National news briefs

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Jun 20, 2009 | by Compiled

Homes evacuated after train derails

ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) -- Residents are being evacuated after a fiery freight train derailment northwest of Chicago.

Witnesses tell the Rockford Register Star the train, which was hauling chemicals, derailed around 8:30 p.m.

Register Star employee Amy Walker tells the paper she and her husband were in a car near the crossing when they saw train cars bouncing up and down and then two tank cars explode. She says several people in vehicles near the crossing jumped out and ran away.

People in the area are being evacuated from their homes and at least two people were taken away in ambulances.

Stamps auctioned for more than $5M

NEW YORK (AP) -- A collection of more than 3,000 inverted stamps has sold at auction in New York for more than $5 million.

The two-day auction by Spink Shreves Galleries ended Friday. The collection was amassed by Pittsburgh stockbroker Robert H. Cunliffe, who died last year.

Charles Shreve, president of the Dallas-based gallery, says it was the most comprehensive collection of inverts ever formed.

Inverted stamps result when different colors and elements are printed in separate press runs and a sheet gets flipped upside-down between press runs.

Cunliffe's collection included an "inverted Jenny," a famous U.S. stamp from 1918 featuring an upside-down biplane.

Census Bureau will tally gay marriages

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- U.S. Census Bureau officials said Friday that married same-sex couples will be counted as such in the 2010 national tally, reversing an earlier decision made under the Bush administration.

Steve Jost, a spokesman for the Census Bureau, said officials already were identifying the technical changes needed to ensure the reliability of the information, but remained committed to providing an accurate tally of gay spouses.

"They will be counted, and they ought to report the way they see themselves," Jost said. "In the normal process of reports coming out after the census of 2010, I think the country will have a good data set on which to discuss this phenomenon that is evolving in this country."

Same-sex couples could not get married anywhere in the United States during the last decennial count. But last summer, when two states sanctioned gay unions, the bureau said those legal marriages would go uncounted because the federal Defense of Marriage Act prevented the federal government from recognizing them.

Since President Barack Obama took office, his administration has been under pressure from gay rights activists to take a fresh look at the issue. The White House on Friday announced that its interpretation of the act, known as DOMA, did not prohibit gathering the information.

Spaceport will be built in New Mexico

UPHAM, N.M. (AP) -- A multimillion-dollar spaceport is moving toward construction in the New Mexico desert, a big step for commercial space development and tourists who will suit up for $200,000 suborbital flights.

Gov. Bill Richardson and other dignitaries staged a ceremonial groundbreaking Friday at the remote site of Spaceport America in Sierra County.

"Today will be a signal that America needs to regain its leadership in space, both in national space and commercial space," said Gov. Bill Richardson. "Today is historic because New Mexico leads the nation in commercial space."

From a 10,000-foot runway, spacecraft will take flight attached to an airplane, then break free and rocket 62 miles into space before returning to the New Mexico site. Flights will last about two hours and include five minutes of weightlessness.

Storms wreak havoc at Chicago airports

CHICAGO (AP) -- Storms that moved across the central part of the U.S. caused delays at Chicago airports, with record rainfall at O'Hare International Airport.

Flight delays at O'Hare on Friday were 90 minutes or more. More than 100 flights were canceled.

At Midway, 45-minute delays and minor cancellations were reported.

O'Hare had received 3.54 inches by 1 p.m. The National Weather Service said the previous record for June 19 was 1.79 inches in 1961.

Storms also caused problems in Michigan and Ohio.