hSite of racist bombing becomes a landmark

hSite of racist bombingbecomes a landmark
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton, above, speaks at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., during a dedication ceremony. The church where four black girls died in a racist bombing in 1963 was honored Monday as a national landmark. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales recalled the girls' memory amid a string of recent attacks against churches in Alabama. Speaking at the pulpit of Birmingham's Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, Gonzales likened the deadly bombing of the old brick building to a series of arsons that hit 10 rural Baptist churches since Feb. 3. At the ceremony, Norton signed a proclamation adding the church to a list of about 2,500 places that carry the title of National Historic Landmark.
Bush touts energy plans
MILWAUKEE -- Saying the nation is on the verge of technological breakthroughs that would "startle" most Americans, President Bush outlined Monday his energy proposals to help wean the country off foreign oil. Less than half the crude oil used by refineries is produced in the United States, while 60 percent comes from foreign nations, Bush said during the first stop on a two-day trip to talk about energy. Some of these foreign suppliers have "unstable" governments that have fundamental differences with America, he said. "It creates a national security issue and we're held hostage for energy by foreign nations that may not like us," Bush said.
Group lauds New Yorkers
ATLANTA -- It may seem a little hard to believe, but New Yorkers are being honored for, of all things, their good manners. The group Americans for More Civility has honored city residents for their "forbearance and aplomb" during the transit strike that hit at the height of the holiday shopping season. The awards are known as the Civies and are handed out by Atlanta-based Glenn Dromgoole and Alan Gibson. Other winners of the 2005 Civies include Kathy Holmgren, the wife of Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren, who was doing charity work in the Congo while the Seahawks were playing in the Super Bowl.
Japan wants assuranceson U.S. beef, official says
TOKYO -- Japan will resume imports of U.S. beef only if Washington can convince Tokyo that it will implement effective safeguards against mad cow disease, a top Japanese official said today. Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said the government was still examining a U.S. Department of Agriculture report on the faulty veal shipment that prompted Japan to close its markets to American beef last month. Japan's agriculture minister said Monday that the report was insufficient and raised a lot of questions, and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said a quick resumption of imports was unlikely.
Yates' lawyer wantsphotos to be withheld
HOUSTON -- A photograph of Andrea Yates' 7-year-old son floating face down in a bathtub is among the images her attorney does not want jurors to see during Yates' second capital murder trial. Yates' attorney filed 30 pretrial motions, which were made public Monday, including one requesting "any and all photographs" of her children not be shown to jurors during the trial to begin March 20. George Parnham claims the photos could cause jurors to be unfairly prejudiced or confuse them, though prosecutors claim the images are evidence of Yates' crime. "It is not unusual for us in a murder case to introduce photographs of the victims," said Prosecutor Alan Curry.
Associated Press