2 die after stay in Arizona ‘sweatbox,’ officials say

Two people died and another 19 were injured at a central Arizona resort after spending up to two hours in a “sweatbox,” authorities said Friday. About 50 people had spent up to two hours inside the “sweatbox,” a dome-like structure covered with tarps and blankets, according to the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office.

Share

L.A. firefighters escape as truck sinks into hole

Los Angeles firefighters and city crews worked for several hours Tuesday to rescue one of their own: a 22-ton firetruck that was nearly swallowed by a water-logged sinkhole. The incident happened after four firefighters took the truck to the San Fernando Valley neighborhood of Valley Village, where flooding had been reported after a water main break, just before 6 a.m.

Share

Taiwanese call for souls to come home

"I believe a lot of souls are still in Shiao Lin village," says Yeh Rong Nan. Last weekend the mountain community was erased from the landscape as Typhoon Morakot swept across Taiwan killing at least 120 people. Nothing is left of the village except mud, rocks, debris and two homes, barely standing.

Share

Swim club offers olive branch after racism allegations

A suburban Philadelphia swim club has invited children from a largely minority day-care center to come back after a June reversal that fueled allegations of racism against the club, a spokeswoman said Sunday. The development came during a hastily called Sunday afternoon meeting of the Valley Club in Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania. Club members voted overwhelmingly to try to work things out with the day-care center, which accused some swim club members of making racist comments to black and Hispanic children contracted to use the pool, said Bernice Duesler, the club director’s wife.

Share

How Sarah Palin Mastered Politics

They called themselves the elite six — and the name was meant to be ironic. This was Wasilla, Alaska, 30 miles north of Anchorage, in the early 1990s — when the sagging economy meant, as a local recalls, “everyone had dust on their ass.” There was nothing élite about this little town on the stretch of highway along the railroad.

Share

Red Cross ‘gravely concerned’ about conditions in Swat Valley

No running water, no electricity, no fuel and little food. International Red Cross officials are “gravely concerned” about the stark situation in Pakistan’s Swat Valley, where a monthlong offensive against the Taliban has displaced more than 2 million civilians.

Share

Pakistan: Taliban near defeat in major city

The Pakistani military said Wednesday it hopes to clear Taliban militants from Mingora, a major Swat Valley city, in the next two to three days. “Security forces have made considerable progress in Mingora town,” the military said in its daily war roundup, making reference to the largest city in the Swat Valley. “House to house search is in progress in most of the areas.” The military said Saturday its push to clear militants from Mingora is the “most important phase” of its offensive against the Taliban.

Share