Around the Nation

Edouard Pounds Coast Of Texas, Then Moves On

GALVESTON, Tex. -- Tropical Storm Edouard hit the Texas Gulf Coast on Tuesday with strong winds and heavy rain, but it did little more than soak travelers who came to relax on this tourist town's beaches.

The storm made landfall between Galveston and the Louisiana line, and was weakening as it headed inland. It was downgraded Tuesday evening to a tropical depression as it headed toward central Texas.

There were no reports of major damage or flooding.

Though forecasters had feared that Edouard could become a hurricane and both Texas and Louisiana had made emergency preparations, its winds never reached hurricane strength.

Edouard did prompt offshore oil and gas companies to evacuate a few of the 717 manned platforms and 125 operating rigs in the Gulf.

But Shell Oil said that the storm had no effect on its offshore operations and that it would begin returning evacuated workers Tuesday.

Greg Fountain, emergency management coordinator in Jefferson County, near Beaumont, said his county saw a lot of rain but generally "dodged a bullet."

Meatpacker Cited for Child Labor

DES MOINES -- Iowa labor officials said that they had uncovered dozens of child labor violations at the nation's biggest supplier of kosher meat. Officials from the state's Labor Commissioner's Office said they found 57 violations of child labor law at the Agriprocessors kosher meatpacking plant in Postville, where nearly 400 workers were arrested this spring in the largest immigration enforcement operation in U.S. history. Violations included minors working in prohibited occupations, exceeding allowable hours for youth to work, failure to obtain work permits, exposure to hazardous chemicals and working with prohibited tools. This case will most likely be handed over to the Iowa attorney general at the request of Allamakee County officials, authorities said.

Guantanamo Jury Still Deliberating