Teen reportedly confesses to Ind. sniper attacks

Highway shootings left 1 dead, 1 wounded; 17-year-old’s motive
unclear

SEYMOUR, Ind. - A 17-year-old confessed Tuesday to committing a
series of highway shootings that killed one man, wounded another and
damaged at least four vehicles, authorities said.

Zachariah Blanton was arrested earlier in the day and was jailed in
Jackson County. He faced preliminary charges of murder, attempted
murder and criminal recklessness, prosecutor Stephen Pierson said.

Blanton, of Gaston, admitted to the sniper shootings during
questioning by investigators, but a motive was unclear, State Police
Superintendent Paul Whitesell said. It was not immediately known
whether Blanton had an attorney.

Blanton came to the attention of investigators late Monday after an
acquaintance told a Delaware County deputy that the teen might be
involved in the shootings, Whitesell said. Detectives then searched
Blanton's home and found a rifle of the same caliber used in the
shootings.

"The weapon we obtained was precisely what we were looking for,"
Whitesell said.

Blanton's great-aunt told The Star Press of Muncie that she was
shocked by the allegations against him. "I can't imagine that he
would be involved," Denise Blanton said.

The two sniper victims were hit early Sunday as they rode in pickup
trucks on Interstate 65 near Seymour, south of Indianapolis.

About two hours later, bullets struck a moving tractor-trailer and a
parked sport-utility vehicle on I-69 in Delaware County, about 100
miles to the northeast near Blanton's home. No one was hurt in those
shootings.

The FBI joined the investigation Monday as investigators searched
fields, overpasses and roads looking for evidence. Detectives from
Columbus, Ohio, who helped solve that city's 2003 and 2004 sniper
shootings also traveled to Indiana to help.

Gov. Mitch Daniels praised law enforcement officers Tuesday for quickly apprehending a suspect.

"Indiana has been spared the sort of fear, uncertainty and
disruption and that has befallen other jurisdictions elsewhere," he
said during a news conference in Indianapolis.

By The Associated Press

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Wildfires rage, more firefighters sought

ALPINE, Calif. (AP) -- Fire officials pleaded for additional
manpower to battle a 15,400-acre wildfire near the California-Mexico
border, while a new fire ignited near expensive canyon homes in Los
Angeles.

Firefighters often labored in triple-digit temperatures as a heat
wave continued to bake the state.

The border blaze had burned nearly 24 square miles of brush and
chaparral in the Cleveland National Forest in southern San Diego
County. About 780 firefighters had contained only about 5 percent of
the fire Tuesday as it burned in the largely unpopulated area.
The new fire erupted above Beverly Hills and Bel Air Estates. Los
Angeles firefighters working by backyard pools and patios directed
streams of water onto smoking slopes, and helicopters made drops on
flames in heavy brush on the steep south flank of the eastern Santa
Monica Mountains.

"The terrain's so rugged they can't get up there," said resident
Mike Kosdon, 34.

Several lightning-sparked wildfires have scorched the state in
recent weeks, straining firefighting resources. Firefighters trying
to contain the border wildfire were awaiting relief from
firefighters and equipment tied up elsewhere.

"We're really strapped right now," said U.S. Forest Service
spokesman Jake Rodriguez. "We're putting in orders for more men and
more air support, and we're just waiting for them to be released."
Near Alpine, about 80 homes were evacuated in the community of
Carveacre and a voluntary order was issued for about 1,500 homes in
the area, said Roxanne Provaznik of the California Department of
Forestry.

Fire crews have had to work through 10 straight days of a heat wave
that has sent temperatures soaring above 100 degrees through much of
the state. At least five firefighters around the state have suffered
heat-related illnesses in recent days, officials said.

"If you get behind on drinking water, you can't catch up," said
firefighter Jon Sanchioli, 46, who was protecting structures from
the forest fire. "We had one guy go down yesterday. We know you've
got to be careful. If you keep on pushing, your body shuts down."

In Joshua Tree National Park _ where another blaze had consumed
about 1.5 square miles of dense, desert vegetation _ temperatures
reached 103 degrees Monday. Fire supervisors asked crews to remove
their helmets every hour to make sure they were still sweating, fire
spokesman Dennis Cross said.

No sweat, he said, could mean a firefighter had "dried up" _ a sign
of heat exhaustion.

"It probably feels like it's 150 up there," Cross said, adding that
crews were drinking about twice the amount of water and Gatorade
they might otherwise consume.

Farther north, nearly 750 firefighters worked to cut lines around a
12,000-acre _ or nearly 19-square-mile _ blaze on ranch land east of
San Ardo in southeastern Monterey County. A lightning strike late
Saturday sparked the fire and erratic winds generated by
thunderstorms caused it to spread, officials said.

Off the coast, a lightning-sparked fire on Santa Catalina Island was
80 percent contained Tuesday at 1,094 acres, or 1.7 square miles,
with full containment expected by the end of the day, fire Inspector
Edward Osorio said.

"Pretty much the fire has died down. ... Just a few hot spots," he
said.

Fire crews in neighboring Arizona virtually contained a wildfire
that had threatened to reach two power lines that feed electricity
to the Phoenix area. By Monday afternoon, officials declared the
fire 95 percent contained, with full containment expected Tuesday
morning.

Milder temperatures and increasing humidity were helping fire crews
beat back three blazes burning in timber stands along the rugged
slopes of the central Idaho mountains.

By ALLISON HOFFMAN, Associated Press Writer

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Day 9: More Than 100 Homes In Queens Remain Without Power

Although things in Queens have greatly improved since last week when
an estimated 25,000 customers lost power, there are still more than
100 Con Edison customers without electricity Tuesday, nine days
after the lights first went out.

However, according to Con Ed, a "customer" can represent an entire
building of residents, meaning the number of those affected by the
outage could be higher.

Power first went out last Monday. At its worst, an estimated 100,000
people were in the dark.

Queens small business owners have been some of the hardest hit. City
officials estimate the blackout has disrupted at least 750
businesses, and their losses could total millions of dollars.

"For everything, I lose like $200,000," said grocery store owner
George Zahreih.

"I spend about double price for that and that would just pay for my
employees. There's no income for me," said business owner Paul Kim.

"Everything's garbage, because no power. The refrigerator not
working," said deli employee George Halkais.

Similar stories are being heard throughout Queens, including Long
Island City, Sunnyside and Woodside. In compensation, Con Ed is
offering a maximum of $7,000 on a claim.

“Which is woefully insufficient,” said Community Board 2 Chairman
Joe Conley. “But we're hoping that with the city/state officials, by
meetings like this applying the pressure, that Con Ed needs to do
the right thing and not just pass it on to the rate payers. Con Ed
has to dig into their pockets."

At a meeting in Sunnyside Tuesday, small business owners got
together with area leaders to figure out a way to make that happen.
For starters, compensation forms were handed out.

“We have them from Con Ed. You have to have receipts,” said John
Vogt of the Sunnyside Chamber of Commerce. “They want to see
receipts or UPC codes, they want photos, and they're going to send
out their adjusters I believe to validate every claim."

Insurance won't help any, as it does not cover losses caused by
power outages.

Meantime, as the blackout continues, Con Ed is facing its first
lawsuit. Sunnyside resident Sondra Boyle is suing the utility for
gross negligence.

The mother of two was without power for six days before her
electricity was restored Tuesday morning. She says she has lost
about $400 in groceries and several days at work.

Boyle says the $350 in compensation being offered isn't enough.

“In this day and age, I think it's absolutely disgraceful the power
goes down like this,” she said. “We pay a lot of money to Con
Edison. Prices keep going up, we keep paying the high prices, and
something like this happens and it's ridiculous."

The lawsuit accuses Con Ed of not following the attorney general's
recommendations after the blackout in 1999. The suit says the extent
of current outages could have been prevented if Con Ed had taken
steps earlier.

Boyle's lawyer says he has gotten calls from other affected people,
so the suit could be a class-action lawsuit.

Con Edison says it will not comment on pending litigation.

Meanwhile, a day after the mayor praised Con Ed CEO Kevin Burke,
Queens politicians are continuing to call for Burke's resignation.

"The company lied about how many people were affected for four days
when it first started. The city withheld resources based on the
misrepresentations of Con Edison. Somebody has to be held
accountable and he's the head of the company," said Assemblyman
Michael Ginaris.

"This is a man who presided over, first of all, an eight-day
blackout, as we stand now. But perhaps even more importantly, who
lied consistently from day one to people. If you don't remove him,
what's to ensure this won't happen again next summer, because Kevin
Burke says so? Well, nobody believes a word that comes out of Kevin
Burke's mouth," says Councilman Peter Vallone, Jr.

Political leaders in Queens have also asked Governor George Pataki
to designate Northwest Queens as a disaster area, making residents
and businesses eligible for federal funds.

However, in a letter sent Monday, Pataki said any state assistance
can only follow the mayor's designation of a local state of
emergency. Then, the city must make a formal request for emergency
aid.

Moreover, Pataki says the real financial burden of the crisis
should "be shouldered by Consolidated Edison, and not the
taxpayers." State disaster aid is pooled from taxes.

Senators Hillary Clinton and Charles Schumer upped the ante even
further Tuesday, calling on the president to declare Queens a
federal disaster area so that businesses and homeowners can apply
for grants and low interest federal loans through the Federal
Emergency Management Agency. No word yet from the president.

Meanwhile, relief agencies like the Red Cross and the Salvation Army
are continuing to distribute free meals, drinks and ice. For
information on the location of the sites, dial 311.

The American Red Cross says since the blackout began, it has
distributed about 70,000 bottles of water and about 80,000 meals to
the people of Queens.

The city is also reminding New Yorkers to check in on sick or
elderly neighbors to see if they need anything.

Food spoilage claims can be filed at the city's Special Services
Center again today on 32nd Place in Long Island City.

The mayor is asking residents to lay off air conditioners to avoid
over-stressing a network that's already stretched thin.

"While the weather is cool today, later in the week's it's predicted
to get a little warmer and muggier and when people use air
conditioners that stresses networks. This particular network is
still fragile," he said.

The cause of the blackout is still unknown. The first status report
from Con Ed on the outage is due August 2nd.

Residents who are still in the dark are asked to call Con Edison at
1-800-75-ConEd or the city's 311 hotline.

Residents looking for information on reimbursement for spoiled food
can also call those numbers. They can also log on to
www.coned.com/customercentral/lawclaims.asp. Follow the "quick link"
box in the top right corner to the CLAIMS section.

From ny1.com

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Bush, Iraqi leader outline new security strategy for Baghdad

WASHINGTON - President Bush announced on Tuesday plans to shift more
U.S. troops to Baghdad to deal with a surge of violence that
threatens to drag Iraq into a full-scale civil war.

Bush outlined the latest security plan during a White House visit
with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, which had been planned to
highlight Iraq's emergence as a free nation. The intended message
was overshadowed by the continuing chaos in Iraq's capital and
Maliki's sharp differences with Bush over U.S. policy in Lebanon.

Bush and his advisers were uncharacteristically blunt in
acknowledging that Maliki's plan to end sectarian violence in
Baghdad had failed. Maliki did little to counter downbeat
assessments, saying, "God willing, there will be no civil war in
Iraq."

Six weeks after Maliki launched an effort to bring Baghdad under
control, the violence is worse than ever.

Despite the addition of almost 100,000 U.S.-trained Iraqi troops to
the region over the past year, the city's morgue is receiving nearly
twice as many bodies daily as it did a year ago, and bombings of
U.S. and Iraqi troops last month were up 44 percent over June 2005,
according to reports by Tom Lasseter of McClatchy Newspapers.

Sectarian violence has increased dramatically, adding to fears of an
all-out conflict between Iraq's Shiite majority and minority Sunni
Muslims.

The rising death toll has tamped down talk of U.S. troop withdrawals
and called into question the strategy of shifting security duties to
Iraqi forces.

"Obviously, the violence in Baghdad is still terrible, and
therefore, there needs to be more troops," Bush said. He said
additional units would be shifted from other parts of Iraq to join
Iraqi reinforcements in the capital.

White House officials said commanders in Iraq hadn't decided how
many troops would be needed, but unofficial estimates were as high
as a few thousand. One defense official said one component of the
beefed-up force would be four companies of military policemen -
about 440 - who would be shifted to Baghdad. The official, who asked
not to be named because the plan hadn't yet been announced, said it
was unclear whether the military policemen would be used to patrol
Baghdad's streets or train Iraqi security forces.

Another group of about 400 soldiers, mostly engineers,
communications specialists and other support personnel, would shift
from Kuwait to Iraq to replace the soldiers moving into Baghdad.
"We don't think a civil war has begun. Is there a problem? Yes,"
national security adviser Stephen Hadley said. "Death squads and
armed gangs are going around murdering people, kidnapping people,
sometimes in broad daylight."

The problems in Iraq dominated Maliki's discussions at the White
House, but some members of Congress said they also were troubled by
Maliki's failure to denounce Hezbollah, the Islamic group that uses
Lebanon as a base for attacks on Israel.

Some Democrats threatened to boycott Maliki's speech to a joint
session of Congress on Wednesday if he fails to first denounce
Hezbollah - a step he pointedly declined to take during Tuesday's
White House visit. The United States considers Hezbollah a terrorist
organization and blames it for the crisis in Lebanon.

Israel attacked its neighbor on July 12 after Hezbollah kidnapped
two Israeli soldiers near the Lebanese border. Maliki has condemned
what he calls "Israeli aggression" and advocates an immediate cease
fire. Bush has declined to call for an immediate cease-fire until
Hezbollah releases the Israeli soldiers and pulls its fighters from
the Israeli border.

"What the heck are we doing if the prime minister, who is supposed
to be a great ally, refuses to condemn a terrorist organization?"
said Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill. "Which side is he on when it comes
to the war on terror?"

Although the resentment directed at Maliki was at least partly
fueled by a desire among U.S. lawmakers to please pro-Israel
activists, it also reflected election-year tensions over the Iraq
war. Democrats increasingly see the war as a liability for
Republicans.

Bush said he assured his guest that America wouldn't abandon Iraq.
"No question it's tough in Baghdad, and no question it's tough in
other parts of Iraq. But there are other places where progress is
being made," Bush said. "Some are questioning whether democracy can
take root in the region. I believe that the Iraqi people are showing
us their answer. They're making enormous sacrifices to secure their
freedom."

By Ron Hutcheson McClatchy Newspapers

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Peacekeepers among those killed in Middle East fighting

Violence in Middle East shows no sign of slowing

Israeli troops sealed off a Hezbollah stronghold Tuesday and widened
their control of southern Lebanon, but officials said Israeli bombs
killed six people in a south Lebanon town and four U.N. peacekeepers
in a border outpost.

Two weeks into the war, a senior Hezbollah leader said the
guerrillas had not expected such an Israeli onslaught when they
snatched two Israeli soldiers July 12.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other key Mideast players
gathered in Rome for a meeting Wednesday to discuss proposals for
ending the fighting that has claimed more than 400 lives. Key issues
were how to disarm Hezbollah and assemble an international
peacekeeping force to enforce the peace along the Israel-Lebanon
frontier.

In a fresh reminder of the dangers, four U.N. peacekeepers died when
an Israeli bomb destroyed their post in southern Lebanon. The
airstrike was a "direct hit" on their post just north of the Blue
Line separating Israel and Lebanon, said a U.N. official, who spoke
on condition of anonymity because the information had not been
formally released.

Israeli commanders said they would not push deep into Lebanon but
were determined to stop Hezbollah missiles that have continued
despite Israel's punishing raids on Hezbollah targets. A new volley
of Hezbollah rockets hit northern Israel, killing a teenage girl.

Tuesday marked a month since the start of what is now a two-front
war between Israel and Islamic militants. On June 25, an Israeli
soldier was captured by Hamas militants in Gaza, prompting an
Israeli offensive there. Two weeks into that flare-up, Hezbollah
snatched the two other soldiers.

In that month, the crisis has spiraled far beyond anyone's
imagining.

Mahmoud Komati, the deputy chief of the Hezbollah politburo, told
The Associated Press here that the guerrilla's leadership had not
expected a massive offensive when it snatched the two Israeli
soldiers.

"The truth is -- let me say this clearly -- we didn't even expect
(this) response ... that (Israel) would exploit this operation for
this big war against us," he said.
Instead, he said Hezbollah had thought Israel would respond to the
soldiers' capture by snatching Hezbollah leaders in commando raids
and that negotiations for a swap would start, giving Hezbollah the
chance to try to win the release of Lebanese prisoners held by
Israel.

He called the Israeli assault "unjustified" and said Hezbollah would
not lay down its weapons.

Israel and the United States say their ultimate aim is to
fundamentally reshape Lebanon to end Hezbollah's presence by the
border, strengthen democracy in the country and ensure lasting peace
with Israel. In the process, Lebanon has been ravaged, with hundreds
killed, nearly a half-million driven from their homes and vast
damage to roads and bridges.

Israel is facing tougher than expected resistance as it makes it
first small ground steps into hilltop villages across the border.

Its troops sealed the town of Bint Jbail and battled for a second
day Tuesday against around 200 guerrillas inside.

Troops also moved on the nearby village of Yaroun, fighting
guerrillas there. Fifteen Americans fled Yaroun in a convoy of 80
cars carrying residents that reached the southern port of Tyre on
Tuesday.

Hezbollah reported two guerrillas killed in the day's fighting,
while Israel said three of its soldiers were wounded. The Israeli
military said Hezbollah's commander for the central border sector,
known as Abu Jafr, was killed.

So far the three villages that Israeli ground troops have advanced
on -- Bint Jbail, Yaroun and Maroun al-Ras, which was seized by
soldiers over the weekend -- are in a roughly 3-square-mile pocket.

Israeli bombardment has also destroyed most Hezbollah observer posts
all along the border, U.N. observers say.

Israel suggested that would grow -- but the extent was unclear.

Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz said Israel would maintain a
security zone in the south until either a multinational force "with
enforcement capability" is deployed on the border or Hezbollah is
pushed back in a cease-fire agreement that also cuts off the supply
of its weapons.

Israeli army commanders said Israeli ground troops would not push
deep into Lebanon, but instead aim to kill as many Hezbollah
fighters as possible and push others away from the border. "We are
very much dealing with the villages and towns close to the border,"

Brig. Gen. Ido Nehushtan said. "Our aim is not to occupy the
territory."

Israeli warplanes bombed Beirut on Tuesday for the first time in
nearly two days after pausing during Rice's stopover in the Lebanese
capital. A string of huge explosions raised a pall of smoke from
Beirut's southern districts, and Israel said it was hitting 10
Hezbollah residences.

In a pre-dawn raid, Israeli warplanes destroyed two neighboring
houses in Nabatiyeh, which is 16 miles north of Bint Jbail and has
been heavily bombarded in the past few days.

In one house, a man and his wife and their son were killed, said the
couple's daughter, Shireen Hamza, who survived. Three men died in
the other house, she said.

While buried under the rubble for 15 minutes, "I just kept
screaming, telling my parents to stay alive until help comes," she
said. "My father kept saying to me in a weak voice, 'Shireen, stay
awake. Don't sleep."'

Komati said 25 of its fighters had been killed as of Monday, and the
group said two more died in ground fighting Tuesday -- raising the
previously announced toll of 11.

Despite estimates of the number of Hezbollah militants that Israel
claims were killed and the number that Hezbollah asserts were
killed, there was no way to accurately determine the number or often
distinguish between civilians and fighters.

Along with its daily press reports tracking major violence, the U.N.
observers along the Israel-Lebanese border, known as the Blue Line,
keep close track of individual incidents.

Those figures, which do not include attacks far to the north, give a
rare snapshot into the intensity of the violence in southern
Lebanon.

There were, for example, at least 73 acts of violence near the Blue
Line between Israel and Lebanon on July 24 alone, including 45 air
raids and artillery strikes by Israel and 12 missile launches from
Hezbollah.

That was in addition to numerous clashes around the town of Bint
Jbail, a town known for its intense support of Hezbollah. Rice took
her diplomatic push to resolve the crisis to Rome for talks with top
allies.

"It is time for a new Middle East," she said in Jerusalem earlier
Tuesday after talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. "It is
time to say to those that don't want a different kind of Middle East
that we will prevail. They will not."

"I have no doubt there are those who wish to strangle a democratic
and sovereign Lebanon in its crib," said Rice. "We, of course, also
urgently want to end the violence."

The Arab world wants an immediate cease-fire without conditions, but
Israel won't stop its bloody offensive until its captured soldiers
are released and a defanged Hezbollah is pushed back from its
northern border.

Most of the participants at Wednesday's conference -- which include
Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United States, the European Union,
Russia and others -- agree on the need for a cease-fire and a beefed
up multinational force on the Israel-Lebanon border.

By The Associated Press

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