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THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Schlitterbahn's new Verrückt waterslide in Kansas City is the world's tallest and is scheduled to open to the public today. ByBillDraper The Associated Press KANSAS CITY, KAN. Half- way up the 264 stairs lead- ing to the top of the world's tallest waterslide, it was clear this was the most breathtaking ride I'd ever encountered. And that was before I ever stepped foot in the raft. Two-thirds of the way up the circular stairs is a sign that says I've reached the height of the Statue of Liberty. A few dozen more steps and I've reached the level of Niagara Falls — and the relief that de- spite being a little light- headed, this 50-year-old former smoker was going to make it to the top of the ride called "Verruckt" — German for "insane." From a distance, the waterslide at the edge of Schlitterbahn Water- park, about 15 miles west of downtown Kansas City, Missouri, doesn't look so scary. Even from just below the 168-foot-tall structure, it's easy to dismiss the steep- ness of the first plunge if you've not been to the top and watched nervously as the gate opens and your raft starts creeping to the edge. But the steady screams of grown men and women clinging to their rafts as they nosedive through bursts of water are proof this ride is anything but tame. Before being allowed to climb the stairs to Ver- ruckt, two or three riders at a time step onto a scale to make sure their com- bined weight isn't over 550 pounds. A park worker then reads a two-page list that's as much a warning as it is a disclaimer that Verruckt isn't for the faint of heart (or anyone who is overweight, has a his- tory of back problems or is pregnant). At 250 pounds and a fre- quent patron of the chiro- practic arts, at least I'm not pregnant. Among the warnings delivered to riders before they start their ascent is that one of the possible hazards of going down the waterslide is ... death. Once riders reach the top platform where we will climb aboard the raft, each team of riders steps onto another scale and is weighed again. A green light indicates that neither I nor the woman who vol- unteered to ride with me gained another 120 pounds on the way up. It wasn't until I stood on the platform wait- ing for my heart to stop pounding that I began to get a little anxious about boarding the raft — the same kind that during testing just weeks earlier had lifted up and flown over the edge, destroy- ing upon its impact with the ground both the ves- sel and the sandbag peo- ple it was carrying. Fear of heights? Then don't try this waterslide THRILLS By Alvaro Barrientos The Associated Press PAMPLONA, SPAIN An American who co-authored the book "Fiesta: How to Survive the Bulls of Pam- plona" became one of their victims Wednesday when he was one of two men gored at the festival. Bill Hillmann, a 32-year- old from Chicago and a longtime participant in the nine-day Pamplona street party, was gored twice in the right thigh during one of the daily bull runs, orga- nizers said on their website. The injury was serious but not life-threatening, the Navarra regional govern- ment said in a statement. "He collided with an- other guy who was run- ning in the opposite direc- tion. Bill fell and as he did the bull gored his right leg," said Michael Hemingway, a great-grandson of writer Ernest Hemingway, who immortalized the running of the bulls in his 1926 novel "The Sun Also Rises." The teenager was just steps away photograph- ing the event, which he has attended for several years with his father, John Hemingway, a co-author who worked with Hillmann. A 35-year-old Spanish man from Valencia was also in serious condition after being gored in the chest during the same run on the festival's third day, the statement said. He was not named. Photographs showed Hill- mann — dressed in the San Fermin event's traditional white with a red necker- chief — being gored on the ground by a black bull as other runners scattered. Tension spiked when the bull became separated from the pack in the final stretch. BritishmatadorAlexander Fiske-Harrison, a friend who edited the book and a fellow runner Wednesday,said Hill- mann was using a rolled-up newspaper to try to lure the lone bull away from others in the crowd, something expert runners do. "He took it on and that's when it gored him," he said in a phone interview from Pamplona. SPAIN Au th or o f bu ll -r un ni ng b oo ks is gored by bull in Pamploma DANIEL OCHOA DE OLZA — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS U.S. author Bill Hillmann, 35, from Chicago, center le , falls seconds before a Victoriano del Rio ranch fighting bull gored him on his right leg. By David Espo The Associated Press WASHINGTON In a tough race for re-election, Col- orado Democratic Sen. Mark Udall chose the ben- efit of President Barack Obama's fundraising prow- ess Wednesday over the pleasure of his company. He could have had both. But he opted to work in Washington while the president, whose poll rat- ings hover around 40 per- cent in Colorado, headlined a fundraiser on his behalf in Denver. Udall "is not an ideo- logue. Doesn't agree with me on everything. But he believes in the core idea that should be what Demo- crats are all about: the idea that if you work hard, you should be able to make it," Obama told his audience. The beneficiary of the event devoted his day to of- ficial duties in Washington that dovetailed with home- state politics and his cam- paign. "It wasn't a political decision," said campaign spokesman Chris Harris, an assertion that Republi- cans pointedly disputed as events produced a political back-and-forth so vigorous that it would be more typi- cal of a day late in the cam- paign rather than one in early July. Udall "has supported the Obama agenda an eye- popping 99 percent of the time," said the National Re- publican Senatorial Com- mittee. In a race against an op- ponent who opposes abor- tion rights, Udall partici- pated at in a news confer- ence unveiling legislation to counter a recent Supreme Court ruling that restricted access to contraceptives un- der the nation's health care law. Representing a state where the population is 20 percent Hispanic, he voted to confirm Julian Castro as the new secretary of hous- ing and urban development. His office also noted the agency has been instrumen- tal in helping with recovery from last year's flood dam- age in the state, and issued a statement saying the sen- ator has "fought hard" for federal disaster aid. Spokesman Mike Sac- cone also said Udall "is con- tinuing his work on the bi- partisan Sportsmen's Act, which includes his pro- posal to expand access to public shooting ranges." It was unclear precisely what he was doing, though, since the bill appears headed for gridlock. POLITICS Obama raises money for Colorado Democrat The Associated Press SALTLAKECITY Utah is go- ing directly to the nation's highest court to challenge a federal appeals court rul- ing that gay couples have a constitutional right to marry, the state attorney general's office announced Wednesday. The state opted to appeal the decision to the U.S. Su- preme Court rather than re- quest a review from the en- tire 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver. Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes' office said in a statement the appeal will be filed in the coming weeks, to get "clarity and resolution" from the highest court. "At- torney General Reyes has a sworn duty to defend the laws of our state," the state- ment said. The Supreme Court is un- der no obligation to hear the appeal of the June 25 ruling by a three-judge 10th Circuit panel, said William Eskridge, a Yale University law professor. There also is no deadline to make a deci- sion, he said. The panel's June 25 rul- ing found states cannot de- prive people of the funda- mental right to marry sim- ply because they choose partners of the same sex. The 2-1 decision marked the first time a federal ap- peals court weighed in on the matter. It became law in the six states covered by the 10th Circuit: Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Okla- homa, Utah and Wyoming. However, the panel im- mediately put the ruling on hold pending an appeal. The Utah case is certain to pique the Supreme Court's interest, but the justices usu- ally look for cases that in- volve split rulings from fed- eral appeals courts, said Douglas NeJaime, a Univer- sity of California-Irvine law professor. The court may wait and take up the matter after one or more of the five other appeals courts with pending gay marriage cases has ruled. GAY MARRIAGE Utah takes appeal to high court RICK BOWMER — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Mellissa Vigil, center, kisses Koston Vigil-Marsh, 8months, while Cidney Marsh, looks on as they gather with about 50same-sex marriage advocates Wednesday in Salt Lake City, while delivering a petition with thousands signatures to the governor's mansion pushing for recognition of gay married couples. Select"Subscribe"tabinlowerrightcorner Complete information for automatic weekly delivery to your email inbox That's it! This FREE service made possible by the advertisers in TV Select Magazine Kindly patronize and thank them. Click on their ads online to access their websites! N EWS D AILY RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY FREE online subscription to TV Select Magazine Digital edition emailed to you, every Saturday! 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