Reno, Nev. – Dozens of searchers set off into the rugged Nevada backcountry Saturday after analysts scanning radar and satellite images spotted what may be clues to the whereabouts of missing adventurer Steve Fossett. He has been missing since his plane went down 27 days ago.
The formal aerial search by the Civil Air Patrol and Nevada National Guard helicopters ended Sept. 19 after pilots spent more than two weeks scouring an area twice the size of New Jersey.
Volunteers on the ground planned to search during the day through today, said Gary Derks, the state Department of Public Safety official in charge of the search.
Irate flier dies in cell
Phoenix – A woman late to her plane became irate, was put in handcuffs and was later found dead in a holding cell, police said. Authorities were investigating Saturday whether she choked herself while trying to get free from the handcuffs.
Carol Ann Gotbaum, 45, of New York was arrested Friday at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport after a conflict with gate crews who refused to allow her to board a plane, said Sgt. Andy Hill, a Phoenix police spokesman.
Pollution prosecutions dip in Bush era
Washington – The Environmental Protection Agency’s pursuit of criminal cases against polluters has dropped off sharply in the Bush administration, with the number of prosecutions, new investigations and total convictions down by more than a third, according to Justice Department and EPA data.
The number of civil lawsuits filed against defendants who refuse to settle environmental cases was down nearly 70 percent between fiscal years 2002 and 2006, compared to a four-year period in the late 1990s, according to those same statistics.
Critics say the efforts have emboldened polluters to flout U.S. environmental laws.
Jenna Bush kicks off book tour
Annapolis, Md. – First daughter Jenna Bush couldn’t hide butterflies Saturday as she began a two-month national book tour at a Borders store. “This is my first day, so I’m a little nervous.”
Her face lit up as she talked about the subject of her book (“Ana’s Story”), a teen mom with HIV whom she met during an internship with UNICEF in Latin America. “Ana changed my life. She’s only 17 years old, but she’s lived the life of somebody so much older,” said Bush, 25.
