WASHINGTON — William Crowe, an Annapolis-trained submarine officer who rose to chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and served as ambassador to Great Britain, has died at age 82. The retired admiral died early Thursday at Bethesda Naval Hospital, the Navy announced. “We lost a true hero last night … a distinguished naval officer, diplomat, leader, mentor (who) served both Presidents Reagan and Bush,” said Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Navy Adm. Michael Mullen. Crowe retired from the military in 1989.
Virginia: Blaze shuts air terminal
A construction fire on a roof at Reagan National Airport led to the brief evacuation of a terminal Wednesday night, but no one was injured and the building was undamaged, an airport official said. About 150 passengers in part of Terminal A were told to leave after some construction materials caught fire, a Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority spokeswoman said. Workers also evacuated the building. People were allowed back inside about an hour later, and the passengers were rescreened.
Florida: Bush brothers divided
Political loyalties are split in Jeb Bush’s family. Jeb Bush Jr., 23, the youngest son of the former governor, has signed on with Rudy Giuliani’s presidential campaign, volunteering to serve as chairman of the Republican’s efforts to reach Florida’s young professionals. His older brother, George Bush, 31, has been supporting Republican rival Fred Thompson. “We have a family divide now,” Jeb Bush Jr., said Thursday. “We have some debates, but it’s always friendly. He’s been with Thompson now for a while. Fred Thompson is a great man as well.”
W. Virginia: Autistic hiker found
An autistic hiker lost in the wilderness for four days has been found alive and reunited with his family, a spokesman for the search effort said Thursday afternoon. A spokesman provided few details on Jacob Allen’s condition but said the 18-year-old was found by a team of nine searchers in the Monongahela National Forest. Overnight temperatures dropped to as low as 38 degrees on the nights Allen was missing. He was wearing hiking boots, a long-sleeved T-shirt, a jacket and pants.
New York: Breath test irks cops
A police union is going to federal court to challenge a New York Police Department policy to administer breath tests for alcohol to officers who kill or wound someone in the line of duty. The Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association president said Thursday that the 24,000-member union would challenge the new sobriety tests on constitutional grounds, arguing they violate protections against unreasonable searches.
China: Warning on Lama honor
China warned the United States on Thursday that its honoring of the Dalai Lama “gravely undermined” relations between the two countries, demanding Washington stop supporting the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader and take steps to repair ties. The Foreign Ministry statement was the most vociferous yet in weeks of protests against Congress’ decision to award the Dalai Lama its highest civilian honor, personally bestowed by President Bush in a ceremony Wednesday. The Dalai Lama, 72, is lauded in much of the world as a figure of moral authority, but China reviles him as a Tibetan separatist.
Russia: Ballistic missile testing
Russia on Thursday carried out a successful test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile. The Topol RS-12M rocket hit its intended target on Kamchatka near the Pacific Ocean, the Russian Strategic Missile Forces said. The launch, from the Plesetsk launch facility in northern Russia, was part of the country’s plan to upgrade its ballistic missiles and extend the life of its Topol missiles. The successful test will allow Russia to maintain the Topol rocket for 21 years, a statement said, significantly more than the original 10 years forecast.
Britain: Strike talk at the BBC
The British Broadcasting Corp. announced Thursday it will cut 1,800 jobs, broadcast fewer programs and require staff to create content for television, radio and the Internet, creating a showdown with journalists and other employees. Union leaders vowed to strike if the BBC went forward with the radical overhaul, which includes major cutbacks to news and documentary divisions. BBC journalists say the cuts threaten the quality of the broadcast and the union said a strike vote could begin today at noon.
Zimbabwe: Inflation rate soars
The frenzy to buy hard currencies in Zimbabwe’s struggling economy pushed the exchange rate for the U.S. dollar as high as a million Zimbabwean dollars on the black market Thursday, dealers said. The new rate, a halving of the Zimbabwe currency’s value in just 10 days, came as the government of this southern African country announced another surge in the inflation rate, already the highest in the world. Independent estimates put the annual inflation rate close to 25,000 percent.
From Herald news services
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
