LITTLE ROCK — QUOTE OF THE DAY
“The new leaders of BP will have
an uphill climb to correct the legacy left by Hayward.”
U.S. Rep. Edward Markey,
a Massachusetts Democrat, on the reports that BP Chief Executive Tony Hayward was discussing leaving the firm Article, 1A
Storms hit D.C., knock out power
WASHINGTON - Power failures slammed the nation’s capital and surrounding areas Sunday night after powerful storms barreled through and knocked down power lines and countless trees, including one that fell on a minivan and killed a woman.
The storms cooled things off but left widespread damage, authorities said. Clay Anderson, spokesman for electric provider Pepco, said more than 293,000 customers in Montgomery County, Prince George’s County and Washington, D.C., were without power late Sunday.
Not only were power lines down, but electric poles also were broken and numerous transformers were damaged, he said.
Prince George’s County fire spokesman Mark Brady said two women were in the minivan in Beltsville when it was crushed by a tree. A woman in her 40s was killed and a woman in her 60s was injured.
Baltimore Gas & Electric, meanwhile, said about 57,000 customers still were without service and 38,000 Dominion Virginia Power customers lacked power Sunday night.
The National Weather Service said a strong cold front pushed through the area, causing all the damage.Puerto Rico calls flood emergency
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Puerto Rico’s governor declared a state of emergency Sunday for 17 flooded communities in the U.S. territory as he presses the federal government to contribute aid.
Gov. Luis Fortuno said the Federal Emergency Management Agency notified him Sunday that it will review his request for aid in low-lying areas hit by days of heavy rains that flooded dozens of homes and damaged roads.
The cash-strapped Puerto Rican government is helping repair infrastructure with its own emergency aid while officials await a federal determination.
A weather system that later turned into Tropical Storm Bonnie caused widespread flooding last week in eastern Puerto Rico. A 14-year-old boy drowned in one river.
LA suburb protests high city salaries
BELL, Calif. - Several hundred angry residents from a modest blue-collar Los Angeles suburb marched Sunday to call for the resignation of the mayor and some City Council members in a protest sparked by the sky-high salaries of three recently departed administrators.
The residents of the city of Bell marched to Oscar’s Korner Market and Carniceria, owned by Mayor Oscar Hernandez, then to his home, demanding that he reduce his own six-figure compensation or quit.
They then did the same with some members of the City Council.
The protest was organized by Bell Association to Stop the Abuse, a group founded after the Los Angeles Times reported that Bell’s city manager, police chief and assistant city manager were all being paid hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, with City Manager Robert Rizzo collecting a check of $787,637. All three resigned on Friday.
Front Section, Pages 3 on 07/26/2010