Nation briefs 3/3/06

Shootout in Alaska kills man, hurts toddler

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A man wanted on federal drug charges was killed and a toddler wounded in a shootout with authorities at a small airport, officials said. State troopers were investigating the Wednesday shootout in Homer, which killed Jason Carlo Jacob Anderson, 31, of Duluth, Minn. Two children were in a rented car with Anderson, also known as Brandon Dietzmann, officials said. A 2-year-old girl was hospitalized, but her condition was not available, U.S. Marshal Randy Johnson said. A 6-month-old infant was not injured. Their mother lives in Alaska. Johnson said one deputy marshal was involved in the shooting. He declined to elaborate.

Pat Robertson loses seat on broadcasters' board

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson, criticized by some evangelicals for comments about Venezuela's president and Israel's prime minister, lost a bid for re-election to the National Religious Broadcasters' board of directors. Robertson, founder of the Virginia Beach-based Christian Broadcasting Network, was one of 38 candidates for 33 board seats during the NRB's recent convention. The group represents mostly evangelical radio and TV broadcasters. NRB President Frank Wright said there was no broad effort to distance the group from Robertson. But "there was broad dismay with some of Pat's comments and a feeling they were not helpful to Christian broadcasters in general," he said in Wednesday's Washington Post.

Retailers report mixed sales results in February

NEW YORK -- The reappearance of winter weather stalled retail sales growth last month, leaving merchants and industry analysts wondering whether the consumers who shopped gleefully in January are now retrenching amid higher energy prices and interest rates. As retailers reported their February results Thursday, the biggest winners included discounters and wholesale operators such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Target Corp. and Costco Wholesale Corp. Among those falling short of expectations were teen retailer Abercrombie & Fitch Co., Gap Inc., Talbots Inc. and Sharper Image Corp."Overall, it is disappointing for February," said analyst Jharonne Martis at Thomson Financial. "It's not that consumers have stopped shopping; it is just that they're slowing down." Based on a tally of 59 retailers, 59 percent missed expectations, while 41 percent beat projections, according to Thomson Financial.

NASA to speed up space station deliveries

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA agreed Thursday to speed up delivery of European and Japanese components to the international space station, wrapping up plans with its global partners to finish work on the orbiting space lab by 2010. The delivery of the European Space Agency's Columbus laboratory -- Europe's biggest contribution to the space station -- and the Japanese Experiment Module, known as Kibo, will be bumped up by several months, if not more. The Japanese and European agencies had been lobbying NASA to send the parts up as early as possible because NASA plans to ground its space shuttles -- the chief carriers for supplies -- in about four years. NASA has made a commitment to the space station through 2015 but will soon turn its focus to sending people to the moon and eventually to Mars. NASA administrator Michael Griffin said Thursday that the space station will be finished according to its original design from the early 1990s, despite substantially fewer planned trips, with 16 more shuttle flights.

-- From wire reports