WASHINGTON – The Interior Department is proposing to lift endangered-species protection for the gray wolf across much of the country, although the animals will remain “threatened” and shielded by federal law in the West, officials said Thursday. Interior Secretary Gale Norton planned to make the announcement today in Minnesota, which has the largest U.S. wolf population outside Alaska. She will later visit a sanctuary in Wisconsin, where wolves have been on the rebound as well. “We believe this population of gray wolves no longer needs to come under the Endangered Species Act,” Norton said.
California: Boeing rocket lifts off
After a series of delays, NASA’s Aura satellite was launched into orbit Thursday on a $785 million mission to study Earth’s atmosphere. A two-stage Boeing Delta II rocket carrying the satellite roared off the launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base just before 3:02 a.m. The satellite separated from the rocket about an hour later and entered orbit 438 miles above Earth. “Everything went well. We did get initial orbit and it seems to be right on,” the launch manager said.
Florida: Gunmen get diamonds
Ten masked gunmen beat and robbed two Israeli salesmen of more than $800,000 in diamonds Thursday during a well-organized daytime robbery at a gas station, police said. The salesmen had finished pumping gas into their car Thursday when their exit was blocked by a car, a pickup truck and a van. Ten men climbed out of the vehicles holding weapons and wearing masks and surrounded the salesmen’s car, Miami police said. The gunmen took several items from the car, including wallets, watches, jewelry and the cache of diamonds before escaping.
W. Virginia: Hillary Clinton to talk
John Kerry asked Hillary Clinton on Thursday to address the Democratic National Convention on its opening night and introduce her husband, former President Clinton, ending an intense lobbying campaign by the New York senator’s backers angered by her non-speaking role. Kerry, who campaigned in West Virginia and Pennsylvania on Thursday, called Clinton and asked her to introduce her husband in a speech before the convention. Aides did not know how long the address would be.
Illinois: Fireworks victim dies
An elderly Calumet City woman has died after lit fireworks were slipped into the mail slot of her home, sparking a fire over the Independence Day weekend. Police have accused a 16-year-old boy of putting the fireworks into Eleanore Moll’s mail slot. The teen has been charged with aggravated arson, but police said those charges could be upgraded. The curtains in Moll’s home ignited, spreading smoke, but Moll, 76, was able to call 911 before collapsing. When firefighters found her, she was not breathing and had no pulse.
Virginia: Nudists need chaperones
A federal judge ruled Thursday that a Virginia nudist colony cannot hold its summer camp for teenagers without parental supervision. In denying a motion from the owner of White Tail Park nudist camp, the judge in Richmond said parents wouldn’t interfere with the youngsters’ enjoyment at camp. “They are in no way compromised by having a parent in a camper reading ‘Gone With the Wind’ while their children frolic outside,” he said.
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