp was depicted by the character named Kurt.
During the 1930s, von Trapp studied cello and became proficient on several other instruments. He sang tenor with his family's choir, The Trapp Family Singers, who won great acclaim throughout Europe after their debut in 1935.
http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OBIT_VON_TRAPP?SITE=FLROC&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-10-13-17-22-03
Federal review looms in boot camp death
By MELISSA NELSON
Associated Press Writer
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (AP) -- Seven former juvenile boot camp guards and a nurse had barely processed an all-white jury's decision to acquit them in a black teenager's death before federal authorities announced they would review the case.
Since jurors on Friday acquitted them of manslaughter charges, federal prosecutors likely would have to try another tactic, such as seeking an indictment alleging obstruction of justice, legal experts said.
"It's too early to say that the final chapter has been written with respect to the criminal justice system in this case," said Kendall Coffey, a former U.S. attorney in Miami.
Florida civil rights leaders called for federal charges hours after a jury took 90 minutes to exonerate the eight in state court in the death of Martin Lee Anderson, 14.
By Friday evening, officials from the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Tallahassee announced they were reviewing the state's prosecution.
Anderson died Jan. 6, 2006, a day after being hit and kicked by the guards as the nurse watched after he collapsed while running laps. The 30-minute confrontation was videotaped.
http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BOOT_CAMP_DEATH?SITE=FLROC&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-10-13-17-25-57
Simpson case co-defendant to enter plea
By KEN RITTER
Associated Press Writer
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Accused of being one of five men who joined O.J. Simpson in a hotel-room confrontation with two sports memorabilia dealers, Charles Cashmore will plead guilty to a reduced charge and testify that guns were involved in the theft of sports collectibles.
Cashmore will testify that two of the other men who entered the room with the former football star were armed, his lawyer, Edward Miley, said Friday. Miley said Cashmore will plead guilty to being an accessory to robbery, a felony that could get him up to five years in prison.
A court hearing is set for Monday, a court clerk confirmed.
"He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time," Miley said of Cashmore, a 40-year-old laborer, bartender and disc jockey who lives in Las Vegas.
Clark County District Attorney David Roger declined to comment.
http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OJ_SIMPSON?SITE=FLROC&SECTION=US&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-10-13-11-49-13
Bridge collapse survivors seek more help
By JOSHUA FREED
Associated Press Writer
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- As the estimated cost of recovering from an interstate bridge collapse surges past $400 million, survivors of the deadly disaster just wish they could get a few thousand dollars here and there to make ends meet.
About 30 of the more than 100 people injured in the Aug. 1 collapse, which killed 13 people, meet weekly to talk about the troubles it's caused them. This past week, one man spoke of his struggles with a $41,000 medical bill. Others mentioned missed paychecks.
That they've all had such problems getting aid irritated fellow survivor Kimberly J. Brown enough that she fired off an e-mail to Minnesota's state and U.S. senators.
http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BRIDGE_COLLAPSE_SURVIVORS?SITE=FLROC&SECTION=US&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-10-13-13-07-14
Gay groups reach out to straight allies
By LISA LEFF
Associated Press Writer
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) -- The setting was intimate, the hors d'oeuvres simple and the hostess barefoot, but the house party Gabby Seagrave and LaDonna Silva held for a dozen friends and co-workers was hardly a spontaneous affair.
Over wine and cheese last week, guests signed a form signaling their support for same-sex marriage.
In the couple's family room, they took a quiz on marriage laws and watched a television commercial that could have been for diamond rings, but asked, "What if you couldn't marry the person you loved?"
Such house parties and ad campaigns are just two ways in which gay rights activists are courting sympathetic heterosexuals. They hope these "straight allies" can help persuade a majority of Americans to back their causes.
http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/STRAIGHT_SYMPATHY?SITE=FLROC&SECTION=US&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-10-13-13-22-14
Lawsuits possible from Va. Tech shooting
By SUE LINDSEY
Associated Press Writer
ROANOKE, Va. (AP) -- As the sixth-month anniversary of the Virginia Tech massacre approaches, a lawyer representing 20 people killed or injured in the April shootings has began notifying the town and the state about possible lawsuits.
Blacksburg Town Attorney Larry Spencer said he received notices Friday from Peter Grenier, a personal injury lawyer in Washington, D.C., of possible lawsuits claiming negligence by the town and its employees.
A spokesman for the state attorney general's office said it received notice Friday from Grenier's law firm of a possible lawsuit on behalf of injured student Kevin Sterne. Tucker Martin said he could not say whether it was a possible lawsuit against Virginia Tech or the state itself.
No lawsuits have yet been filed stemming from the shootings on the university's Blacksburg campus, where mentally disturbed student Seung-Hui Cho killed two people in a dormitory and 30 in a classroom building before taking his own life.
The notice does not necessarily mean lawsuits will be filed, but such notification is needed by Tuesday, six months after the shootings, if lawsuits against a locality are to be filed in state court. A notice of a claim against Virginia Tech or the state must be filed within a year.
http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/V/VIRGINIA_TECH_LAWSUITS?SITE=FLROC&SECTION=US&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-10-13-10-53-57
U.S. asks Turkey for restraint on Iraq
By C. ONUR ANT
Associated Press Writer
ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) -- Two senior U.S. officials promised Saturday that they would convey to Iraq Turkey's unease over Kurdish rebels in the north but they also expressed concern over the possibility of a Turkish military offensive in the region.
In Moscow, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice acknowledged "a difficult time" in relations with Turkey. She appealed for restraint against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq and in Turkey's angry response to a genocide resolution in Congress.
Dan Fried, assistant secretary of state for European affairs, and Eric Edelman, undersecretary of defense for policy, met with Turkish officials in a bid to assuage anger over the resolution, which would label the World War I-era killing of Armenians by Turks a genocide.
Turkey has recalled its ambassador to Washington for consultations after a House committee's approval of the resolution last week and warned of serious repercussions if Congress passes the resolution.
The committee's approval raised concerns that Turkey may be less restrained about defying the United States.
http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TURKEY?SITE=FLROC&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-10-13-18-21-14
Israel talks peace, draws lines
By KARIN LAUB
Associated Press Writer
KEDAR SETTLEMENT, West Bank (AP) -- First a sprawling police headquarters went up, now bulldozers are leveling ground for a highway, and by year's end Israel will have laid claim to another strategic West Bank hill, taking one more chunk out of a future Palestine even as Israel says it wants to negotiate its borders.
Israel has been tightening its hold on parts of the West Bank for years, with mushrooming settlements and more recently, a separation barrier. The barrier would eventually slice off 8.6 percent of the territory and, according to U.N. data, incorporate 380,000 of 450,000 Israelis living on war-won land the Palestinians demand for their state-to-be.
Israel's moves raise questions about whether there will be enough left to negotiate if, as a result of a U.S.-hosted Mideast conference next month, Israelis and Palestinians finally return to the table after seven years of bloodshed and diplomatic paralysis.
http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MIDEAST_PEACE_AND_LAND?SITE=FLROC&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-10-13-14-07-24
continued...
