Interstate sniper attacks kill 1, wound 1 in Indiana
Seymour, Ind. – Sniper attacks targeted two pickups early Sunday on a busy highway, killing one person and wounding a second, and police asked other motorists who had been through the area to check their vehicles for bullet holes.
Hours later, two more vehicles were struck by bullets on another four-lane highway about 100 miles away, but there was no immediate indication if the two cases were connected, police said.
One shot struck a southbound pickup on Interstate 65 shortly after midnight, killing one of its two passengers, police said. At about the same time, a bullet grazed the head of a passenger in another southbound pickup on the same highway, about 50 miles south of Indianapolis.
About two hours later, bullets struck a tractor-trailer on Interstate 69 near Muncie, about 50 miles northeast of Indianapolis, state police said. Later, a parked, unattended sport utility vehicle was struck at a service station in the same area. No one was injured.
Gov. Mitch Daniels ordered the Indiana National Guard to be placed on standby to help with the investigation if needed.
I-65 is part of the only direct route between Chicago and Florida and is heavily traveled at all hours, state police Sgt. Jerry Goodin said. He asked motorists who had been through the Seymour area during the past week to check their vehicles for bullet holes.
Miss Puerto Rico claims 2006 Universe title
Los Angeles – An 18-year-old aspiring actress from Puerto Rico who hopes to someday star in U.S. and Latin American films was crowned Sunday night as Miss Universe 2006.
Zuleyka Rivera Mendoza of Puerto Rico shared a nervous emotional hug with first runner-up Kurara Chibana of Japan moments before the winner was announced, then clasped her hands to her mouth in amazement as she heard her name called. She beamed as the crown was placed on her head.
Miss USA Tara Conner was the contest’s fourth runner-up. Also finishing in the top five were second runner-up Lauriane Gillieron of Switzerland and third runner-up Lourdes Arevalos of Paraguay.
Conner, a Kentucky native, was vying to become the first U.S. winner since Brook Lee of Hawaii in 1997.
Awards were given for photogenic appeal, congeniality and national costume. Lia Andrea Ramos of Philippines was chosen most photogenic in an online vote by the public. Angela Asare of Ghana won the congeniality award in a vote by all 86 contestants. Chibana, who carried a Samurai sword, won the award for best national costume.
“They were probably afraid not to pick Miss Japan or she would use that sword,” quipped Carson Kressley of TV’s “Queer Eye,” who provided commentary along with 2004 Miss USA Shandi Finnessey.
CAMARILLO, Calif.
Prices at gas pump hit all-time high
Nationwide gas prices hit an all-time high in the past two weeks, rising nearly 2 cents to just over $3 a gallon, according to a survey released Sunday.
The national average for self- serve regular stood at $3.015 a gallon Friday, up 1.98 cents in the past two weeks, according to the Lundberg Survey of 7,000 gas stations across the country.
A gallon of mid-grade gasoline averaged about $3.12, and premium was nearly $3.22.
Nationwide, the lowest price for regular was $2.77 a gallon in Charleston, S.C., while the highest, $3.28 a gallon, was in San Diego.
INDIANAPOLIS
Falling mirror kills boy at Wal-Mart
A mirror at a store fell on a 3-year-old boy, killing him, officials said.
Christopher Antonio was apparently playing near the 5-foot- tall floor-mounted mirror in the children’s section of a Wal-Mart when it fell Saturday.
“The mother was approximately 5 feet away from the child when she heard a loud crash,” Marion County sheriff’s Lt. Michael DeHart said. The boy’s 5-year-old sister was also at the store.
Wal-Mart was cooperating with investigators, said spokeswoman Jolanda Stewart.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family,” she said.
GRAND CANYON PARK, Ariz.
Searchers suspect
that hiker drowned
A 19-year-old woman who disappeared during a hiking trip a week ago probably drowned, authorities said Sunday.
A search has turned up no new evidence, but searchers strongly believe Iryna Shylo drowned after she attempted to go to the bathroom in the Colorado River, said Ken Phillips, head of search and rescue operations for Grand Canyon National Park.
The river’s current, which looks placid in spots but can be strong underneath, probably swept away the Ukrainian citizen, he said.
LONDON
Report: Jordan agents torture for the U.S.
Security agents in Jordan are torturing terrorism suspects on behalf of the U.S. in hopes of forcing confessions, the human rights watchdog Amnesty International contends in a report today.
The report said its investigators had identified about 10 suspected cases of men subjected to rendition from U.S. custody to interrogation centers in Jordan.
Britain and the United States dismissed the report, saying it lacked firm new evidence.
JERUSALEM
Still in coma, Sharon has kidney problem
The condition of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who has been in a coma since suffering a stroke in January, has deteriorated, although there was no immediate danger to his life, hospital officials and former aides said Sunday.
Sharon, 78, was having a problem with his kidneys at Sheba Medical Center in the Tel Aviv suburb of Tel Hashomer. Hospital officials also said brain checks had shown changes in Sharon’s brain tissue, but they gave no further details.
Sharon, Israel’s most popular politician, had a small stroke in December and was put on blood thinners before he suffered a severe brain hemorrhage in January. The Israeli leader underwent several extensive brain surgeries to stop the bleeding, and many independent experts doubted that he would ever recover.
