Saturday, May 3, 2008

Central U.S. Storms Kill Eight in Arkansas

DAMASCUS, Ark. -- Violent storms unleashed tornadoes, high winds and hail in four central states and killed eight people in Arkansas, including a teenager who died when a tree fell into her bedroom as she slept.

The storms late Thursday and early Friday ripped off roofs and toppled train cars near Kansas City, Mo.; pelted parts of Oklahoma with hail; and knocked over tents at a popular open-air market in East Texas. Severe thunderstorms were moving into Kentucky and could make for a wet Kentucky Derby on Saturday.

Greg Carbin, a meteorologist in Norman, Okla., said as many as 25 tornadoes may have cut through parts of Oklahoma, Arkansas, eastern Kansas and western Missouri.

In northwestern Arkansas, a 15-year-old girl was killed and a 10-year-old boy injured when a tree fell on their home in Siloam Springs, police said. The other deaths were in the central part of the state, where several twisters were seen. At least 13 people were injured throughout the state, officials said.

Deal Reached for Bridge Collapse Victims

MINNEAPOLIS -- A special fund to compensate survivors of the Interstate 35W bridge collapse last August was unveiled. Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) said he would sign the agreement into law, should it pass the legislature. The compromise would establish two separate funds for the 183 victims who were atop the bridge when it collapsed. One fund, totaling $24 million, would be paid to all victims and their families but would be capped at $400,000 per individual. A second fund, totaling $12.64 million, would be established to cover damages beyond $400,000 for those who were "extraordinarily impacted" by the tragedy.

Army Corps Ruled Eligible for Flood Claims

NEW ORLEANS -- The Army Corps of Engineers can be held liable for flood damage caused by a "hurricane highway," a navigation channel that is believed to have funneled Hurricane Katrina's storm surge into the city, a federal judge ruled. The Corps of Engineers had argued that it was immune from liability because the channel is part of New Orleans' flood-control system. Judge Stanwood Duval dismissed that argument, saying the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet was clearly a ship channel and not a flood-control project.

Arrest Warrant Dropped in Tex. Sect Case

ELDORADO, Tex. -- An arrest warrant has been dropped for a man thought to be the husband of a teenage girl whose report of abuse triggered a raid on a polygamous sect's Texas compound, authorities said Friday. A Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman would not say why the warrant was dropped for Dale E. Barlow, 50, who lives in Colorado City, Ariz. An investigation into the abuse claim, purportedly from a 16-year-old, led to the April 3 raid of the Yearning for Zion Ranch. Barlow has denied knowing the girl.

Man Pleads Not Guilty in Vegas Ricin Case

LAS VEGAS -- A man who authorities suspect was poisoned by ricin found in his motel room pleaded not guilty to possession of a biological toxin and weapons charges. A June 17 trial was scheduled for Roger Bergendorff, who has been in federal custody since his April 16 arrest.

-- From News Services