Ads by Google Ads by Google

VIDEO: Today's Headline News from Associated Press

MORE RAIN EXPECTED FOR SWOLLEN MIDWEST RIVERS

 

CLARKSVILLE, Mo. (AP) -- Communities in Illinois and Missouri fought Tuesday to hold back surging rivers swollen by days of drenching rain, even as an approaching storm system threatened new downpours.

 

Floodwaters were rising to record levels along the Illinois River in central Illinois; roads and buildings were flooded and riverfront structures were inundated in Peoria Heights. Firefighters feared that if fuel from businesses and vehicles starts to leak, it could spark a fire in areas that could be reached only by boat.

 

"That's our nightmare: A building burns and we can't get to it," said Peoria Heights Fire Chief Greg Walters. "These are combustible buildings and we have no access to them simply because of the flooding."

 

About 20 to 30 homes and businesses near the river have been evacuated, he said.

 

GOV'T WARNS OF MORE FLIGHT DELAYS AS BLAME FLIES

 

NEW YORK (AP) -- A day after flight delays plagued much of the U.S., air travel is smoother Tuesday. But the government is warning passengers that the situation can change by the hour as it runs the nation's air traffic control system with a smaller staff.

 

Airlines and members of Congress urged the Federal Aviation Administration to find other ways to make mandatory budget cuts besides furloughing controllers. While delays haven't been terrible yet, the airlines are worried about the long-term impact late flights will have on their budgets and on fliers.

 

US Airways CEO Doug Parker said he doesn't believe the furloughs can be tolerated for long.

 

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood pointed the finger at Congress, which forced government agencies to cut spending after failing to reach a deficit-reduction plan.

 

US TEENS DOING BETTER THAN PUBLIC REALIZES: SURVEY

 

WASHINGTON (AP) -- American teenagers aren't doing as poorly on international science tests as adults think. Despite the misconception, people don't think the subject should get greater emphasis in schools, a survey released Monday found.

 

More Americans than not wrongly think that U.S. 15-year-olds rank near the bottom on international science tests, according to a Pew Research Center for the People and the Press poll. U.S. students actually rank in the middle among developed countries.

 

Even so, Americans are more likely to pick math or language skills over science when they are asked which subject they think deserves greater attention.

 

Among adults, there is wide variety in what they know about science and technology, the survey also found. For instance, two-thirds of those surveyed correctly said rust is an example of a chemical reaction and 77 percent correctly said the continents have been moving for millions of years and will continue to shift.

 

Yet only 47 percent correctly said electrons are smaller than atoms. Protons, neutrons and electrons are parts of atoms.