VICTIMS OF FIRE GET PROPER BURIAL

Victims of fireget proper burial
YUCCA VALLEY, Calif. -- Above, Melanie Milne digs a hole to bury several dead rabbits that she found around her house after the Sawtooth fire burned vegetation and several homes in the area near Yucca Valley. Thousands of firefighters aided by aircraft worked Friday in fierce heat to keep two big wildfires from gaining a foothold in the heavily populated San Bernardino Mountains, where millions of trees killed by drought and bark beetles could provide explosive fuel. The lightning-caused fires, covering more than 95 square miles combined, merged Friday afternoon. Wildfires can grow more unpredictable after merging, but the two blazes were moving slowly Friday and U.S. Forest Service officials said it appeared that their combination was unlikely to seriously increase fire activity.
Former associate winsin suit against Jackson
SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- In a split decision Friday, a civil court jury awarded a former Michael Jackson adviser $900,000 -- far less than he claimed in the money dispute -- and awarded the pop star $200,000 in his cross-complaint. F. Marc Schaffel originally sued for $3.8 million, but his claims were later reduced to $1.6 million, and his attorney ultimately asked the jury for $1.4 million in commissions, unpaid loans and expenses before deliberations began Thursday. "Obviously, I'm very happy," Schaffel said outside court. "We got less than I asked for but considering all the factors on what we were able to present, I'm pleased." Jackson's attorney had said Schaffel owed the pop star $660,000 before the pop star fired the associate in November 2001 after learning of his past as a producer of gay pornography.
Phoenix serial killerslock city in terror
PHOENIX -- People aren't going out alone at night anymore. Co-workers are walking to their cars in pairs in the evenings. Parents aren't letting their children out of their sight. Fear and paranoia have gripped this sprawling city amid reports that not one, but two serial killers have been striking separately in recent months, killing as many as 11 people at random on the darkened streets. "I'm terrified," said 25-year-old Valerie Alvidrez, who lives alone with her 6-month-old daughter in the central Phoenix area where many of the killings have occurred. The killings and woundings of at least 16 other people evoked the terror of the 2002 Washington-area sniper shootings because of the randomness of the crimes and the fact the victims were struck down while going about their daily routines. People have been shot from behind while biking; one victim was vacuuming her car at a carwash; another was waiting for a bus.
Carbon monoxide makes100 sick, kills one
SALEM, Va. -- Carbon monoxide leaked into a Roanoke College dormitory early Friday, sickening more than 100 teens and adults attending summer programs. One man was found dead. People staying in the dorm contacted campus police, and one woman later described the scene inside as chaotic. "One woman fell on the floor in the bathroom," said Annabelle Minter, 80, of Richmond. Minter said she also felt "on the dizzy side" and was taken to a hospital, but her roommate was even sicker. Walter J. Vierling, 91, a retired pastor from Pearisburg, was found dead in a dormitory room, said college spokeswoman Teresa Gereaux. The medical examiner had not determined the cause of death. Fire officials were trying to determine the source of the leak, and said they were focusing on a gas hot water system as a possible cause.