Emergency sirens sounded Tuesday as a growing 1,500-acre wildfire moved downhill and threatened homes at the bottom of northern Arizona’s scenic Oak Creek Canyon. Crews also were battling wildfires in Colorado, New Mexico and California. Wildfires have charred more than 3.1 million acres nationwide so far this year, well ahead of the average of about 900,000 acres by this time, officials said.
‘Most wanted’ suspect caught
A man profiled on “America’s Most Wanted” was arrested after he snatched a woman’s purse and she chased him down, authorities in Redlands, Calif., said. Katherine Bolter’s purse was snatched outside an Office Depot store Monday morning. Bolter, 51, said she kicked off her shoes and chased after the man who police later identified as Jesse Anthony Caron.
Mayor admits to cocaine use
John Fabrizi, mayor of Bridgeport, Conn., admitted Tuesday he had abused cocaine while in office and said he wanted to apologize “to all the people of the city” but had no plans to resign. The admission followed the inadvertent release of an FBI document in which an alleged drug dealer claimed an associate had a videotape of the mayor using cocaine.
CBS, Rather cut ties
New York-based CBS News said Tuesday it is cutting ties to Dan Rather, concluding a messy professional divorce with the anchor who had worked there for 44 years until things went sour over a story about the president’s military service. Rather, 74, says he’s not retiring. He is considering doing a weekly show at the tiny HDNet, a high-definition network.
AND FINALLY
Getting caught is in their jeans
Young men and teens wearing low-slung, baggy pants fairly regularly get tripped up in their getaways, a development that has given amused police officers and law-abiding citizens a welcome edge in the fight against crime. Jim Matheny of the Stamford, Conn., police told The Wall Street Journal that he tells suspects with loose pants to “buy a belt and save yourself some trouble.”
