Friday, June 13, 2008

Calif. Wildfires Force Hundreds From Homes

FELTON, Calif. -- Hundreds of firefighters struggled to gain control of wildfires burning across Northern California on Thursday, including a raging forest fire that forced hundreds to leave their homes in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

The blaze in the Bonny Doon area, about 10 miles northwest of Santa Cruz, quickly grew to 700 acres after it broke out around 3 p.m. Wednesday; it was only 5 percent contained Thursday morning. Mandatory evacuations were ordered for 500 residents in the heavily forested hills. Voluntary evacuations were in place for another 1,000 residents.

Nearly 800 firefighters were battling the blaze, which could spread to as many as 1,500 acres, Battalion Chief Paul Van Gerwen said.

High winds pushed the blaze Wednesday. Thursday's weather was calmer, but temperatures were quickly rising, with 90-degree weather expected. "It's getting hotter and drier. We'd like to see the humidity come up," Van Gerwen said.

Meanwhile, a lightning-sparked wildfire has blackened 20,000 acres in the southeastern part of Colorado and was threatening archaeological sites in a national forest, officials said. The blaze has burned through tinder-dry juniper and pinyon trees into the canyons of the Comanche National Grassland, the site of numerous historic artifacts, including American Indian rock art, dinosaur tracks and early American ranches.

Princeton Bias Probe Widened

TRENTON, N.J. -- The Education Department has broadened a review into whether Princeton University discriminates against applicants of Asian descent. The case stems from a federal civil rights complaint filed in 2006 by Jian Li, a Chinese immigrant. Li said Princeton and other elite institutions rejected him, even though he had perfect SAT scores, was in the top 1 percent of his high school class and had earned other honors. Li enrolled at Yale but now goes to Harvard.

Judge Seeks Inquiry Over Porn

LOS ANGELES-- A federal judge who reportedly posted pornographic images on his personal Web site is calling for an investigation of his own conduct. Judge Alex Kozinski says he has asked a court ethics panel to initiate proceedings after the Los Angeles Times reported that he posted lewd photos and videos on a publicly accessible Web site. Kozinski, the chief judge of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, said he will cooperate in the investigation. He is presiding over a pornographic obscenity case, but the trial has been put on hold until Monday.

At 107, He Still Leads the Parade

CONCORD, N.H. -- A 107-year-old man who once turned down a job offer from Thomas Edison has been chosen to lead a parade at the Massachusetts prep school he graduated from 90 years ago. C. Yardley Chittick of Concord is the last surviving member of the class of 1918 at Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass. "I'm honored a lot these days," said Chittick, who is scheduled to lead the alumni parade Saturday for the third year. "It's only taken me this long to be recognized."

Guilty Plea in Spitzer Case

NEW YORK -- The man who led a prostitution ring whose clients included former New York governor Eliot Spitzer (D) pleaded guilty but said he had not agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in future cases. Mark Brener, 62, was one of four people charged with running the Emperors Club VIP. He has been in jail since his arrest in March.

-- From News Services