Around the Nation

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Rain and Wind Lash the South

CHARLOTTE -- Heavy rain across the South on Wednesday caused flooding, school and road closures, and a landslide that destroyed a house in North Carolina. Thousands of people lost power across the Carolinas as a cold front swept the region with wind and rain.

The occupants of the house in Haywood County that was destroyed escaped with minor injuries, the Asheville Citizen-Times reported. Emergency crews evacuated eight other residences in the Maggie Valley area.

"I'm just glad no one was killed," neighbor Carolyn Phillips said.

In Mississippi, dozens of roads were closed, some houses evacuated and at least two residences flooded after two days of heavy rain earlier in the week.

Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia also were experiencing flooding. In addition to rain, a wind advisory issued for most of Georgia warned of gusts of 20 to 30 mph.

Legal Troubles of Missouri Governor Cost Taxpayers $1.5 Million

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Outgoing Gov. Matt Blunt's troubles over deleted e-mails and the firing of a staff lawyer have cost Missouri taxpayers about $1.5 million. Records show the state has spent more than $900,000 to defend Blunt and several past and present administration officials against a lawsuit by former legal counsel Scott Eckersley. In addition, an attorney general's investigation into the e-mail practices of the Republican governor's office has cost the state nearly $600,000, much of it going toward Blunt's defense. The governor leaves office Monday, but the legal tab is likely to grow.

3 Men Accused of Racially Biased Attacks Over Obama's Victory

NEW YORK -- Three men, riled by Barack Obama's victory, spent election night hunting down black people to beat up and yelling insults about the president-elect, federal prosecutors said. The men beat a teenage Liberian immigrant, pushed a black man to the ground and drove their car over a white man they thought was black, the indictment said. Ralph Nicoletti, 18, Michael Contreras, 18, and Brian Carranza, 21, pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to interfere with voting rights.

Low Levels of Chemicals Detected in 4 Infant Formula Samples

The Food and Drug Administration says the industrial chemical melamine and a byproduct -- cyanuric acid -- have been detected in four of 89 samples of infant formula made in the United States, doubling previously reported positive results. The contamination is minute, at levels federal regulators deem safe for babies.

Salmonella Outbreak Sickens 388 People in 42 States, CDC Says

Food tainted with the bacterium salmonella has caused an outbreak of poisoning, sickening 388 people and sending 70 of them to the hospital, health officials say. The outbreak has affected people in 42 states, said David Daigle, a spokesman for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the Colorado Legislature, a Racial Milestone

DENVER -- Terrance Carroll, a sharecropper's grandson, was chosen as speaker of Colorado's House of Representatives, making the state the first in the nation where blacks lead both chambers of the legislature. The milestone is most remarkable in a state where blacks make up 4 percent of the population -- and where the Ku Klux Klan held sway over the Capitol decades ago. Carroll and Senate President Peter C. Groff, elected to his position a year ago, are the only blacks among Colorado's 100 legislators.

Man Wants His Donated Kidney Back as Part of Divorce Deal

GARDEN CITY, N.Y. -- When his wife needed a kidney transplant, physician Richard Batista gave her one of his, his attorney said. Now that Dawnell Batista has filed for a divorce, Richard Batista wants his kidney back as part of his settlement demand. Or, lawyer Dominic Barbara said, his client wants the value of that kidney: an estimated $1.5 million.

Wildfires in Colorado Force Evacuation of 500 Homes

BOULDER, Colo. -- Wind-driven wildfires swept across Boulder County grasslands, destroying at least four structures and prompting mandatory evacuations of at least 500 homes.

-- From News Services