Illinois: Airliners collide on runway

Published 9:00 pm Tuesday, November 7, 2006

A United Airlines plane’s wing clipped the tail of another jetliner Tuesday morning as they taxied toward takeoff at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, aviation officials said. No injuries were reported. One of the planes was turning left and the wing of the second plane, another United flight, hit the first plane’s tail, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said. Both flights were canceled, United said on its Web site. Flight 672, a Boeing 737, to New York’s LaGuardia Airport had 110 passengers and Flight 732, an Airbus 320 en route to Dulles International Airport, carried 96 passengers.

California: Large wildfire contained

Firefighters contained a wind-blown blaze Tuesday that had threatened hundreds of homes after being ignited by welders’ sparks and melted metal. Wind gusts up to 50 mph turned Monday’s small brush fire into a 640-acre blaze on the edge of Rialto, 60 miles east of Los Angeles. The wind died down overnight, though, allowing firefighters to gain the upper hand, said San Bernardino County fire spokesman Steve Hansen. The fire destroyed a lumberyard at an industrial park, but surrounding homes were spared. Damage was estimated at $1 million.

Texas: School-attack plan foiled

Two high school students in Round Rock have been charged with conspiracy to commit capital murder after authorities uncovered what they described as potentially deadly school attack plot. The boys were arrested Thursday, a Williamson County Sheriff’s detective said. He would not discuss specifics of the McNeil High School students’ alleged plan after announcing the arrests Monday. He would not say how police and school officials learned of the plot but added that “we were very fortunate to discover this before it did happen.” Both students were younger than 17.

From Herald news services