National news
FCC revives emergency communications plan
WASHINGTON -- The Federal Communications Commission approved a new framework for the creation of a nationwide emergency communications network Thursday amid concerns that the ongoing economic crisis may make it difficult to attract investors.
This is the agency's second attempt to create a set of rules for the network, which would use public airwaves and private money. The first attempt flopped earlier this year when it failed to attract a bidder.
The new framework includes more detail and makes the plan more attractive to private companies in several areas.
The proposed network would be used by police, firefighters and other emergency crews responding to disasters or terrorist attacks. The private investor would build a wireless network and lease access to emergency responders while selling wireless service to commercial users for profit.
In March, a similar plan failed to attract a minimum bid of $1.3 billion. Potential investors said the proposal was too vague and too risky to serve as the basis of a multibillion-dollar investment.
The FCC says a national network could cost between $6 billion and $7 billion, but private sector estimates are more than double that amount. Construction of such a network would be years away even with FCC approval. The FCC could vote on final rules by the end of the year with an auction taking place sometime in mid-to-late 2009.
Ike-battered Galveston allows residents to return
GALVESTON, Texas -- Ten days after Hurricane Ike, this devastated beach town reopened to residents Wednesday with stern warnings about what still lurks on the island — rotting cattle carcasses, snakes and swarms of mosquitoes — and what isn't there: drinking water, reliable electricity, medical care or sewer service.
After spending hours in traffic that backed up for 10 miles, some residents found their homes in ruins. City officials hoped most of the 45,000 residents who fled before the Sept. 13 storm would stay away until more repairs could be made.
The city has limited drinking water, few working sewers, limited electricity and minimal medical facilities. Officials extended the disaster declaration for 90 days.
GAO: Risk of runway collision still high
WASHINGTON -- The rate of close calls on airport runways is up over last year and the risk of a collision is high, a government investigator said Thursday.
Gerald Dillingham, the General Accountability Office's top expert on aviation safety, told a House panel that even though the Federal Aviation Administration "has given a higher priority to runway safety" there were 24 of the most serious kinds of runway incursions between July 2007 and June 2008.
That's the same number of serious runway incursions as the previous year. But because air travel and airport operations have declined this year, the rate of serious incidents has increased about 10 percent, Dillingham told the House transportation committee's aviation subcommittee.
Both the number and rate of all types of runway incursions are also are up, Dillingham said.
Flu shots recommended for children older than 6 months
ORLANDO, Fla. -- The federal government is now recommending that all children older than 6 months be vaccinated against influenza, expanding previous guidelines that focused on children aged 6 months to 4 years.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the change Wednesday, while touting a record year for flu vaccines with 146 million doses expected to be available nationwide.
Overall, fully 85 percent of the U.S. population now falls under the guidelines for flu vaccinations. The only people left out are babies younger than 6 months and healthy adults from 19 to 49 who do not have close contact with high-risk groups.
Shots still are recommended for everyone age 50 and older, pregnant women and anyone with chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and kidney problems. Health-care workers and residents of long-term care facilities such as nursing homes also are on the list.
The CDC said it expanded the children's recommendation because flu is a major cause of illness among school-age children.
Pa. high court says newspaper can protect source
HARRISBURG, Pa. -- The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a newspaper reporter does not need to reveal the identity of a confidential source used in a story about a grand jury investigation into allegations of prison brutality.
The 4-1 decision upholds a lower court ruling that sided with Jennifer Henn and her former employer, the Times-Tribune of Scranton. The Supreme Court said reporters cannot be forced to identify confidential sources — a protection granted by the state's Shield Law.
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