Nation briefs 8/7/06

A year later, Sheehan resumes war protest

CRAWFORD, Texas -- A year after her first war protest in President Bush's adopted hometown attracted thousands and reinvigorated the nation's peace movement, Cindy Sheehan resumed her vigil Sunday. Under the blazing Texas sun, Sheehan and more than 50 demonstrators again marched a mile and a half toward Bush's ranch, stopping at a roadblock. As Secret Service agents stood silently, Sheehan held up her California driver's license and said she wanted to meet with the president. White House spokesman Tony Snow has said neither Bush nor his staff plan to meet with Sheehan.

Advocate: Bad nursing home care persists

WASHINGTON -- Not-for-profit nursing homes generally provide better care than those operated for profit, an analysis of state inspections for some 16,000 homes nationwide found. Also, independent nursing homes tend to provide better care than those managed by companies that run numerous nursing homes. Consumer Reports, which provides consumer tips, says that those conclusions are based on its evaluation of recent state inspection reports for the nursing homes. Only a fraction of nursing homes, regardless of whether they were a for-profit or not-for-profit, met Consumer Reports' standards for a quality nursing home. With for-profits, only about 2 percent were classified as likely to provide good care. The not-for-profits fared a little better at 7.3 percent.

Scientists: Oregon coast 'dead zone' growing

GRANTS PASS, Ore. -- Bottom fish and crabs washing up dead on Oregon beaches are being killed by a recurring "dead zone" of low-oxygen water that is larger than in previous years and may be triggered by global warming, scientists said. There are signs it is spreading north to Washington's Olympic Peninsula. Scientists studying the 70-mile-long zone of oxygen-depleted water, along the Continental Shelf between Florence and Lincoln City, conclude that it is being caused by explosive blooms of tiny plants known as phytoplankton, which die and sink to the bottom, then are eaten by bacteria which use up the oxygen in the water. The recurring phytoplankton blooms are triggered by northerly wind, which generates a process known as upwelling in which nutrient-rich water is brought to the surface from lower depths.

John Glenn, wife, released from hospital

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Former senator and astronaut John Glenn and his wife, Annie, were discharged Sunday from a hospital where they had been recovering from what he called a "very serious" car accident. Neither Glenn nor his wife was seriously injured, said Dr. Paul Beery. Beery said the former senator suffered a minor fracture in his sternum. "As far as this being minor, it's not minor to me because it hurts," said the 85-year-old Glenn. Annie Glenn, 86, is recovering from what her husband called "bumps and bruises."

-- From wire reports