In tornado’s wake, Kansas mayor resigns

In tornado’s wake,
Kansas mayor resigns

GREENSBURG, Kan. — The mayor of this tiny town that was all but destroyed by a tornado earlier this month has resigned, saying he needs to focus on his family and isn’t the leader Greensburg needs right now. However, the city council has yet to accept Mayor Lonnie McCollum’s resignation and is considering him on sabbatical for now, said council President John Janssen, who would replace McCollum. The council will take up the issue Wednesday. McCollum, 62, said he won’t reconsider. He said he resigned Tuesday because he needs to give more to his family and because he’s not very tolerant of different views of how Greensburg should rebuilt, something he sees as a roadblock during recovery.

Out-of-this-world park

ROSWELL, N.M. — Businesses here have been cashing in on the UFO craze for years — paintings and replicas of UFOs and space aliens adorn downtown buildings, and even the McDonald’s and Wal-Mart are UFO- and space-themed. Now city officials want to take it to another level with a UFO-themed amusement park, complete with an indoor roller coaster that would take passengers on a simulated alien abduction. The park, dubbed Alien Apex Resort, could open as early as 2010. The city has received a $245,000 legislative appropriation for initial planning, but the park would be privately built and managed. Requests for proposals will be advertised next month.

Ukraine power struggle

KIEV, Ukraine — The political power struggle between Ukraine’s president and prime minister threatened to turn violent Saturday when President Viktor Yushchenko sent thousands of troops streaming toward the capital. But no confrontation occurred when the Interior Ministry soldiers were stopped outside Kiev by forces loyal to Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych. Instead, many of the troops lounged on the grass, sipped water, smoked and chatted. According to one official, they did not have firearms. Control over security forces is just the latest point of conflict in the longtime feud between the Western-leaning president and Russia-friendly prime minister.

Film response to ‘Borat’?

MEXICO CITY — Miss Kazakhstan said her country is preparing its own movie in response to “Borat,” the hit comedy that portrayed the Central Asian nation as bigoted and backward. Gauhkar Rakhmetalieva, a contestant to the Miss Universe beauty pageant, said her government is filming the movie to show the nation’s positive sides. But she said “Borat” brought much-need publicity to Kazakhstan and there should be no hard feelings. “In the end we have to understand that it was only a joke,” Rakhmetalieva said ahead of Monday’s Miss Universe pageant in Mexico City. “The advantage is that now our country is world famous.”

Tough British law in works

LONDON — The British government is drafting new anti-terrorism legislation that would allow police to stop and question individuals without suspecting a crime has taken place, the Home Office said Saturday. Under the legislation, officers could stop and interrogate people on their identities and where they had been or were planning to go — powers they already have in Northern Ireland. Under current British law, police have the right to stop and search individuals on “reasonable grounds for suspicion” they have committed an offense, but officers have no rights to ask for their identity and recent movements.

Help for Tasmanian devil

HOBART, Australia — Warner Bros. will donate money from the sale of DVDs featuring Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck to help efforts to save the Tasmanian devil from extinction, an Australian official said Saturday. The Looney Tunes character Taz — a whirling, growling rival to Bugs Bunny — is based on the Australian marsupial, which is being threatened by contagious cancer in its homeland, the island state of Tasmania. State Tourism, Arts and Environment Minister Paula Wriedt said Warner Bros. had struck a deal with the government to donate one Australian dollar — the equivalent of 82 cents — for each sale from a new series of DVDs to be released in Australia featuring the company’s cartoon characters.

Venezuelans protest

CARACAS, Venezuela — Tens of thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets Saturday chanting “Freedom, Freedom!” to protest President Hugo Chavez’s decision not to renew the broadcast license of the country’s most-watched TV station, an outlet for the opposition. Police lined a Caracas avenue while the protesters paraded past, some holding signs reading “No to silence,” while others placed tape over their mouths. Radio Caracas Television, the sole opposition-aligned TV station with nationwide reach, is due to go off the air at midnight tonight.

Associated Press