AURORA, Colo. — At least five tornadoes touched down in Colorado on Sunday, with one overturning benches and a car outside a mall in a Denver suburb.
There were no immediate reports of serious injuries. Firefighters reported moderate damage and gas leaks at the Southlands Mall, which was forced to close.
The National Weather Service said the tornado that damaged the mall may have been on the ground for about 30 minutes, taking an 8- to 10-mile path across southeast Aurora.
Many spots in the Denver area also were pelted with hail as big as baseballs.
Louisiana: New Orleans mayor quarantined in China
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and his wife have been quarantined in China after a passenger on their flight exhibited flu-like symptoms. Nagin’s office said Sunday the couple and a security guard were quarantined at a Shanghai hotel as a precaution and were exhibiting no swine flu symptoms, and they have not been tested for the flu. His office said a passenger had “signs and symptoms of an influenza-like illness suspected to be of the H1N1 subtype,” and people sitting near the passenger were quarantined.
Utah: National gay rights march
An activist who worked alongside slain gay rights leader Harvey Milk announced plans Sunday for a march on Washington this fall to demand that Congress establish equality and marriage rights for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Cleve Jones said the march planned for Oct. 11 will coincide with National Coming Out Day. He made the announcement during the annual Utah Pride Festival in Salt Lake City.
D.C.: Supreme Court asked to block sale of Chrysler
Three Indiana state pension and construction funds want the Supreme Court to block Chrysler’s sale to Fiat so they can pursue an appeal in hopes of getting a better deal. Also filing emergency papers at the high court Sunday were lawyers representing consumer groups and individuals with product-related lawsuits. An appeals court in New York approved the sale Friday, but gave objectors until Monday afternoon to try to get the Supreme Court to intervene.
N. Korea could return to terror list
The United States could reinstate North Korea on a list of state sponsors of terrorism, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” as the administration continued to ratchet up pressure on Pyongyang after recent nuclear and missile tests. The administration is also pushing for a U.N. Security Council resolution that would punish the country financially and give the international community the power to interdict suspect North Korean cargo, but Clinton acknowledged that some countries have “legitimate concerns” about targeting international shipments. The North conducted its second nuclear test last month, test-fired short-range missiles and announced that it was no longer bound by the 1953 armistice that ended hostilities on the Korean peninsula.
Arizona: Eight die in SUV rollover
Eight illegal immigrants “stacked like wood” in the back of a sports utility vehicle crammed with at least 27 people were killed when the driver lost control and rolled over on a remote southern Arizona highway, authorities said Sunday. Authorities originally said 10 people had died. The Ford Excursion had no rear seat and most of the men and women were ejected when the SUV crashed just before midnight Saturday near Sonoita. Authorities said all the victims are believed to be illegal immigrants from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Equador and perhaps Mexico.
North Korea: U.S. journalists sentenced to labor prison
North Korea’s state news agency said today that the country’s top court has convicted two U.S. journalists and sentenced them to 12 years in labor prison. The Korean Central News Agency says the Central Court tried American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee from June 4 to today. It said the trial confirmed an unspecified “grave crime” against the nation, and of illegally crossing into North Korea.
Mexico: Shootout in Acapulco
About 3,000 shots and 50 explosions marked a four-hour battle late Saturday in hillside mansion in Acapulco that left 16 gunmen and two Mexican soldiers dead. Nine other people were wounded, including three bystanders. Inside, soldiers found four men bound and shirtless who claimed they were Guerrero state police officers being held hostage. The battle erupted after soldiers received a tip that a group of armed men were gathered at a gated house. More than a dozen Mexican tourists were evacuated from a neighboring hotel strip.
From Herald news services
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