Bridge fire, wall collapse snarl NYC traffic

NEW YORK -- The collapse of a highway retaining wall in Manhattan and a fire at a railroad bridge in New Jersey created Friday-the-13th headaches for thousands of commuters. No one was injured in the two mishaps, which happened within hours on Thursday afternoon and evening. The 150-foot section of stone wall along the Henry Hudson Parkway in upper Manhattan gave way in two phases about five minutes apart Thursday afternoon, burying parked cars under dirt, trees and debris. A fast-moving fire, which broke out around 7:30 p.m., damaged a railroad bridge used by Amtrak and New Jersey Transit commuter trains to cross the Hackensack River in northern New Jersey.

Cases from Atlanta child killings reopened

DECATUR, Ga. -- The new police chief of Georgia's Dekalb County, Louis Graham, has reopened five of the "Atlanta Child Murder" cases, hoping to either confirm or put to rest the issue of whether Wayne Williams is an innocent man. The diminutive, bespectacled freelance TV cameraman was convicted of two killings and blamed for nearly two dozen more. Atlanta was gripped in a climate of terror from 1979 to 1981 over a series of killings which police stay eventually numbered 29. In a rare interview, Williams, now 46, said this past week that he was grateful to Graham for taking this "bold step." He says he is imprisoned with at least four relatives of his alleged victims, and that even they believe in his innocence.

New England grapples with first execution

HARTFORD, Conn. -- New England's first execution in 45 years Friday has some opponents of capital punishment worried that the death penalty will gain wider acceptance in the region. But many advocates and experts are not concerned. They say the execution of serial killer Michael Ross stemmed more from the special circumstances of the case, including his decision to abandon any appeals, rather than a broader movement toward more executions in New England. Yet the Ross case has brought home the reality that Connecticut is now a state where prisoners may be put to death. Connecticut has six other men on death row. It is unclear who is next, or when.

Nursing homes breathe easier after new proposal

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration on Friday proposed new payment rates for nursing homes through Medicare that it said would not lead to the kind of cuts many nursing home administrators had feared. The bottom line is that nursing homes can expect to receive about $15 billion through Medicare in fiscal year 2006, which is about how much they will get this fiscal year, administration officials said. Nursing homes had anticipated a cut of up to 10 percent.

Democratic congressman offers Social Security fix

WASHINGTON -- Breaking with party leaders, a Democratic congressman plans to introduce Social Security legislation, saying his first commitment is to his constituents. The bill proposed by Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Fla., calls for a 6 percent tax on all income above the current $90,000 cap. Three percent would be paid by workers and 3 percent paid by their employer. At the same time, the bill would reinstitute "pay-as-you-go" rules for federal budgeting, requiring that any tax cuts or increase in entitlement spending be paid for either by raising taxes or cutting spending elsewhere. Wexler's proposal would not require any cut in scheduled benefits or increase in the retirement age, and it does not provide for private accounts.

Hezbollah, Israel clash in heaviest fighting in months

BEIRUT, Lebanon -- Hezbollah and Israeli forces exchanged barrages of shells and rockets across the Lebanese border Friday and Israeli warplanes destroyed guerrilla positions in the heaviest clash in months between the two sides. The flare-up in tension comes amid political turbulence in Lebanon. Hezbollah's ally Syria withdrew its troops from Lebanon last month, weakening Damascus's hold in the country -- while Hezbollah has been seeking a greater political role.

Kenyan woman says abandoned baby not hers

NAIROBI, Kenya -- An unmarried Kenyan woman detained in the case of the baby apparently abandoned in a forest and rescued by a stray dog said she had an abortion but she may face a criminal offense if investigators can't account for the fetus, police said Friday. The case has highlighted the problem of Kenya's unwanted infants, who are frequently abandoned, with poverty and failed relationships often to blame. The country's weak law enforcement and social security systems mean most people who dump their babies are never caught.