Australian state official declares disaster zone as Tropical Cyclone Ului nears coast

Aust. state named disaster zone as cyclone nears

AIRLIE BEACH, Australia – The premier of Australia’s Queensland state has declared parts of its coast a disaster zone as a tropical cyclone approaches.
Premier Anna Bligh said Saturday that the declaration gives the state the power to order mandatory evacuations if required.
Tropical Cyclone Ului is forecast to cross …. Source  : Australian state official declares disaster zone as Tropical Cyclone Ului nears coast.

For a second year, tiny town in Fargo’s shadow worries its creaky dam could break

Bloated lake haunts North Dakota town again

KATHRYN, N.D. – Almost a year after worried authorities went door to door warning residents to flee as water carved through a nearby dam, this tiny North Dakota town is facing the possibility of having to evacuate again because of flooding.
Fueled by runoff from a winter of heavy snow, … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : For a second year, tiny town in Fargo’s shadow worries its creaky dam could break.

Year’s strongest sandstorm hits northern China, turns Beijing skies orange with grit

Year’s biggest sandstorm turns Beijing sky orange

BEIJING – China’s capital woke up to orange-tinted skies Saturday as the strongest sandstorm so far this year hit the country’s north, delaying some flights at Beijing’s airport and prompting a dust warning for Seoul.
The sky glowed and a thin dusting of sand covered Beijing, causing workers to muffle …. Source  : Year’s strongest sandstorm hits northern China, turns Beijing skies orange with grit.

Night curfew to continue in Bareilly

BAREILLY – While night curfew in the trouble-hit areas of Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly district will continue, the authorities Saturday decided to lift all restrictions on vehicular movement.

“Be it two-wheelers or four-wheelers, from today (Saturday) there will not be any restrictions on the movement of vehicles on the roads,” District Magistrate Anil Garg said at a … Read more »».

Three held for IPL betting racket in Chhattisgarh

RAIPUR – Three people were arrested in Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur town for running a betting racket for the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches, police said Saturday.

The three were caught Friday night in Bilaspur town, some 100 km from here, and were identified as Govind Ram, 30, Harpal, 32, and Srichand Chawla, 41, an official said.
“The [..] Read the original article: here.

Orange sky in Beijing as year’s strongest sandstorm hits northern China

Orange sky in Beijing for year’s biggest sandstorm

BEIJING – China’s capital woke up to orange-tinted skies Saturday as the strongest sandstorm so far this year hit the country’s north, delaying some flights at Beijing’s international airport and prompting South Korean weather officials to issue a dust warning for Seoul.
The sky glowed and a thin dusting …. Read the original article  : Orange sky in Beijing as year’s strongest sandstorm hits northern China.

No sign of missing Washington mother; medical examiner says her 8-year-old son drowned

No sign of missing Wash. mother; son drowned

SEATTLE – Another day of searching failed to turn up a missing Washington mother in the general area where her 8-year-old son’s body was found on Thursday.
Pierce County sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said Friday afternoon that a search plane was sent up to look for Shantina Smiley.
The county …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : No sign of missing Washington mother; medical examiner says her 8-year-old son drowned.

Car collides with school bus in mid-NJ, killing Camry driver, hurting passenger and 2 students

Car collides with NJ school bus; Camry driver dies

HILLSBOROUGH, N.J. – A car has collided head-on with a school bus in central New Jersey, killing the car’s driver and wounding three people, including two high school students.
The crash happened at about 2:45 p.m. Friday in Hillsborough, about 10 miles north of Princeton.
Police say a 1993 …. Source article  : Car collides with school bus in mid-NJ, killing Camry driver, hurting passenger and 2 students.

Contractor URS Corp. settles with state of Minn. for $5M in Minneapolis bridge collapse suit

URS settles with Minn. for $5M in bridge collapse

MINNEAPOLIS – Contractor URS Corp. and the state of Minnesota reached a $5 million settlement Friday in the state’s lawsuit over the 2007 downtown Minneapolis bridge collapse that killed 13 people and injured 145 others.
URS had a long-standing contract with the Minnesota Department of Transportation to evaluate … Original source on Gaea Times at : Contractor URS Corp. settles with state of Minn. for $5M in Minneapolis bridge collapse suit.

False report of mine disaster in Sierra Leone prompts government rescue effort, minister says

Minister: Sierra Leone rattled by disaster hoax

DAKAR, Senegal – A top official in Sierra Leone’s government said he raced to a town in the country Friday after news reports said at least 200 people had been killed in a mining accident there, only to find out it was a hoax.
Minister of Mineral Resources Alpha Kanu …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Feilhaber returns to training; Holden cast removed; Davies set to rejoin Sochaux

Feilhaber, Holden, Davies progress
American midfielders Benny Feilhaber and Stuart Holden have taken steps forward as they try to get healthy in time for the World Cup, and forward Charlie Davies is set to resume training with Sochaux as he recovers from injuries sustained in a car crash.

AGF Aarhus in Denmark said Friday that Feilhaber has …. Source article  : Feilhaber returns to training; Holden cast removed; Davies set to rejoin Sochaux.

American forward Charlie Davies to rejoin Sochaux next week

Davies to rejoin Sochaux next week
SOCHAUX, France – American forward Charlie Davies has left a rehabilitation facility and is ready to resume training with Sochaux as he recovers from injuries sustained in a car crash last October.

Davies departed the Cap Sport Centre in Capbreton, where he had been since late February.
“Your boy is finally home!!! …. Original source  : American forward Charlie Davies to rejoin Sochaux next week.

APNewsBreak: Contractor URS Corp. settles with state of Minn. for $5M in bridge collapse case

APNewsBreak: URS settles with Minn. in bridge case

MINNEAPOLIS – Contractor URS Corp. and the state of Minnesota reached a $5 million settlement Friday in the state’s lawsuit over the 2007 downtown Minneapolis bridge collapse that killed 13 people and injured 145 others.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation had hired URS to analyze the 40-year-old Interstate 35W …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Carl Edwards defends character as questions raised about crash with Brad Keselowski

Edwards defends character after Keselowski crash

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Carl Edwards is personable and polite, always approachable. When he talks on camera, he makes sure to take his sunglasses off so the audience can see him clearly.
Edwards attributes it to being raised right.
Others have doubted his motives, and Tony Stewart once even described Edwards as the …. Original source  : Carl Edwards defends character as questions raised about crash with Brad Keselowski.

False report of mine disaster in Sierre Leone prompts government rescue effort, minister says

Minister: Sierre Leone rattled by disaster hoax

DAKAR, Senegal – A top official in Sierre Leone’s government said he raced to a town in the country Friday after news reports said at least 200 people had been killed in a mining accident there, only to find out it was a hoax.
Minister of Mineral Resources Alpha Kanu … Original source on Gaea Times at : False report of mine disaster in Sierre Leone prompts government rescue effort, minister says.

Search for missing mother stretches into 6th day; medical examiner says her son drowned

Medical examiner: Boy found on Wash. beach drowned

SEATTLE – A day after a boy’s body was found on an island beach in Puget Sound, authorities searched unsuccessfully for his missing mother.
“No, we haven’t heard of anything being found,” Thurston Co. sheriff’s Lt. Chris Mealy said Friday night.
Thurston County had a boat in the water Friday … Original source on Gaea Times at : Search for missing mother stretches into 6th day; medical examiner says her son drowned.

Not your garden-variety winter: Storms’ heavy toll translates to boon for landscapers

Landscapers see green as weary East greets spring

TRENTON, N.J. – Gardeners and landscapers along the Eastern seaboard are making haste – and money – as spring begins and they pick up the pieces from the region’s particularly harsh winter, which toppled more than snowfall records.
Marian Anderson, a 73-year-old resident of Manchester, N.J., is having problems …. Source article  : Not your garden-variety winter: Storms’ heavy toll translates to boon for landscapers.

Recalls this week include remote control kits, mobile power packs

Recalls this week: Sweatshirts, power packs

NEW YORK – Among the recalled items this week are two products that can overheat and pose a fire risk – mobile power packs and remote control kits.
In the latter case, the company said it received about 5,000 reports of overheating, including an incidence of a house fire. No injuries …. Read the original article  : Recalls this week include remote control kits, mobile power packs.

Never the same river twice: Forecasting how much the Red River will rise is tricky business

Many tools but no guarantees in forecasting floods

FARGO, N.D. – A year ago, weather forecasters changed their estimate late in the game of just how high the Red River would rise, stoking an 11th-hour sandbagging flurry in Fargo that proved unnecessary in the end because the new prediction was wrong.
Now, as the Red swells again …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Never the same river twice: Forecasting how much the Red River will rise is tricky business.

Chile lowers earthquake death toll to 452, with 96 still missing

Chile lowers death toll from February quake to 452

SANTIAGO, Chile – Chile is lowering the confirmed death toll from its February earthquake to 452 victims.
Interior Minister Rodrigo Hinzpeter says 96 people are still missing. The previous estimated death toll was 497.
The government on Friday announced school repairs and other reconstruction efforts that are the focus …. Original source  : Chile lowers earthquake death toll to 452, with 96 still missing.