FRESNO, Calif. — Yosemite National Park’s majestic Ahwahnee Hotel will remain closed until at least noon Friday after tumbling boulders from the Royal Arches formation forced the evacuation of all 300 guests Wednesday. The closure comes after a series of falling rocks, some as large as microwave ovens, tumbled at least 100 feet from the base of the cliff and into the valet parking lot, where three cars sustained minor damage, a park spokesman said. No injuries were reported. Guests of the historic 125-room hotel were taken by bus to other lodging facilities in the park and surrounding communities.
Hawaii: Two bases to merge
Pearl Harbor and Hickam Air Force Base next door are due to become a single installation next year as the military strives to become more efficient. The military said Wednesday that Pentagon, Navy and Air Force officials recently signed an agreement finalizing the long-planned move. The transition to Pearl Harbor-Hickam is due to begin in January. By October 2010, the bases will be united. In Washington, Fort Lewis and McChord Air Force Base will join forces.
New York: US Airways fees
US Airways said Wednesday it is bumping up its fees for first and second checked bags by $5 each, and is tacking on an additional fee for a second checked bag on trans-Atlantic flights. The airline will charge $20 for the first checked bag and $30 for the second, when bags are checked online. The current charge is $15 for a first checked bag and $25 for a second checked bag when checked online. Passengers will also pay an extra $5 per bag checked in at the airport. The current bag fees at the airport are $20 for the first and $30 for the second.
Virginia: Contraband cigarettes
A Pennsylvania man has pleaded guilty in federal court to buying more than $2 million of contraband cigarettes. Bing Feng Mai of Harrisburg pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of felony cigarette trafficking. Mai was arrested July 2 after meetings with undercover officers in northern Virginia, during which authorities said he bought 20 million untaxed, unstamped cigarettes. The cigarettes were fake versions of Philip Morris’ Marlboro brand that were made in China. Sentencing is set for Nov. 13. Mai faces up to 10 years in prison.
Iraq: Police recover Picasso
Special forces have recovered a stolen Picasso and arrested a man planning to sell the painting during a raid of his house in southern Iraq, police said Wednesday. The painting, “The Naked Woman,” apparently had been among the artwork looted from Kuwait during Saddam Hussein’s 1990 invasion, a police spokesman said. It was seized Tuesday during a raid on the house belonging to the suspect near the mainly Shiite city of Hillah, about 60 miles south of Baghdad. Police said the man was trying to sell the painting for $450,000, but some experts who saw the painting said it was worth $10 million.
Britain: High-speed rail line
Britain’s rail operator says it has plans for a new high-speed rail line that could get travelers from London to Scotland in two hours. Network Rail said Wednesday it has developed proposals for a $55 billion new line through cities in western Britain, including Manchester and Liverpool. Trains would run at 200 mph and cut the current 4 hour, 40 minute-long trip from London to Edinburgh by more than half.
Australia: Military justice
Australia’s highest court ruled Wednesday that the country’s military justice system is unconstitutional because its judges are not independent of the military command — throwing into doubt 171 cases judged in the past two years. The previous government created the Military Court in October 2007 as a modern means of enforcing military discipline, replacing the systems of courts-martial and military magistrates. But the High Court upheld a challenge by former sailor that the military court was unconstitutional, saying the judges were not independent of the military chain of command.
Mexico: Border fence scrap
Police in Tijuana said they have arrested six men for stealing pieces of the U.S. border fence to sell as scrap metal. Holes in the fence once were more commonly made by migrant smugglers, but fewer people are trying to cross because of a weak U.S. economy. The Tijuana police department said the suspects intended to sell the steel sheeting as scrap. The first two men were caught cutting into the fence on Monday. An alleged accomplice was detained Tuesday with 11 pieces of fencing.
From Herald news services
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