State and Nation
5 Ala. counties made eligible for disaster loans
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — The U.S. Small Business Administration says Escambia County residents and businesses affected by storms and flooding Dec. 12 through 18 may apply for low-interest disaster loans.
SBA Administrator Karen G. Mills says the loans were made available in response to a Dec. 23 request from Gov. Bob Riley for a disaster declaration
The Press-Register reports that Mills says the declaration also covers Baldwin, Conecuh, Covington and Monroe counties, as well as the Florida counties of Escambia, Okaloosa and Santa Rosa.
Loans of up to $200,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters are eligible for loans up to $40,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed personal property.
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Gulf oil platform explodes; none injured
An offshore petroleum platform exploded and burned Thursday in the Gulf of Mexico off Lousiana, west of the site of BP’s massive spill, but no leaks were reported.
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Earl threatens East Coast with 125 mph winds
The last ferries pulled away from North Carolina’s vulnerable barrier islands Thursday as Hurricane Earl spun closer with winds near 125 mph, putting the East Coast all the way to Canada on alert for what could be a blustery Labor Day weekend.
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Wyo. troopers examine human ashes in traffic stop
The powdery substance that Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers found in a zip-close bag during a recent traffic stop didn’t turn out to be drugs after all.
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Police kill gunman who held 3 at Discovery Channel
A man who railed against the Discovery Channel’s environmental programming for years burst into the company’s headquarters with at least one explosive device strapped to his body Wednesday and took three people hostage at gunpoint before police shot him to death, officials said.
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For 2nd time, Ohio woman gives birth in vehicle
For a second time, an Ohio woman has given birth to a baby who couldn’t wait and arrived on the drive to the hospital.
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Chicago police chief criticized for ’gang summit’
The idea seemed simple though bold: Call reputed gang leaders to a meeting with top police and federal prosecutors and deliver an ultimatum to end killings in the nation’s third-largest city.
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Swing sets eliminated at some W.Va. schools
Playground swings, a source of comfort and joy for schoolchildren for generations, are getting the heave-ho at elementary schools in Cabell County.
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Island evacuations start as Earl nears East Coast
Powerful Hurricane Earl spun toward the East Coast on Wednesday, driving tourists from North Carolina’s vacation islands and threatening to bring damaging winds and waves all along the Atlantic seaboard through Labor Day weekend.
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Dutch prosecutors say Yemenis freed
Two Yemeni men arrested on arrival from the United States on suspicion they may have been conducting a dry run for an airline terror attack were released without charge Wednesday after investigations turned up no evidence to link them to a terror plot, Dutch prosecutors said.
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6 Oregon men settle Boy Scout sex abuse cases
Six men who alleged they were sexually abused by an Oregon Boy Scouts leader in the 1980s have settled their lawsuits against the group’s national organization for undisclosed amounts.
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