NPR 2008-05-13

In China, state media report upwards 1 of 10,000 people were killed in Monday's powerful earthquake. The quake struck in mid-afternoon when schools and offices were full. NPR's Laura Sydell reports from Shanghai.

In some areas of Sichuan Province, eighty percent of the buildings collapsed 2. The earthquake was in a mountainous region, about 60 miles from the province's capital, Chengdu. The quake also toppled at least eight schools in the region and about 900 teenagers were buried in the rubble 3 of a collapsed three-story school building. Chemical plants and at least one hospital were also flattened 4, trapping hundreds of people. Hundreds of miles away in Shanghai, buildings shook and office workers ran to the street. There were several aftershocks and one was felt strongly in Beijing, where the city is preparing for the Summer Olympics scheduled to begin in less than three months. This is the worst earthquake to hit China in decades. Laura Sydell, NPR News, Shanghai, China.

Emergency officials are continuing to assess the damage from the latest string of tornado 5 touchdowns in the nation's heartland. A series of twisters that hit over the weekend Oklahoma and Missouri are now blamed for 22 deaths. The town of Picher, Oklahoma, damage was so severe, some officials are now saying the town of 800 might not be rebuilt. Missouri's governor surveyed damage in three counties in that state today where a powerful tornado, estimated to be packing winds of 170 miles an hour, killed 15 people Saturday.

Federal authorities say more than 300 workers have been arrested in Southeast Iowa at the nation's largest kosher meat-packing facility. From Iowa Public Radio, Jeff Schmidt reports.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents executed search warrants at the Agriprocessors's plant for evidence related to identity theft and fraudulent use of social security numbers. US attorney Matt Dummermuth says coordination 6 for the raid has been in place since last fall. "This is not the first time this office has been part of a criminal worksite enforcement operation. However, this is the largest operation of its type, and the coordination and logistical planning efforts have been going on for months." Dummermuth says plant workers taken into custody 7 will be held at a temporary detention 8 hall at a fairground site in Northern Iowa. The Department of Human Services is providing caregiver assistance for children of detained family members. For NPR News, I'm Jeff Schmidt in Iowa City.

On the eve of West Virginia's primary, Barack Obama told an audience there that disagreeing with the war does not mean disrespecting the troops. "Some of us may disagree with our decision to start this war in Iraq, but all of us stand united in our support for the brave men and women who wage it. That's how it should be." Obama was speaking in Charleston, West Virginia. His rival, Hillary Clinton, was also campaigning in the state today.

On Wall Street, The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 130 points. This is NPR News.

In the mid-Atlantic region of the country, heavy rains are causing problems. In the Washington DC suburb of Camp Springs, Maryland, a number of homes had to be evacuated 9 today after a sinkhole, up to 30 feet wide and ten feet deep, opened up. Flood warnings were also up in parts of Western Maryland, where some roads had to be closed. In some areas, up to four inches of rain has fallen since yesterday, causing creeks 10 to overflow 11 their banks and leaving high amounts of standing 12 water along many roadways.

New Tribune Chairman Sam Zell is struggling to meet the company's debt payments and is already shopping around the Chicago Cubs 13 and Wrigley Field. Now as NPR's David Folkenflik reports, Zell has reached a deal to sell one of the Tribune's largest newspapers.

Sam Zell took over Tribune in December, saying he didn't intend to sell any of the company's papers. On Monday, Cablevision, one of the nation's largest cable providers, agreed to buy 97 percent of the Long Island daily Newsday from Tribune in a deal valuing the paper at 632 million dollars. That trumped 14 the offers of New York tabloid 15 owners Rupert Murdoch and Mort Zuckerman. Tribune will retain a three-percent stake in Newsday to avoid paying taxes. Advertising 16 revenues at Tribune's papers have plummeted 17. And if conditions don't improve, the company may have to consider the sale of some of its other papers, such as The Los Angeles Times, The Baltimore Sun and The Hartford Courant. Tribune could also sell its stake in the highly popular Food Network. David Folkenflik, NPR News, New York.

The firm, Research In Motion, is launching new high-end version of its popular Blackberry communications device. Dubbed 18 the Blackberry Bold, the new smart phone will support high-speed cellular 19 network and will also support GPS, WiFi and a number of other multi-media applications. It's expected to sell for between $300 and $400.