"Mississippi River reopens as flooding wanes
The Mississippi River reopened to water navigation on Saturday after much of it was closed for nearly a month due to the worst flooding in 15 years. Taller river traffic will continue to be impeded until a railroad drawbridge, which spans the river about 60 miles (97 km) upriver of St. Louis, is repaired, Kansas City Southern Railway said. Near St. Louis, the Mississippi River was 7.1 feet above flood stage Saturday morning, down from Monday, when it crested at 8.3 feet above flood level.
The Mississippi River was closed to barge traffic, disrupting shipments of grain, coal, and petroleum products. The river is the main channel for grain flowing from fertile Midwest farms to export terminals at the Gulf of Mexico. The flooding has caused billions of dollars in damages and wiped out millions of acres (hectares) of corn and soybeans and sent grain prices to new highs this summer."
"Accident at Iowa town's fireworks display hurts 37
A Fourth of July fireworks shell misfired in a northern Iowa town, sending a fireball skidding down a street into a crowd of spectators and injuring 37 people, officials said Saturday. Most of the people treated after the Friday night accident in Charles City suffered minor injuries, city fire department spokesman Eric Whipple said.
Police in Riverside, Ohio, said a man lost part of his leg when fireworks went off inside his parked sport-utility vehicle, blowing the windows out.
A six-year-old girl in Bayville, N.Y., suffered second-degree burns when fireworks landed in her lap, police said. Investigators said it wasn't immediately clear who launched the fireworks but the child wasn't at a public pyrotechnics display.
A three-year-old boy in Leominster, Mass., suffered serious burns after his father shot off fireworks that went awry, authorities said. The 37-year-old man will probably be charged with illegal possession of fireworks, police said.
In Port Huron, Mich., a 51-year-old man was critically injured when he was struck in face by a mortar-type firework, the St. Clair County sheriff's department said. Officers said the man was placing the firework in a tube when it ignited.
A pyrotechnics worker in Van Buren, Ark., was seriously injured after a rocket shot through her hand and split it open, authorities said.
There is a story about the California fires, though:
BIG SUR, Calif. - Weary firefighters got no rest during the holiday weekend as a pair of out-of-control wildfires roared across the landscape along California's central coast at opposite ends of the arid Los Padres National Forest.
Winds up to 40 miles per hour fanned a wildfire near Goleta in Santa Barbara County. About 5,000 homes were under evacuation orders, while residents of 1,400 other homes were warned to pack up and be ready to leave on short notice, said Jim McClure, a county spokesman.
"The fire is expanding and presenting some very complex challenges because of the terrain and the fact that it hasn't burned in over 50 years," said Captain Eli Iskow of the Santa Barbara County fire department. "And it's close to all the valuables like homes and people."
Authorities planned an aggressive air attack on the Goleta fire yesterday, including drops from a huge DC-10 air tanker that made a single pass over the blaze Friday.
The two Los Padres blazes were among 335 active wildfires in California, down from a peak of roughly 1,500 fires a few days ago, but they were commanding the greatest share of equipment and personnel because of their locations near populated areas, said Daniel Berlant, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
"Any time we have structures threatened and lives at risk, it's a top priority," he said.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered 200 more National Guard troops to report for firefighter training. After they complete the training, they will join 200 National Guard soldiers who already were deployed to build fire lines. More than 19,000 people were working to control blazes throughout the state.
Bet you wish a bunch of them weren't over in Iraq, 'eh, Arnie?
Along with the Goleta and Big Sur fires, another blaze generating concern was in the Sequoia National Forest east of Bakersfield. It had burned 28 square miles, destroyed one home, and threatened 1,000 more in nearby communities.
In Arizona, officials said residents evacuated from the historic mining community of Crown King because of a wildfire would be allowed to return home yesterday evening. The blaze was 50 percent contained yesterday.
All the California fires are less than 20% contained, folks.
WASHINGTON - The government yesterday increased the number of people reported being sickened in a record salmonella outbreak in which tomatoes are the leading suspect, although investigators are testing other types of fresh produce.
There have been 943 reported cases nationwide, with at least 130 hospitalizations since mid-April, after the first salmonella illnesses appeared, the Food and Drug Administration said yesterday.
That compares with 922 people about two days ago, and 869 that were reported earlier in the past week.
On Tuesday, the government said it would test numerous other kinds of fresh produce while insisting that tomatoes remained the leading culprit.
Investigators have kept quiet about exactly what other vegetables are getting tracked, but said they are looking at items that are commonly served with fresh tomatoes.
Investigators with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have interviewed people sickened in June to find out what they ate and to compare their diets with those of healthy relatives and neighbors.
Officials have not revealed early findings, except to say they supported the investigation's new move.
Among the possibilities the FDA has said it was exploring is whether tomatoes and other produce are sharing a common packing or shipping site where both might become contaminated, or whether multiple foods might be tainted while being grown on adjoining farms or with common water sources.
Officials have said some patients told the CDC they ate raw tomatoes in fresh salsa and guacamole.
CDC spokesman Glen Nowak said yesterday that the agency's scientists are working around the clock to try to pinpoint the source of the outbreak, but are not ready to single out anything.
Salsa ingredients, including peppers, are among the items being tested, Nowak said.
"We don't rank the items we're looking at."WTF are we paying these people for?
