LITTLE ROCK — QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I’m relieved. This was a hastily designed plan.” John Grele,an attorney for Albert Greenwood Brown, whose execution today, which would have been California’s first since 2006, was called off Wednesday Article, this page
Bus drops off highway ramp; 1 dies
BETHESDA, Md. - A commuter bus plunged off a highway Wednesday outside the nation’s capital, killing the driver and injuring at least a dozen other people, including children, authorities said.
Parents and children were aboard the bus that fell 45 feet off a ramp of the Capital Beltway and landed below along Interstate 270 in Bethesda, said Maryland State Police Sgt. Michael Brennan.
The crash occurred about 4 p.m. as the afternoon rush hour started to build, creating a traffic jam northwest of Washington.
Authorities had to extricate several people from the “limousine-style tour bus,” said Scott Graham, assistant chief for the Montgomery County Fire Department.
Graham said 12 people were taken to hospitals. Two had critical, life-threatening injuries, two others were critically hurt but should survive and the rest had minor injuries.
Ronna Borenstein, a spokesman for Suburban Hospital, said 11 patients were taken there. She said two adults were in fair condition and five adults and four children were in good condition.
House passes plan to aid 9/11 workers
WASHINGTON - A bill to give up to $7.4 billion to workers sickened during the cleanup of the World Trade Center site after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks passed Wednesday in the House.
New York lawmakers have been pushing for years for such a measure, which passed 268-160.
Similar legislation is pending in the Senate, but with Congress departing until after the fall midterm elections, prospects for passage are unclear. New York lawmakers said they will push to bring the bill to the Senate floor once Congress returns for its lame-duck session.
Republican critics have branded the bill as a big-government program that would boost taxes and kill jobs.
The bill would provide free health care and compensation to rescue-and-recovery workers who fell ill after working in the trade center ruins.
It was a second showdown for the bill, which failed to pass in a July vote. To pay the bill’s estimated $7.4 billion cost over 10 years, the legislation requires multinational companies incorporated in tax havens to pay taxes on income earned in the United States.
Web-access bill goes to president
WASHINGTON - The blind will have greater access to the Internet through smart phones, and devices such as iPhones and BlackBerrys will have to be hearing-aid compatible under legislation Congress has sent to the president.
“Two decades ago, Americans with disabilities couldn’t get around if buildings weren’t wheelchair-accessible; today it’s about being Web-accessible,” said Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., the main House sponsor.
The video accessibility act passed the Senate last month and was approved by the House late Tuesday. The bill was promoted in the Senate by Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark.
The measure sets federal guidelines for the telecommunications industry assuring that the blind will have access to the Web through improved user interfaces for smart phones. Also, over time, more than 60 hours a week of video programming must have audio descriptions.
It will also require that video programming devices such as MP3 players and digital video recorders be capable of closed captioning, video description and emergency alerts.
Obama: Policies a good economic base
President Barack Obama defended his economic policies as laying a foundation for long-term growth while saying the United States still faces hurdles in the coming months, including restoring the millions of jobs lost during the recession.
The president cited his initiatives to overhaul financial regulations and the health-care system, to improve public education and to boost the alternative-energy industry as steps that will ensure future prosperity and U.S. competitiveness.
“The challenges the economy faces are still great and they’re not going to go away tomorrow or the next day, but we’re on the right path,” Obama said to a group of voters in the backyard of a home in Des Moines, Iowa, his third stop on a four-state trip.
Obama combined the promotion of his record with criticism of Republican proposals as he and Democrats are gearing up for the November congressional elections.
Front Section, Pages 4 on 09/30/2010