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4B Daily News – Wednesday, January 1, 2014 WORLD BRIEFING Revelers welcome 2014 with fireworks, dancing and tradition as new year arrives around world DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — With fireworks, dancing and late-night revelry, millions around the world welcomed 2014 on Tuesday, gathering for huge displays of jubilation and unity as the new year arrived. Dubai, a Persian Gulf city known for glitz, glamour and over-the-top achievements like the world's tallest skyscraper, sought to break another record by creating the largest fireworks show. In Ukraine, anti-government protesters hoped to set their own record for the most people to sing a national anthem at the same time. Crowds heading to New York City's Times Square could expect the traditional ball drop but no mayor this year. The new year was to be rung in by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor instead. The Dubai skyline was a canvas for a dazzling 30-minute show capping off with six minutes of fireworks that engulfed the city's man-made, palm-shaped island, with its fronds and trunk shimmering in thousands of lights. AP photo Crude oil tanker cars continue to burn at the site of an oil train derailment Tuesday in Casselton, N.D. Utah asks Supreme Court to block same-sex unions CASSELTON, N.D. (AP) — A fiery oil train derailment's near-miss of a small North Dakota town had its mayor angrily calling for federal officials to do more to guarantee the safety of the nation's growing shipment of oil by rail. Government regulators defended their record on moving hazardous materials by rail, noting that 2012 was the safest year in the industry's history. But oil trains have bucked that trend, thanks in part to the massive amount of oil being moved out of western North Dakota, where the industry's rapid growth is far outpacing pipeline development. No one was hurt when the mile-long BNSF Railway train derailed Monday afternoon near the eastern North Dakota town of Casselton, but the overturned tankers — exploding and engulfed in plumes of flames and black smoke for more than 24 hours — burned so hot that emergency crews didn't even attempt to put out the blaze. Most of Casselton's roughly 2,400 residents agreed to temporarily evacuate due to concerns about unsafe air. ''This is too close for comfort,'' Casselton Mayor Ed McConnell said Tuesday. While the overall rate of oil train accidents remains low — less than 0.1 percent of crude-carrying tank cars have suffered accidental releases this year — there's been a sharp increase in the number of releases over the past several years. That's driven by a surge in drilling for unconventional shale oil in North Dakota and other western states. Through early November, the most recent data available, crude releases have been reported from 137 rail cars in 2013, according to an Associated Press analysis of federal accident records. By comparison, only one release was reported in 2009, before the boom got well underway. The rail tracks in eastern North Dakota run through the middle of Casselton, about 25 miles west of Fargo. McConnell estimated that dozens of people could have been killed if the derailments had happened within the town. The mayor said it was time to ''have a conversation'' with federal lawmakers about the dangers of transporting oil by rail. ''There have been numerous derailments in this area,'' he told the AP. ''It's almost gotten to the point that it looks like not if we're going to have an accident, it's when.'' Gov. Jack Dalrymple visited Casselton, his hometown, to view the scene. He called it a ''major catastrophe'' that would prompt concern no matter where it happened. ''People will be asking a lot of questions about the safety of equipment, the safety of railroad operations, and why did the derailment occur in the first place,'' Dalrymple said. The National Transportation Safety Board, which is heading the investigation, said it would examine the train recorder, the signal system, the condition of the train operators, train and tracks, as well as the response to the derailment. NTSB member Robert Sumwalt said the tankers involved were older-model DOT-111s, which have shown a tendency to rupture in other accidents. Tank car makers have been rebuilding the DOT-111, the workhorse of the oil-byrail industry, to tougher safety standards since a 2009 crash of an ethanol train near Rockford, Ill., but most of the nation's fleet has not yet been retrofitted. Sumwalt said a westbound BNSF train carrying grain derailed first, and a portion of it fell onto an adjacent track carrying the eastbound BNSF oil train. Sumwalt said both lead locomotives of the 106-car train were destroyed. BNSF spokeswoman Amy McBeth said 18 cars on the oil train derailed and burned. Officials canceled the town's voluntary evacuation recommendation Tuesday afternoon after air quality tests, and a Red Cross shelter set up at the high school was shut down. Government regulators noted their record on moving hazardous materials by rail, saying they've conducted unannounced spot inspections to make sure crude oil is being properly handled, issued rail safety advisories and worked to update regulations including for the DOT-111s. Federal Railroad Administration Associate Administrator Kevin Thompson added that 2012 was the safest year in the industry's history and that hazardous material releases are down 16 percent over the last decade, despite the uptick in oil train accidents. Those accidents include the Nov. 8 derailment of more than two dozen crude oil cars into an Alabama swamp that released almost 750,000 gallons of crude and led to another fiery explosion, but again no injuries. And the U.S. Department of Transportation data analyzed by AP does not include a July oil train accident in Quebec in which 47 people were killed when a shipment of North Dakota oil derailed in the town of Lac Megantic. The Casselton derailment comes just days after North Dakota's top oil regulator, Lynn Helms, told state lawmakers that his agency was considering crafting a report ''to dispel this myth that it is somehow an explosive, really dangerous thing to have traveling up and down rail lines.'' Wayde Schafer, a North Dakota spokesman for the Sierra Club, has predicted such catastrophes since crude began leaving the state by rail in 2008, when North Dakota reached its then-capacity for pipeline shipments. ''As if we needed another wake-up call after Quebec, here's another wake-up call,'' Schafer said. Ron Ness, president of the North Dakota Petroleum Council, said the state's drillers increasingly are using trains to reach more lucrative markets because of the lack of pipelines and difficulty in securing permits for them. Sheldon Lustig, a rail expert who consults with local governments on accidents and hazardous materials, said oil train explosions underscore that not enough is being done by either government or industry. ''The evidence speaks for itself,'' he said. ''I've talked to some of the crews and they refer to them as 'bomb trains.' They are worried, especially in view of the volatility of the cargo being moved.'' Federal officials have said they stepped up inspections of oil trains even before the Quebec accident. But Lustig said he's seen no evidence that any corrective measures were taken for whatever defects were discovered. Established 1994 Established 1994 Established 1998 Gold Exchange Affordable Hearing Aid pricing you can trust. SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah took its fight against gay marriage to the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, asking the high court to suspend same-sex unions that became legal when a judge struck down the state's voter-approved ban. The heavily Mormon state wants the marriages to stop while it appeals a judge's decision, which said banning gay couples from marrying violates their right to equal treatment under the law. In papers filed Tuesday, the state asked Justice Sonia Sotomayor to overturn a decision that has led to more than 900 gay marriages in Utah. Sotomayor handles emergency requests from Utah and other Rocky Mountain states. Sotomayor responded by setting a deadline of by noon Friday for legal briefs from same-sex couples. She can act by herself or get the rest of the court involved. ''Numerous same-sex marriages are now occurring every day in Utah,'' Utah lawyers complain in the filing. ''Each one is an affront not only to the interests of the state and its citizens in being able to define marriage through ordinary democratic channels, but also to this court's unique role as final arbiter.'' Also Tuesday, the Utah Attorney General's Office advertised a formal bid request to outside law firms for help preparing the appeals. State officials have said it could cost $2 million, bringing criticism from a lawyer for couples who sued to overturn the ban and say Utah should give up the fight. ''We are disappointed that Utah will spend millions of dollars in taxpayer's money, to attempt to reinstate laws which deny due process and equal protection to all of Utah's citizens,'' the lawyer, James Magleby, said Tuesday. Utah insists that states have the authority to define marriage as between a man and woman. ''That states have a powerful interest in controlling the definition of marriage within their borders is indisputable,'' Utah said in the filing. U.S. District Judge Robert Shelby's decision on Dec. 20 came as a shock to many in the state, which approved the ban on same-sex marriage in 2004. Shelby and the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals have already refused to halt weddings while the state appeals what it calls a ''rush to marry.'' Magleby argued that because so many couples have already married, ''there is no emergency need for a stay.'' Shelby's decision came late on a Friday afternoon and sent people rushing to a county clerk's office in Salt Lake City — about 3 miles from the headquarters of the Mormon church — for marriage licenses. The following Monday, 353 more gay and lesbian couples grabbed a license, some camping out overnight to get in line early the next morning. After the 10th Circuit Court refused to halt the ruling, the few county clerks who had refused to issue licenses changed course. Officials say things have slowed down after a run on marriage licenses that started hours after Shelby's decision. Since then, Gov. Gary Herbert has directed state agencies to comply with Shelby's order, meaning gay couples are eligible for food stamps and welfare, among other benefits. The state Tax Commission said it was looking at changing tax returns to allow same-sex couples to file jointly, although it didn't immediately give assurances that will happen. Nearly two-thirds of Utah's 2.8 million residents are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Mormons dominate the state's legal and political circles. The Mormon church was one of the leading forces behind California's short-lived ban on same-sex marriage, Proposition 8. The church says it stands by its support for ''traditional marriage'' and hopes a higher court validates its belief that marriage is between a man and woman. In the papers filed Tuesday, Utah argues that children are best raised by a mother and father in a good relationship. ''On average children navigate developmental stages more easily, perform better academically, have fewer emotional disorders and become better functioning adults when reared in that environment,'' it says. Thousands of police, troops tighten security in Russian city hit by 2 suicide bombings VOLGOGRAD, Russia (AP) — Eerily empty buses We Buy Gold Top Dollar Paid • Unique Jewelry Designs & Repairs • Coins • Precious Metals • Checks Cashed • Pawn Broker • Wedding Ceremonies • Spiritual Services (530) 528-8000 423 Walnut St. Red Bluff, CA Tues.-Fri. 10am-5:30pm Sat. & Mon. 11am-4pm Lic.#5201-0992 www.redbluffgoldexchange.com www.angelsamongusall.com lumbered through the streets, police weighed down with body armor warily watched pedestrians near a fast-food restaurant, and members of Cossack units stood guard at bus stops. Volgograd was an ominous and jittery city Tuesday after two suicide bombings in two days killed 34 people. Volgograd authorities canceled mass events for New Year's Eve, one of Russia's most popular holidays, and asked residents not to set off fireworks. All movie theaters were closed until Thursday. ''People are afraid it will happen again. They're trying not to go outside if they don't have to,'' said 20-year-old Yulia Kuzmina, a student. ''We get a feeling that a war has started.'' That is a worry that extends far beyond Volgograd. Although there has been no claim of responsibility for the bombing of the city's main railway station and a trolley bus, suspicion has fallen on Islamist insurgents, whose leader ordered his adherents over the summer to do all they could to derail the Winter Olympics, which start Feb. 7 in the Russian resort city of Sochi. Slovakia takes last 3 Uighur Guantanamo prisoners after other countries refused MIAMI (AP) — Three members of a persecuted ethnic minority from China have been released from Guantanamo Bay and sent to the Central European country of Slovakia, officials said Tuesday, resolving a diplomatic dilemma that had kept the men imprisoned long after a judge had ordered their release. The three men were the last three ethnic Uighurs held at the U.S. base in Cuba and their release after months of intense diplomatic efforts comes amid a renewed effort by President Barack Obama to close down the prison. Slovakia had accepted three other Guantanamo prisoners in 2009 and allowed the resettlement of the Uighurs after other countries refused because of pressure from the Chinese government, which has sought to take custody of the men. ''Slovakia deserves a lot of credit because they were willing to do what large countries like the United States, Canada and Germany were unwilling to do, which was to resist diplomatic pressure from China and the stigma of Guantanamo,'' said Wells Dixon, a lawyer with the New Yorkbased Center for Constitutional Rights who worked for years trying to secure the men's release. The Pentagon identified the men as Yusef Abbas, Saidullah Khalik and Hajiakbar Abdul Ghuper. All three are in their 30s and were captured in late 2001. All-clear coming for North Dakota town near explosive oil train derailment Serving the North State for 20 years. St. Elizabeth Hospice Thrift Store Visit our website for prices & information. www.entpatients.com Thrifty gifts and household items 331 Elm St. Red Bluff (530) 528-1220 Riverside Plaza Main Street, Red Bluff Monday-Friday 9-5 pm Saturday 10-4 pm 530.528-9430