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3.1-magnitude quake reported in Coffeeville, Ala. COFFEEVILLE, Ala. -- The southwest Alabama town of Coffeeville has been shaken by a small earthquake.
The U.S. Geological Survey says the 3.1-magnitude quake struck about 1:39 p.m. Friday in the rural area about 75 miles north of Mobile. The quake was slight and many people didn't feel it. Coffeeville Police Chief Clint Harrel says it lasted longer than a minute, and some people reported furniture being knocked over. There are no reports of injuries or significant damage.
Ailing fugitive headed back to Md. RALEIGH, N.C. -- An ailing 81-year-old North Carolina man who escaped from a Maryland prison 43 years ago was taken into custody Friday to face extradition, a move his attorneys decried as a waste of time because he is ill and aging. Willie Parker, who suffers from several health problems, only served about a quarter of his sentence for robbery with a deadly weapon before escaping in 1965. He was tracked down in February as part of a Maryland effort to clear outstanding warrants. Parker, who has been living in North Carolina, was unexpectedly arrested during a court hearing Friday, said defense attorney Andrew Jackson. He said Parker was held for about an hour before extradition documents arrived from Gov. Mike Easley's office. "The general sentiment is why are we wasting our time with this old man. We've got plenty of other crime up here in Maryland," said Warren Brown, one of Parker's attorneys. "He's a sick man, requiring hospitalization at times, and they would have to bear the cost."
Texas: Immigration checks, hurricanes don't mix McALLEN, Texas -- South Texas emergency managers working to ensure the area is prepared for a hurricane are worried that federal officials will cause disastrous delays by insisting on running inland checkpoints for illegal immigrants even during a massive evacuation. Texas and federal officials have argued about the checkpoints roughly 75 miles from the border for years, but emergency managers only recently learned that the Border Patrol also plans to check the immigration status of people boarding buses at evacuation hubs in the Rio Grande Valley. State and local officials are concerned not only about delays, but that the checkpoints could deter illegal immigrants from fleeing dangerous conditions. "That puts me in a dilemma because those people will stay behind in a potential surge zone," said Johnny Cavazos, emergency management coordinator for Cameron County, a coastal county on the U.S.-Mexico border. "These people live in the most fragile of homes. I'm going to have a search and rescue problem to deal with," he said, adding that federal and local officials need to "come up with a much better plan." The screenings at evacuation hubs are intended to prevent bottlenecks at the inland checkpoints, said Dan Doty, a Rio Grande Valley spokesman for the U.S. Border Patrol. "Our local policy is checkpoints will not close, we will check for immigration status," Doty said. "We have to do our jobs." Gov. Rick Perry wants the Border Patrol to share the state's priority of putting public safety first during an emergency, said spokeswoman Krista Piferrer.
FDA stresses birth defect risks with Roche drug WASHINGTON -- Health regulators warned again Friday that Roche and Novartis drugs prescribed to organ transplant patients can cause miscarriages and birth defects when used by pregnant women. The Food and Drug Administration last October said it received reports of miscarriages and infants born with ear and mouth birth defects after their mothers took Roche's CellCept. At the time, FDA added its most serious warning to CellCept and a similar Novartis AG drug, Myfortic. FDA spokesman Christopher Kelly said the agency has not received any new reports of pregnancy-related problems, but was concerned some doctors may not have seen the initial warning. CellCept and Myfortic are used to suppress the body's immune system to avoid organ rejection in transplant patients.
Half-eaten Snickers bar implicates burglar JONESBORO, Ark. -- Police say DNA found on a half-eaten candy bar helped them zero in on a robbery suspect. Detective Jason Simpkins says Brian D. Bass's DNA matched the sample found on the bar left on the counter at Cato Animal Hospital during a January robbery. Bass was being held in jail Friday on $50,000 bond. Bass was on probation after he served time on a firearms possession charge. Simpkins said the state had his DNA on file. Police say Bass is facing felony commercial burglary and theft charges. The public defender's office says Bass, 39, doesn't have an attorney yet.
IRS playing catch up after error in rebate checks Did the Internal Revenue Service forget your kids? For hundreds of parents expecting a $300-per-child stimulus payment, the IRS could still owe you. Because of computer glitches and taxpayer filing errors, as many as 350,000 tax-paying parents nationwide were shorted the $300-per-child payment they're due under the federal government's stimulus payment plan. If your family is among them, a catch-up check will be arriving in mid-July, IRS spokesman Terry Lemons said "We're going in to make sure we correct the situation," Lemons said. "We appreciate everyone's patience during this." |
