The nation in brief

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“They’re telling us that they’re not seeing anything alive out there.At this point we just want closure.We want some bodies.”

Becky Bach, who was waiting for news on four relatives who were among those missing since a large mudslide Saturday in Snohomish County, Wash.

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Fire at Texas apartment work site tamed

HOUSTON - A fire that destroyed a large apartment complex under construction in Houston was under control by midafternoon Tuesday, authorities said.

The Houston Fire Department said the blaze that sent thick, black smoke billowing into the sky and drew hundreds of emergency personnel was “under control” about 2½ hours after it started.

All construction workers who had been in the high-rise building were accounted for, and no injuries have been reported.

Houston Fire Department spokesman Capt. Ruy Lozano told the Houston Chronicle that one man was rescued as he prepared to jump to safety. Fire officials said more than 200 emergency personnel responded to the scene.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Lozano told the newspaper that high winds caused the fire to spread quickly. Much of the building was reduced to rubble Tuesday.

Ruling: Kansas can strip clinics’ funds

WICHITA, Kan. - A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that Kansas can strip two Planned Parenthood clinics of federal family planning money while the organization moves forward with its legal challenge of a state law it says is retaliation for its advocacy of abortion rights.

At issue in Tuesday’s ruling is money distributed to states under Title X, a federally financed family-planning program.

The Title X money targets low-income individuals seeking reproductive services such as birth control, pregnancy testing, cancer screenings and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases. It cannot be used for abortions.

Planned Parenthood’s lawsuit challenged a Kansas law that requires the state to first allocate Title X money to public health departments and hospitals, which leaves no funds for specialty family planning clinics like Planned Parenthood.

U.S. District Court Judge J. Thomas Marten blocked enforcement of the state law in 2011, ruling that it unconstitutionally was intended to punish Planned Parenthood for advocating for abortion rights and would likely be overturned.

A divided panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver overturned Marten’s rulings. Tuesday’s decision is not a final ruling on the merits of the case itself, and the appeals court sent the case back to the lower court for further proceedings.

Spring snowstorm headed for Cape Cod

PHILADELPHIA - Just days after the official end of one of the snowiest winters on record, another storm began its trek up the Interstate 95 corridor Tuesday, dropping flurries in Washington and Philadelphia on its way to Cape Cod, which was expected to see some of the highest snow totals.

A blizzard warning was in effect for Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket beginning today after midnight.

Forecasters warned of wind gusts as high as 70 mph with near-zero visibility at times, including during this morning’s rush hour. As much as 10 inches of snow could fall there.

The National Weather Service insisted the timing, though unwelcome, wasn’t out of the ordinary.

“It is not unusual to have storms this late in the year,” weather service spokesman Bill Simpson said, adding that April has seen quite a few big storms in the past.

Probe: Brakes failed to stop Chicago train

CHICAGO - An emergency track-side braking system activated but failed to stop a Chicago commuter train from jumping the tracks and barreling to the top of an escalator at O’Hare International Airport, a federal investigator said Tuesday.

The events that led to Monday’s accident, which occurred about 3 a.m. and injured more than 30 passengers, might have begun with the train operator dozing off toward the end of her shift, according the union representing transit workers. But Tuesday’s announcement that a piece of emergency safety equipment might have failed was the first indication the accident could have been caused by human error and mechanical failure.

National Transportation Safety Board investigator Ted Turpin said a preliminary review showed the train was traveling at the correct speed of 25 mph as it entered the station.

Investigators said they have not yet determined whether the operator ever applied the in-cab brake.

Turpin, who is in charge of the investigation, said an automatic emergency braking system located on the tracks was activated but failed to stop the train as it burst onto the platform.

Front Section, Pages 4 on 03/26/2014

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