Steam pipe explosion kills one in Manhattan
NEW YORK – An underground steam pipe explosion tore through a Manhattan street near Grand Central Terminal on Wednesday, swallowing a tow truck and killing one person as hundreds of others ran for cover amid a towering geyser of steam and flying rubble. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the explosion was not terrorism, though the blast caused a brief panic about a possible attack. “There is no reason to believe whatsoever that this is anything other than a failure of our infrastructure,” he said of the a 24-inch steam pipe that had been installed in 1924.
Daniel Pearl’s widow files lawsuit
The widow of slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl filed a federal lawsuit against the terrorists suspected of killing him and one of Pakistan’s largest banks Wednesday. Mariane Pearl, whose story during the wrenching time of her husband’s 2002 murder in Pakistan is a focus of the film “A Mighty Heart,” seeks unspecified damages for herself; her son, Adam, 5; and the estate of her husband. Habib Bank Limited is accused of aiding and abetting terrorism by handling financial transactions linked to either al-Qaida or the Taliban.
D.C.: Bill targets passport backlog
Congress on Wednesday sent legislation to President Bush that would make it easier for the State Department to use retired Foreign Service officers to help process passport applications and ease delays that have frustrated travelers this year. The bill would permit the department to waive wage and hour caps on retired diplomats for the processing of passport and visa applications. Many retirees work for the department but, because they receive pensions, are limited to assignments that do not exceed six months of the year and until their earnings reach a certain level.
Ruling favors U.S. military detainee
A federal judge in Washington on Wednesday upheld the right of a Yemeni man held as an enemy combatant at a U.S. military prison in Afghanistan to seek his freedom. The ruling is the first one issued in a case filed on behalf of a foreign detainee held in U.S. custody outside the United States or the Guantanamo Bay Naval Station in Cuba. It comes less than a month after the Supreme Court said it would consider again the rights of detainees at Guantanamo in the fall.
Warning on hot dog chili sauce
Federal health officials warned consumers Wednesday not to use certain cans of hot dog chili sauce after the product was linked to the first cases of botulism in commercially canned foods in decades. Four people were hospitalized. The warning applies to 10-ounce cans of Kroger, Castleberry’s and Austex brands of hot dog chili sauce with “best by” dates from April 30, 2009, through May 22, 2009, the Food and Drug Administration said. It wasn’t immediately clear how widely the products were distributed.
Michigan: Court backs voter ID
A state law requiring voters to show photo identification or swear to their identity is constitutional, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. The court’s five Republicans voted to uphold the law while two Democrats dissented. The issue has fiercely divided Democrats and Republicans for a decade. Former Attorney General Frank Kelley, a Democrat, had ruled it violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizens the right to vote.
Utah: Polygamist to stick to one wife
Polygamist Tom Green, 58, has four wives, but when he’s released from prison next month he pledges to live with only one of them – his legal wife. “I will never be living” with the other women, Green said Tuesday to the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole, which is considering the conditions of his Aug. 7 release. “I will never be guilty of bigamy.” Green’s four wives – a fifth left him during his prison stay – live in separate households. He has 32 children.
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