FIRST DAY OF SPRING BRINGS WINTRY WEATHER TO PLAINS

First day of spring bringswintry weather to Plains
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- A powerful storm dumped more than a foot of snow in the Plains, closing schools and roads and forcing residents to man shovels Monday during the first day of spring. Hundreds of schools were closed in Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado and South Dakota, and at least four deaths were blamed on the storm. Spring officially began at 1:26 p.m. EST. Myron Williams, who raises livestock near Wall, was busy shoveling a foot of snow from gates and feedlots on his property. The rancher said the work was hard but the precipitation was welcome. "We're glad to have the moisture," Williams said. "Nothing's free, so you've got to pay for everything." The National Weather Service was still compiling snowfall totals Monday, but South Dakota got up to 18 inches. Parts of Nebraska had 15 inches, northeast Colorado had at least a foot and northwest Kansas had up to 10 inches.
Officials expect bird fluto arrive in U.S. this year
WASHINGTON -- Bird flu is likely to arrive this year in the United States, with the increased testing of tens of thousands of wild birds expected to reveal dozens of suspected cases, the Bush administration said Monday. Officials will test 75,000 to 100,000 wild birds this year, or nearly six times the number screened since 1998, according to a government plan finalized Monday. The government also plans to quarantine and destroy any poultry flocks where the virus appears. The wild bird testing could reveal 20 to 100 suspected cases of bird flu, although follow-up testing is likely to reveal "dozens" are false alarms, Interior Secretary Gale Norton said. The emphasis will be on Alaska and other spots along the Pacific flyway, a common route that migratory birds follow into the United States, possibly carrying the virus as they do. Tests will also be run on 50,000 water and bird dropping samples from waterfowl habitats, the government said. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt stressed that people are not yet at risk from the virus, which has ravaged wild and domestic birds alike in Asia, Africa and Europe.
Four killed in plane crash
BRANSON, Mo. -- A twin-engine plane crashed in the heart of this resort town Monday, killing all four people aboard and setting fire to a building near the main drag of tourist nightclubs, theaters and music halls. The plane crashed into a self-storage complex, about 200 feet from the busy street, near a Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum, a pair of motels and a string of musical theaters bearing the names of such entertainers as Andy Williams and Bobby Vinton. "The plane shook my house when it hit," said Mike Willett, who lives alongside the AAA Self Storage Inns he manages. The plane struck the corner of a building of 32 storage units and quickly caught fire, destroying the building. Terry Ware, office manager for a plumbing company that sits near the property, said she heard the plane going over her office and sounding as if it had serious engine trouble. "My boss saw it in the air, and he said it was making some very erratic movements," she said.
Iranian president seeksapology from the West
TEHRAN, Iran -- President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Monday the West should apologize to Iran for accusing it of trying to develop a nuclear weapons program and said his country would continue to resist international pressure to halt its nuclear energy program. "Today they tell our nation that nuclear energy is a bad thing and it is not necessary for our people to have it. But the nation of Iran has stood [for its right]," he said in a televised speech to mark the Iranian New Year, which begins today. "Those who head war and crimes accused the Iranian nation of war seeking. They insulted our nation. I do advise them to apologize." Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful energy purposes, but Western countries who believe otherwise have pushed for United Nations action -- including possible sanctions -- against the country.
Gunmen clash with police
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- A short burst of gunfire from outside smashed through the windows of the Palestinian foreign ministry building -- then another burst, and another. Employees jumped to the floor. Some crawled under desks. Women screamed in terror. Thirty Fatah gunmen, most of them wearing masks, broke into the government compound in Gaza City on Monday, fired their rifles in the air and demanded jobs. Minutes later, scores of police charged into the compound to root out the invaders, setting off a 25-minute gun battle that sent workers diving under their desks, shattered windows and air conditioners. Stray bullets wounded two unarmed security guards. The battle, witnessed by an Associated Press reporter, was one of five confrontations between militants and police on Monday that left 23 people injured.
Associated Press