The Delta NewsWire 8/29/05

File Under: NewsWire

Here are some of the top stories making the news, and some links that you might be interested in:

Hurricane Katrina

- Katrina has killed 3 people in Mississippi, 2 in Alabama. (source)

- Katrina has been downgraded to a Category 1 Hurricane. Louisiana and Mississippi have been declared major disastear areas by President Bush. (source)

- EARLY estimates have Katrina costing insurers up to $26 billion. If true, it will be the most expensive hurricane to hit the United States on record. Most damage is believed to be wind-related. The lowest estimates have $10 billion being shelled out. Hurricane Andrew, the current record-holder, cost insurers $20.9 billion (adjusted for inflation). (source)

- A spokesman for AAA says that they "expect there to be a significant impact on pump prices" as a result of Katrina. And prices will go up in time for the Labor Day holiday weekend. But officials stress it's still too early to tell just how high prices may climb. Once Katrina's damage to the oil industry is clear, the Bush administration will look into possibly releasing some oil from the reserves, like they did after Ivan in 2004. (source)

- At 4 pm EDT, Katrina's top winds were 95 mph. It will weaken throughout the day, and may be a depression by sometime Monday night. Tropical storm force winds will stay with the center of the storm as it moves into central Tennessee. Heavy rain and isolated tornadoes are also possible. (source)

- Meanwhile, Tropical Depression #13 dissipated this morning east of the Lesser Antilles. The remnants will be monitored over the coming days. But a low pressure system off the African coast has the potential to develop into a new depression by the middle of the week. Typhoon Talim has top winds of 140 mph in the NW Pacific Ocean, and could hit Taiwan late Wednesday or Thursday, then move towards inland China on Friday. (source)

News from Across America

- A gunman killed 4 people near a church in the small town of Sash, Texas. The gunman, A.P. Crenshaw, then turned the gun on himself after a 9-hour standoff with police. It started with an argument in the church parking lot. A congregation member asked Crenshaw to leave. He was later killed, along with the pastor. He then drove to a nearby intersection, shot a truck, and killed the 2 women inside after they tried to flee. Sash is a community of 300. (source)

- A wildfire in Palm Springs, CA, is only 10% contained. It broke out on Friday after hikers tried to start a campfire, and it spread. Temperatures in the 110's and erratic winds are not helping firefighters at all. The wildfire has now spread through 5,000 acres. This year, more than 7.3 million acres have burned, about a half million more than last year. (source)

- Public prayer is not banned outright, and nonsectarian prayers may be included in special ceremonies or events, but only to lend a sense of solemnity and not to prmote specific beliefs.- The Air Force has released new guidelines for religious tolerance. They discourage public prayer at official functions, and urge commanders to be sensitive about personal expressions of religion. Chaplains must "repsect the rights" of those of other beliefs, or those of "no" beliefs. Personal discussions of faith are not banned either. But everyone is asked to be "sensitive", regarding other believes. The Air Force says that it "will not officially endorse or establish religion, either one specific relgiion, or the idea of religion over non-religion." Abuse of disrespect of Air Force members, based on their religious beliefs or non-beliefs, are unacceptable, according to the guidelines. (source)

- Homes within 1-half mile of a leaking railroad car in Cincinnati were ordered to be evacuated this morning because of a highly flammable liquid whose fumes are hazardous to breathe. 20,000 gallons of sytrene were being leaked. Firefighters are on-scene, to help keep the car cool, while officials try to stop the leak. (source)

- 2 swastikas were spray-painted in the road in front of a Jewish family's home, while they threw eggs at their front porche. They also painted the word "Fascist" and an obscenity in the grass. Their trees were TP'ed, and someone, uh, relieved themselves in both senses, on the front porch. The family thinks it's because the mom worked as a liaison for a community watchdog program, and this is "retaliation" on the part of neighborhood teens. (source)

International News

- Filipino police installed more closed-circuit cameras in Manila malls, dispatched guards w/dogs, and set up more checkpoints. The military fears that Abu Sayyaf may be ready to carry out more attacks. Sunday, the al-Qaeda bombed a ferry, injuring 30 people. President Arroyo promised to hunt down "and cripple, if not decimate" those responsible. (source)

- Leaders from Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades pledged to an Egyptian official that they were committed to the cease-fire. Sunday, a suicide bomber wounded 2 security guards in Beersheba. (source)

- Jordan said that it will spend $85 million to improve security at the Jordan/Iraq border. (source)

- Iraq has a new constitution, but there are protestors... The source article can explain it all much better in detail than I can summarize. (source)

- Australian researchers have found large amounts of radioactive material in 2 unidentified SE Asian countries at unsecured sites. Australia is part of a global effort to ensure radioactive material used in medicine and industry is stored securely and systems are set up to track it. The countries weren't identified, to help prevent people such as terrorist from getting wind and tracking the material down, which could be used to build a "dirty bomb". (source)

- Nicolas and Cecilia Sarkozy have split. The French power-couple are getting all the attention in the local press, especially after Cecilia was spotted with another man. Nicolas is an interior minister, and on a quest to be the French President. Now there are questions about their relationship all along, and whether or not Nicolas could be the next president. It's quite a... juicy read. (source)

On A Lighter Note...

- Hey, it's Grilled Cheese day over at this food blog! Matching wine w/Grilled Cheese, GC w/Roasted Veggies, GC in different countries, the different ways to cook it... It's quite the eye-opener!

- Diane Diamond has been let go from CourtTV. They say it's part of their reorganization efforts, following rebranding themselves as CourtTV News. She'll spend her newfound unemployment status writing her book on the Michael Jackson trial (for which she was criticized for her occasionally heavy-handed "he's guilty!" coverage. She may also make appearances on Nancy Grace on CNN Headline News. (source)

- Actress Gwyneth Paltrow tells Brad Pitt that if he weren't so chatty with the press, they'd leave him alone with the whole dumping-his-wife-to-run-to-Angelina-Jolie-thing. But what really jumped out at me is that Paltrow's daughter is named Apple. You can dish out PR advice, Gwyneth. Just don't offer your services when it comes to naming children, please! (source)

- Finally, here are the numbers for Friday's cable news race. At this point, it's just more fun to look at everybody EXCEPT FOX News, 'cause you know that they're always going to be heads and shoulders above everyone else. Especially Greta! (source)