2 killed, 1 injured in parking garage collapse

2 killed, 1 injured inparking garage collapse
ROCKVILLE, Md. -- Part of a parking garage under construction collapsed Friday, killing at least two workers, injuring another and leaving a fourth missing, fire officials said.
Concerns about an additional collapse prompted the evacuation of surrounding buildings, said Pete Piringer, a fire department spokesman.
Derek Baliles, a police spokesman, said a no-fly zone had been established over the area because authorities don't want helicopters to get caught in the dust flying up or create down drafts that might cause more instability below, he said.
Initial searches failed to locate the missing worker.
The injured worker was taken to an area hospital. All others at the scene are believed to have been accounted for, Piringer said.
About 15 workers were at the site at the time of the collapse. The four workers are believed to have been on the fourth level of the garage when the floors "pancaked down," Piringer said.
A cause of the collapse has not been determined, the spokesman said.
Ex-Klansman: FBI wasbehind church bombing
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- A former Ku Klux Klansman convicted in a 1963 church bombing that killed four black girls said in a letter from prison that the FBI was behind the crime.
Much of Bobby Frank Cherry's letter, delivered this week to The Associated Press, was copied from a story by an alternative magazine, Media Bypass.
The magazine reported claims that a former U.S. marshal from Birmingham maintained for years that the bombing was instigated by FBI agents and government informants to gain sympathy for civil rights legislation.
The marshal, Dan Moore, based his belief on a telephone call he received from a supervisor several hours before the bombing warning of riots or demonstrations the following week, Cherry's letter said. Moore died last year at 77.
The prosecutor in the bombing case dismissed Cherry's claims.
"It's ludicrous," Doug Jones, a former U.S. attorney now in private practice, said Friday. Jones said Moore's allegations were "checked out and double-checked." He added: "It's more of Cherry's ranting and trying to blame others."
Cherry, 72, was convicted in May and is serving a life sentence for murder.
Judge issues injunctionin airport screener case
LOS ANGELES -- A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked a rule saying the government's new airport security screeners must be U.S. citizens.
The portion of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act barring non-citizens from the positions is unconstitutional, U.S. District Judge Robert Takasugi ruled.
Takasugi's preliminary injunction will remain in place until trial in a civil rights lawsuit brought by nine plaintiffs at Los Angeles and San Francisco International Airports. No trial date has been set.
The ruling will affect as many as 8,000 airport screeners, most of whom already have lost their jobs, said Ben Wizner, a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, which brought the case.
Plaintiffs lawyers said the ruling will apply to airports nationwide and will allow the non-citizen workers to reapply for jobs that became federal positions following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
U.S. Justice Department lawyer Elizabeth Shapiro declined to comment on the ruling. She said it was not clear that the injunction would apply nationwide.
Veteran actor dies
MONTCLAIR, N.J. -- Eddie Bracken, a Tony-nominated stage and film comedian who spent more than 70 years in show business, has died. He was 87.
Bracken suffered complications from recent surgery and died Thursday at Mountainside Hospital, according to his daughter, Judy Bracken Gordon.
Born and reared in New York, Bracken was best known for his roles in "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek" and "Hail the Conquering Hero," both released in 1944 and directed by Preston Sturges.
His start in showbiz came at age 9, when he appeared in "Kiddie Troupers," a New York rival of the "Our Gang" comedies.
After moving to Hollywood in 1940, Bracken signed with Paramount. His female co-stars included Betty Hutton, Dorothy Lamour and Veronica Lake.
Bracken moved back to New York in the 1950s and earned a Tony nomination for his co-starring role in "Hello, Dolly," with Carol Channing. He also originated the role of Archie in "Shinbone Alley" with Eartha Kitt.
In 1983, Bracken played Mr. Wally in "National Lampoon's Vacation" with Chevy Chase.
Associated Press