Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/6835
Georgian luger dies after crash V A N C O U V E R , British Columbia (AP) — A men's Olympic luger from the country of Geor- gia died Friday after a high-speed crash on a track that is the world's fastest and has raised safety concerns among competitors. A tearful IOC president Jacques Rogge said the death hours before the opening ceremony ''clearly casts a shadow over these games.'' Nodar Kumaritashvili lost control of his sled during training, went over the track wall and struck an unpadded steel pole near the finish line at Whistler Sliding Center. Paramedics and doctors were unable to revive the 21-year-old luger, who died at a hospital, the International Olympic Committee said. ''We are heartbroken beyond words,'' said John Furlong, chief executive of the Vancouver organiz- ing committee. Before speaking at a news conference, Rogge took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes and said, ''Sorry, it's a bit difficult to remain composed.'' 3 dead, 1 hurt in shooting at University HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — Officials at the University of Alabama's Huntsville campus say three people have been killed and another injured in a campus shooting. University spokesman Ray Garner says one sus- pect is in custody. The shooting occurred Friday afternoon in the university's Shelby cen- ter. US Marines, Afghan troops attack NEAR MARJAH, Afghanistan (AP) — Helicopter-borne U.S. Marines and Afghan troops swooped down on the Taliban-held town of Marjah before dawn Saturday, launch- ing a long-expected attack to re-establish government control and undermine support for the militants in their southern heartland. The attack on Marjah climaxed the biggest joint Afghan-interna- tional offensive of the war and is the largest combat operation since President Barack Obama ordered 30,000 U.S. reinforcements here last December to turn the tide of the war. Marine commanders say they expect between 400 to 1,000 insurgents to be holed up inside this southern Afghan town of 80,000 people in Helmand province, including more than 100 foreign fighters. Marjah is the biggest southern town under Taliban con- trol and the linchpin of the militants' logistical and opium-smuggling network. ''The first wave of choppers has landed inside Marjah. The operation has begun,'' said Capt. Joshua Win- frey, commander of Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines, which was at the fore- front of the attack. Several hundred U.S. Marines and some Afghan troops were in the first wave of troops, flying over minefields the militants are believed to have planted around the town, 360 miles (610 kilometers) southwest of Kabul. Every state has snow except Hawaii Forget red and blue — color America white. There was snow on the ground in 49 states Fri- day. Hawaii was the holdout. It was the Unit- ed States of Snow, thanks to an unusual combination of weather patterns that dusted the U.S., including the sky- scrapers of Dallas, the peach trees of Atlanta and the Florida Panhan- dle, where hurricanes are more common than snowflakes. More than two-thirds of the nation's land mass had snow on the ground when the day dawned, and then it snowed ever so slightly in Florida to make it 49 states out of 50. At the same time, those weird weather forces are turning Cana- da's Winter Olympics into the bring-your-own- snow games. Who's the Great White North now? ''I'm calling it the upside-down winter,'' said David Robinson, head of the Global Snow Lab at Rutgers Universi- ty in New Jersey. House Dems mixed on jobs bill WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democratic leaders sent mixed signals Friday on a new jobs bill supported by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, further complicat- ing plans to quickly pass election-year legislation addressing huge job loss- es. Senate Democrats scrapped a bipartisan jobs bill Thursday in favor of one they say is leaner and more focused on putting Americans back to work, all but daring Republicans to vote against it. Now, they might have to dare House Democrats to vote against it as well. If the Senate passes the new bill, it will put House Democrats on the spot to hand President Barack Obama a badly needed political victory while addressing the biggest economic issue facing the country — the loss of 8.4 million jobs since the start of the recession. Support- ers hope nervous lawmak- ers facing congressional elections in November, and an unemployment rate just below 10 percent, will feel obligated to sup- port a jobs bill. Reid wants to quickly pass the bill after Con- gress returns from a weeklong break Feb. 22. House Democrats were at odds over the pared- down Senate bill. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland said he could live with it, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California said she wants to pass key pro- visions of a much broader House-passed bill cen- tered more on spending than tax cuts. McCain faces re-election challenge PHOENIX (AP) — Defeated just two years ago as the Republican presiden- tial candidate and with his bonafides as a true conserv- ative again being chal- lenged, John McCain finds himself in a struggle to get even his party's nomination for another term in the Sen- ate. Conservatives, indepen- dents and Tea Party activists are lining up behind Repub- lican challenger and former talk radio host J.D. Hay- worth, reflecting a rising tide of voter frustration with incumbent politicians. Only 40 percent of Arizonans have a favorable view of McCain's job performance. Faced with his toughest re-election battle ever, McCain has moved to the right on several hot-button issues, like gays in the mili- tary and climate change, and has built a campaign war chest of more than $5 mil- lion. Former running mate Sarah Palin and newly elect- ed Republican Sen. Scott Brown, both popular with conservatives, are pitching in. Hayworth, who will offi- cially launch his campaign Monday, began using his talk show on conservative radio station KFYI to drum up opposition to McCain. ''You have a consistent conservative challenger and an incumbent who calls himself a maverick but in fact is a moderate,'' Hay- worth said, outlining what he views as the central choice for conservative GOP primary voters in August. Bipartisan health care summit WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Friday issued invitations and challenges to three dozen Republicans and Democrats, asking them to attend a summit on health care this month and come up with comprehensive leg- islation to deal with millions of uninsured Americans and rising medical costs. The summit is consid- ered a last, best attempt to revive what was once Obama's top domestic pri- ority — a remake of the nation's health care system — and to achieve that goal with bipartisan help. The White House seized on the recent double-digit increase in premiums by one insurer as urgent proof that the stalled health overhaul effort must be completed. In a letter to Democratic and Republican congres- sional leaders, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius cited the recent 39 percent rate hikes by Anthem Blue Cross in California. ''As the president noted this week, if we don't act on comprehensive health insurance reform, this enor- mous rate hike will be 'just a preview of coming attrac- tions,''' they wrote. Politics was never a perfect fit for Kennedy WASHINGTON (AP) — It was never a perfect fit — politics and Patrick Kennedy, the latest and perhaps the last in the long line of Kennedys at the heart of American political life. The sometimes fragile son of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy has spent all of his adult life in public office, but he has rarely seemed at ease in the spotlight. On Friday, five months after his father's death, he announced he'll retire from Congress, express- ing a sense of relief. It will be the first time in six decades that Washington will be without a Kennedy in office. ''It feels like a load off my shoulders,'' said the Rhode Island Democrat, who started pursuing pub- lic office before he gradu- ated from college. ''I'll have a private life and a personal life that heretofore I really haven't experienced,'' he said in a telephone interview. ''I am looking forward to it.'' 6A – Daily News – Saturday, February 13, 2010 343 S. Main St. Red Bluff Ph: 530-529-5888 Adult: $6.99 Mon-Sat. 10:30am-3:30pm Sunday & Holiday Adult: $10.99 All Day Dinner Buffet 11:00am-9:30pm Adult: $9.99 Mon-Thurs 3:30am-9:30pm Fri-Sat 3:30-10:30pm Carry-Out Buffet Lunch $3.50 / Lb. Dinner $4.50 / Lb. All Seafood $6.50 / Lb. Open 7 Days A Week (No Checks) Childrens prices vary NOW OPEN Feb. 1 thru March 7 only ANY CHILD (8 yrs or under) EATS FREE (when accompanied by 2 adults) China Buffet CHINESE RESTAURANT Valentine Dinner Special OPEN: 7 days a week 5:30am - 9pm 259 S.Main St., Red Bluff Not valid with other discounts. Steak & Shrimp Dinner for 2 Includes Soup & Salad Choice of Potato Dinner Bread & Pie $ 20 for both St. Elizabeth Community Hospital A member of CHW 2550 Sister Mary Columba Drive, Red Bluff Located in Café Raymond's Famous Garlic and Herb Roasted Tri Tip only $13.50 ea Each Tri Tip Roast is approx. 2 lb.-2.5 lbs. Depending on the appetite...about 5 people should be able to enjoy this delicious roast! Picked up pre cooked and quick chilled, individually wrapped in plastic and foil for convenient re heating! Rich Cabernet Mushroom Sauce only $2.99 ea 10 oz. of sauce made from a reduction sauté mushrooms, garlic, shallots, and Cabernet wine, and beef stock. Approximately 2 oz. of sauce per person! Please order by Wednesday, February 17th. The Roasts and Sauce will be available for pick up on Friday, February 26th after 2pm Please order by email to scott.graves@chw.edu or by calling 529-8115 or by coming by Café Raymond. Please pay at time of pickup, we accept cash or check. 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