hBus rolls over in Maine

hBus rolls over in Maine
TOPSHAM, Maine -- A school bus taking kids from a summer camp to an amusement park rolled over Sunday, injuring several children. All 37 children aboard were taken to hospitals for treatment or as a precaution, said Maj. Randy Nichols of the Maine State Police. None of the injuries was considered life-threatening. The two campers most seriously injured were transported to a hospital in Portland, one by Lifeflight helicopter and the other by ambulance. The other children, ages 12 and 13, were taken to hospitals in Brunswick and Lewiston. McCausland had no count of how many children were hurt, but said most of the injuries appeared to be bumps and bruises. The bus, chartered from Poland's Bus Service in Cornville, was part of a convoy of buses and vans carrying youngsters from Camp Modin to Funtown USA, a popular amusement area. Ten counselors and the driver were on board the bus.
NASA test proceeds
PASADENA, Calif. -- A NASA space probe was bearing down on its comet target Sunday in a suicide mission scientists hoped would provide new insight into the origins of the solar system. The 820-pound copper probe was on course to intercept Tempel 1, a pickle-shaped comet half the size of Manhattan, and smash a hole in it so scientists could get their first peek at the heart of one of the icy celestial bodies. The "impactor" probe, which separated from the Deep Impact spacecraft just after 11 p.m. PDT Saturday, appeared in photos taken hours later from the mothership as a bright, distinct dot as it made its 500,000-mile dive toward the sunlit section of Tempel 1. The mothership, meanwhile, fired its thrusters to slightly change course and stake out a front-row seat 5,000 miles from the high-speed collision, expected to occur at 10:52 p.m. PDT Sunday. "We anticipate a little bit of a bumpy ride," said systems engineer Jennifer Rocca.
Battle for the Shriners
BALTIMORE -- Amid the clowns, mini-cars and tasseled fezzes at this year's Shriners convention, a bitter turf battle is being waged over the location of an $85 million children's hospital. About 20,000 Shriners and their families came to Baltimore for the start of the convention Sunday, with an election planned Wednesday for a new Imperial Potentate of the international fraternal organization that runs 22 charitable children's hospitals in North America. But much of the focus this year is on another vote, expected Tuesday, on whether to accept a recommendation to move Canada's only Shriners hospital from Montreal some 400 miles west to London, Ontario. Dalton McGuinty, premier of Ontario, and Jean Charest, premier of Quebec, led large delegations into Baltimore on Sunday, eager to press their cases before the vote, and Shriners delegates say they have been deluged for weeks by e-mail and telephone calls from Canada.
Ex-Wis. senator dies
MILWAUKEE -- Gaylord Nelson, the folksy Democratic senator from Wisconsin who helped start the modern environmental movement with the creation of Earth Day 35 years ago, died Sunday. He was 89. Nelson died of cardiovascular failure at his home in the Washington suburb of Kensington, Md., said Bill Christofferson, his biographer and family spokesman. A conservationist years before it was fashionable, Nelson was recognized as one of the world's foremost environmental leaders. The former governor and senator started Earth Day in 1970, when an estimated 20 million people participated. April 22 is still celebrated today by planting trees, cleaning up trash and lobbying for a clean environment.
Gaza delay is defeatedby Israel's Cabinet
JERUSALEM -- Israel's Cabinet easily defeated a proposal to postpone next month's pullout from Gaza at a meeting Sunday that reflected fears of violent opposition to the withdrawal -- each ministers was fitted for a bulletproof vest. The 18-3 Cabinet vote found Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, the author of the pullout, opposing Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a powerful rival who was once premier and wants the job again.
Associated Press