Charles, Camilla spend time at Independence Hall

Charles, Camilla spendtime at Independence Hall
PHILADELPHIA -- Prince Charles and his wife Camilla shook hands with well-wishers outside Independence Hall on Saturday to kick off their first trip to the city where Americans declared their independence from British rule. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall greeted long lines of gushing fans, mingling with them, accepting flowers and charming many in the crowd. The royal couple are on a two-day visit to the United States that focuses on youth development, urban renewal and environmental stewardship. "She actually offered her hand to me," said Debbie Lefevre, 49, who gave the duchess flowers. "I was shocked." Prince Charles and Camilla met with the mayor, governor and other officials, then toured west Philadelphia, an area of some of the city's poorer and more violent neighborhoods. Today, the prince and duchess plan to attend services at Arch Street Presbyterian Church, spiritual home of the Welsh community in Philadelphia.
Boy found dead in tank
KALISPELL, Mont. -- The body of a 3-year-old boy was found in a septic tank less than 10 feet from the house where he was reported missing, Flathead County Sheriff Mike Meehan said Saturday. The body of Loic J.M. Rogers was found late Friday, and an autopsy showed that he drowned, Meehan said. It was unclear how the boy got into the septic tank, and the manhole-size lid was closed. Meehan said investigators do not believe he could have climbed into the tank and put the lid back on himself, but declined to speculate how Loic may have gotten inside.
Registered sex offenderarrested in abduction
MARICOPA, Ariz. -- A registered sex offender suspected of abducting a 6-year-old girl was arrested Saturday in a nearby town, deputies said. George Richard Horner, 26, was taken into custody at an airport near the town of Coolidge after negotiating with an investigator through cell-phone calls and text messages, sheriff's spokesman Mike Minter said. Horner was booked on charges including kidnapping and sexual misconduct with a minor, Sheriff Christopher Vasquez said. The girl was reported missing from her mother's home in Maricopa and found about three hours later walking down a rural road in the town of Casa Grande, about 20 miles away, officials said. Vasquez said there was evidence that she had been sexually molested.
Escapee nabbed at race
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- An escaped prisoner who evaded a manhunt across the Southeast by stealing three vehicles, including singer Crystal Gayle's tour bus, has been arrested, authorities said. Christopher Daniel Gay, 32, was arrested around 11 p.m. Friday at the Daytona International Speedway where he had been watching a race, said Lt. Patrick Myers, spokesman for Daytona Beach Police. Gay escaped from a prisoner transport van Jan. 21 near Hardeeville, S.C., police said. Authorities have said his motive for fleeing was to see his terminally ill mother; it was unclear whether he ever made it there.
12 nurses to share 1Min sexual harassment case
PANAMA CITY, Fla. -- A jury has awarded nearly 1 million to 12 female nurses, concluding that Florida corrections officials condoned sexual harassment by male inmates, an attorney said. The nurses claimed they had been harassed on their daily rounds since 1997, including while examining inmates and delivering medicine. The nurses will share the award of 990,000. The nurses said the harassment happened at Washington Correctional Institution in Chipley.
Suicide bomb kills 15
PESHAWAR, Pakistan -- A suicide attacker detonated a bomb among police on guard near a Shiite Muslim mosque in this northwestern Pakistani city Saturday, killing at least 15 people and wounding more than 30, police said. The attack came as Pakistan's minority Shiites started to commemorate their most important religious festival, Ashoura, often a target of sectarian violence. The blast went off in a bazaar area about 200 yards from a mosque that was the starting point for the Shiite procession.
Associated Press