Friday, August 22, 2008

Report: 9/11 Fire Caused Building to Collapse

Federal investigators issued a report Thursday concluding that fires brought down a skyscraper next to New York's twin towers on Sept. 11, refuting conspiracy theorists who have long believed that explosives caused the collapse.

Scientists with the National Institute of Standards and Technology say their three-year investigation of the collapse of the 47-story World Trade Center 7 was the first known instance of fire causing the total failure of a skyscraper.

The investigators also concluded that the collapse of the nearby towers broke the city water main, leaving the sprinkler system in the bottom half of the building without water.

The structure has been the subject of conspiracy theories for the past seven years, partly because the collapse happened about seven hours after the twin towers were felled. That fueled theories that something else might have caused the collapse.

Execution Delayed in Texas

HUNTSVILLE, Tex. -- U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia delayed the planned execution of an inmate pending an evaluation to determine if the inmate is able to understand why he is to be put to death. Jeffery Wood was to have been executed Thursday evening for taking part in the 1996 robbery of a convenience store in which a clerk was fatally shot. Garcia granted a request by Wood's attorneys to delay his execution so they could hire a mental health expert to pursue their arguments that he is incompetent to be executed. Texas courts had previously refused similar appeals.

Measles Cases on the Rise

Parents refusing to have their children vaccinated against measles have helped drive cases of the illness to their worst levels in a dozen years in the United States, health officials reported. In 2008, 131 cases of measles have been reported, with 15 serious enough to require hospitalization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. Most of those infected were not vaccinated, and there is no reason for any cases to occur when vaccines can prevent them, the CDC said in a weekly report on death and diseases.

Lawmaker's Replacement Sought

CLEVELAND -- Democrats have until Oct. 27 to find a candidate to replace the late U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones on the November ballot but held off speculating Thursday who that might be out of respect for the congresswoman's family. By law, party leaders must find a replacement. Tubbs Jones, the first black woman to represent Ohio in Congress, died Wednesday after suffering a brain hemorrhage caused by a ruptured aneurysm. She was 58. Funeral arrangements were scheduled for Aug. 29 and Aug. 30 in Cleveland.

Illegal-Immigrant Program Ended

SANTA ANA, Calif. -- The federal government will scrap a program for illegal immigrants to turn themselves in for deportation after only eight people volunteered during a nearly three-week trial, an official said. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement offered the pilot program in five cities, giving illegal immigrants facing court orders to leave the country 90 days to plan their departure and coordinate travel with relatives instead of facing the prospect of being arrested, detained and deported.

Chairman's Widow at Convention

LITTLE ROCK -- The widow of slain state Democratic Party Chairman Bill Gwatney will fill his spot at the Democratic National Convention in Denver next week, Gov. Mike Beebe (D) said. Rebecca Gwatney accepted an invitation from party leaders to fill the vacancy left in the delegation when her husband was killed last week.

-- From News Services