DERRY, N.H. — Officials in New Hampshire say 59 vehicles, including three buses and two tractor-trailer rigs, have crashed on a snowy Interstate 93.
Derry Fire Battalion Chief Jack Webb says the most common injuries were broken ankles and legs and none were life threatening.
WMUR-TV said witnesses reported that one of the vehicles was a chartered bus carrying a group of Boy Scouts from Massachusetts. The station says another bus was carrying the University of Massachusetts-Boston women’s hockey team.
Michigan: Car, truck of the year
The Hyundai Genesis luxury sedan and the Ford F-150 truck are the car and truck of the year at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The awards were presented Sunday. Other finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the Ford Flex, a seven-passenger crossover vehicle, and the Volkswagen Jetta TDI. North American Truck of the Year finalists also included the Dodge Ram pickup and the Mercedes-Benz ML 320 Bluetec.
D.C.: Obama to honor McCain
President-elect Barack Obama will host a dinner honoring Sen. John McCain, the Republican he beat in the election, the night before his Jan. 20 inauguration, the Presidential Inaugural Committee announced, saying the gesture demonstrates Obama’s “commitment to bridging the bipartisan divide.” The dinner will be one of a series that night: Gen. Colin Powell and Vice President-elect Joe Biden also will be feted.
Push to ban cell phones and driving
A national safety group is advocating a total ban on cell phone use while driving, saying the practice is clearly dangerous and leads to fatalities. Washington state is among those with laws against hand-held cell phone use while driving. States should ban drivers from using hand-held and hands-free cell phones, and businesses should prohibit employees from using cell phones while driving on the job, the congressionally chartered National Safety Council said.
Senate Democrat warms to Burris
The Senate’s second-in-command, Sen. Dick Durbin, said Sunday that he is moving away from resisting former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris as President-elect Barack Obama’s successor and hopes a resolution to the disagreement will be reached soon. Burris said he and his lawyers will be in Washington today to begin paving the way for him to join the Senate. Senate Democrats have opposed Burris’ appointment because of federal charges that Gov. Rod Blagojevich tried to sell the seat to the highest bidder. Although they have argued that any Blagojevich appointee is tainted because of the scandal, no one has accused Burris of wrongdoing.
Indonesia: Ferry capsize kills scores
A ferry capsized in a severe storm and crashing waves on the island of Sulawesi in central Indonesia on Sunday and officials said nearly 250 people were feared dead. About 250 passengers and 17 crew are believed to have been onboard; 21 survivors were rescued. Indonesians generally don’t know how to swim and it was feared that most onboard would have drowned.
From Herald news services
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