WASHINGTON -- The discovery of dangerously high levels of arsenic that prompted the closure of a popular park in Washington last week came as a shock to families who enjoy the green space for soccer games and picnics.

During the conflict, Fort Reno Park was a military outpost for soldiers protecting the capital from Confederate invasion. Because arsenic was a common ingredient in embalming fluid, one theory is that the arsenic still in the ground seeped out during the preparation of soldier remains for burial elsewhere.

"It was common for the Civil War, especially on the Union side, for the dead to be embalmed with arsenic, but whether the arsenic that is being detected now goes back that far, I cannot say," said National Park Service spokesman Bill Line.

While tourists flock to Washington for its momuments and museums, the city rests on ruins from a bygone era. Fort Reno was part of a circle of defensive positions that included at least a dozen forts that protected Washington during the war.

Tests indicate that arsenic levels in some places are as much as 25 times the level deemed safe by government standards.

MIAMI -- The Everglades wildfire burning in Southwest Miami-Dade continued to spread Sunday, scorching thousands more acres. And there was more bad news: The winds are not helping.

Steady southwesterly winds are blowing thick, smoky haze and the smell of fire over Miami-Dade and Broward counties.

"Unfortunately, the winds will continue sending the smoke over the metropolitan area," said Bob Ebaugh, a weather service specialist said Sunday. That could continue through Wednesday -- if the fires don't let up. "There could be some respites when afternoon sea breezes move in."

To add to the discomfort, the temperature could break records Sunday, climbing to 95 degrees by the afternoon.

BOULDER, Colo. -- It wasn't exactly pistols at 30 paces, but police say a security company supervisor and a restauranteur shot each other with Tasers in a "bonehead" confrontation over parking.

Officers said neither man needed medical attention after the Saturday confrontation, but Harvey Epstein, co-owner of Mamacitas restaurant, was arrested on suspicion of felony menacing and using a stun gun.

Epstein, 36, didn't immediately respond to messages seeking comment left at the restaurant and his Longmont home Sunday by The Associated Press.

A police report said Epstein and Casey M. Dane, a supervisor for Colorado Security Services Inc., were arguing over a metal boot that one of Dane's guards had clamped on a wheel of a van parked behind Mamacitas.

Dane told police he was afraid Epstein was going to hit him with a 2-foot-long pair of bolt cutters. Epstein told police he had only tried to remove the boot with the bolt cutters and hadn't threatened anyone with them.

Epstein told police Dane put his hand on a holstered pistol and threatened to shoot him. Dane told The Associated Press by telephone that he did put his hand on the holstered pistol but never threatened to shoot Epstein.

Both men drew Tasers.

"They shot each other," Police Sgt. Pat Wyton told the Camera newspaper. "It was just kind of a bonehead deal."

Same-sex marriage ruling under fire

Opponents of same-sex marriage say they will ask the California Supreme Court to delay the implementation of its ruling allowing gay couples to wed in the state as those on both sides of the debate gear up for a November ballot measure aimed at undoing the court's decision.

"It's certainly a temporary victory for those who favor same-sex marriage," Ron Prentice, steering committee chairman of ProtectMarriage.com, said of the decision invalidating a state law defining marriage exclusively as the union of a man and a woman. Prentice's coalition is seeking to overturn that ruling.

In about 30 days, when the court's ruling becomes official, same-sex couples throughout the state will no longer be denied marriage licenses. But a motion to extend the waiting period to November will be filed soon, said Mathew Staver, a lawyer for Campaign for California Families, one of the groups fighting to preserve the marriage ban.

In addition, a petition for a November ballot measure that would ban same-sex marriage by amending the state constitution has collected 1.1 million signatures -- far more than required -- and has been handed over to election officials.

Veggie Pride Parade urges, "Give Peas a Chance"

NEW YORK -- The veggies your mom implored you to eat are getting their own celebration in New York City: The Veggie Pride Parade.

Rain or shine, the parade is expected to wend its way through Manhattan's old meatpacking district on Sunday before ending at Washington Square Park.

Along the route, costumed bride and groom Penelo Pea Pod and Chris P. Carrot will exchange veggie vows and ask observers to "Give Peas a Chance" and "Go Vegetarian!"

Parade organizer Pamela Rice says the mission of the parade is to promote vegan and vegetarian lifestyles and the ethical treatment of animals. It was inspired by a similar parade in Paris, France.