Coast Guard boat capsizes; 2 die

Coast Guard boatcapsizes; 2 die
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- A Coast Guard boat capsized on the Niagara River along the U.S.-Canada border and two of the four crewmen died Saturday after floating for hours in the icy water.
The 21-foot boat was found floating bow up along the shore of Lake Ontario about a mile east of the mouth of the river, and the crewmen were rescued soon after midnight a couple of miles away, said Chief Petty Officer Adam Wine at the Coast Guard's Buffalo station.
"A 4-foot wave hit the bow of the boat, swamping it and flipping it over," Wine said.
The crew had set out Friday evening from Youngstown, 20 miles northwest of Buffalo on the lower Niagara River, on an assignment that included watching for illegal immigrants.
Smokers protest
NEW YORK -- Waving a 10-foot-long cigarette above their heads, smokers marched to City Hall on Saturday to protest a proposed law that would ban smoking in the city's 21,000 restaurants.
"We smoke!" the crowd yelled. "Butt out!"
The smokers were joined by restaurant owners, waiters and bartenders in protesting the bill -- the Smoke Free Air Act -- which is expected to be sent to the City Council in May or June.
The law also would ban smoking in city vehicles, including police cars, but would continue to allow smoking in bars and nightclubs.
And the loser is ...
SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- Hollywood got its annual Oscar Eve poke in the eye with John Travolta's "Battlefield Earth" taking the bulk of the 21st annual Golden Raspberry Foundation dis-honors.
Seven Bronx cheers went to "Battlefield Earth," including Razzies for worst movie, actor, screen couple, supporting actor, supporting actress, director and screenplay.
"Battlefield" was well ahead of competitors "Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2" and "The Next Best Thing" on the foundation's worst-of-2000 list unveiled at a news conference Saturday.
"It was actually a cake walk for jurors. 'Battlefield' was truly wretched," Golden Raspberry Foundation founder John Wilson said.
The Razzie trophy is a gaudy, gold-painted, golf ball-sized plastic raspberry atop a film canister. It's worth $4.29.
Adam Sandler's "Little Nicky," which had five nominations, came up empty-handed.
Bus plunge kills 14
LISBON, Portugal -- A crowded tour bus careened off a highway in northern Portugal and plunged into a ravine Saturday, killing at least 14 passengers and injuring 22 others, news reports said.
One woman was trapped inside the wreckage after the crash, and rescue workers did not know whether she was still alive, state radio RDP reported.
The bus went off a highway near Santa Comba Dao, about 120 miles north of Lisbon, following a heavy rain shower, RDP said. It crashed in the garden of a house at the bottom of a ravine nearly 100 feet below.
The passengers were returning to the city of Viseu after a day trip to a Roman Catholic shrine at Fatima. The bus belonged to Viseu City Council.
Plane crash kills 20
GUSTAVIA, St. Barts -- A small plane crashed on the Caribbean island of St. Barts on Saturday, killing all 19 people on board and one person on the ground, authorities said.
The Air Caraibes plane departed from Prinses Juliana Airport on the island of St. Martin Saturday afternoon and crashed into a house near the airport on St. Barthelemy, the formal name of the neighboring French island, said Herve Siffre, police spokesman.
The plane crashed while preparing to land at the airport on the mountainous island, Siffre said. A man was killed when the Twin Otter propeller plane crashed into his house in a field nearby. His wife was in the hospital with serious injuries.
Police on St. Barts were interviewing witnesses and sifting through the wreckage, searching for clues as to what could have caused the crash, Siffre said.
The 17 passengers were mostly French tourists, said Ariana Halley, a manager for the airline on Dutch St. Maarten.
Cops trick suspect
DAYTONA, Fla. -- Authorities evacuated 29 motel guests, then faked a fender-bender to lure from the building a man suspected of kidnapping his estranged wife.
Carter Masters, 74, of Livingston, Tenn., was arrested Friday on a charge of kidnapping.
Ruth Masters, 75, was unharmed, Sgt. Carolyn Garrett, an Overton County, Tenn., sheriff's spokeswoman, said Saturday.
Carter Masters broke into his wife's home March 18 and abducted her at gunpoint, Overton County Sheriff Kelly Hull said. They were divorcing and she had obtained a protection order.
Ruth Masters called her daughter in Tennessee from the motel, and South Daytona police were alerted, authorities said.
On Friday, the Volusia County Sheriff's Special Response Team evacuated the motel and called Masters in his motel room to say someone had driven into his van. Masters was arrested when he went to check on the damage.
Associated Press