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QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Then I realized they were too low and too slow.And before I knew it, they hit the ground.” Ian Hoyt,

an aviation photographer and licensed pilot, who was taking photos at a Dayton, Ohio, air show when a plane crashed, killing the pilot and a wing walker Article, this pageColorado blaze hits healthy trees, slows

DEL NORTE, Colo. - A wildfire threatening a tourist region in southwestern Colorado grew to nearly 100 square miles Saturday, but officials said that the blaze had slowed and they were optimistic they could protect the town of South Fork.

The fire’s rapid advance prompted more than 400 evacuations Friday, and it could be days before people are allowed back into their homes, cabins and RV parks, fire crew spokesman Laura McConnell said. South Fork Mayor Kenneth Brooke estimated that 1,000 to 1,500 of the town’s permanent residents and summer visitors were evacuated.

Some business owners were being allowed back into South Fork to prepare for the lifting of the evacuations.

The blaze had been fueled by dry, hot, windy weather and a stand of dead trees, killed by a beetle infestation. The fire’s spread had slowed by Saturday morning after the flames hit a healthy section of forest.

There are 12 wildfires burning in Colorado that have scorched 133 square miles, including the Black Forest fire that has destroyed 511 homes north of Colorado Springs and is the most destructive in Colorado history.

Moore pays higher debris cleanup rates

MOORE, Okla. - Moore is paying a local contractor three times what neighboring Oklahoma City is being charged by vendors from out-of-state to remove debris left over from late May’s deadly tornadoes.

The disparity was a surprise to Moore-based Silver Star Construction, which is charging the suburb south of Oklahoma City $80.78 per ton to clear an estimated 112,000 tons of debris left behind by storms that killed 24 and injured hundreds.

Moore City Manager Steve Eddy said there are a few reasons why his city is paying so much more than the $25.70 to $33.95 per ton contractors from outside the state are charging to remove about 60,000 tons of debris from Oklahoma City.

The first is that Moore requires its contractor to pay the $17.54 per ton tipping fee charged by the city’s designated landfill. That’s an expense paid directly by Oklahoma City, which means contractors to include the charge in their bill.

Oklahoma City also sought emergency bids specifically for tornado debris collection, while Moore’s contract with Silver Star was signed seven years ago as part of a broader deal for public-works projects.

Beagle, boxer mix crowned ugliest dog

PETALUMA, Calif. - A big-headed, duck-footed mix of beagle, boxer and basset hound was the winner at the 25th annual World’s Ugliest Dog Contest.

Walle, a 4-year-old mutt from Chico, Calif., who was entered at the last minute, was judged as the most unsightly of 30 dogs at the Northern California competition.

“This dog looked like he’s been photo-shopped with pieces from various dogs and maybe a few other animals,” judge Brian Sobel said.

Judges said they were especially impressed by Walle’s bizarre waddle of a walk, which helped him overcome the dominance in recent years by Chihuahuas, Chinese cresteds, or combinations of the two.

Owner Tammie Barbee got Walle when he was 3 months old.

“People come up to me and say, ‘That dog is not right,’” Barbee said, “but I love him.”

Walle wins $1,500 and will appear this week on NBC’s Today show and ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Barn-frame collapse hurts 4 at Texas A&M

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Four workers were hurt, three critically, after a barn frame collapsed Saturday at an $80 million Texas A&M University equestrian complex that’s under construction.

The collapse happened on university property about a mile from the main campus, Texas A&M spokesman Lane Stephenson said.

College Station and Bryan fire departments, campus police and Texas A&M emergency medical personnel all responded to the accident, which happened shortly before 11 a.m. Saturday.

The injured workers were transported to hospitals. Their names and further details on their conditions were not immediately released.

Texas A&M police officials were trying to determine what caused the collapse. University police identified the contractor as Gamma Construction Company, with offices in Houston and San Antonio.

A Gamma Construction representative did not immediately return a phone call for comment Saturday.

Front Section, Pages 4 on 06/23/2013

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