Nation digest 11/02/06

At least 10 shot during Halloween street party

SAN FRANCISCO -- Gunfire broke out between two groups at a massive Halloween street party in the city's Castro district, wounding at least 10 people, including innocent bystanders, police said Wednesday. The shooting began around 10:40 p.m. Tuesday as authorities were dispersing thousands of revelers under a curfew aimed at controlling the traditionally raucous party. Two people were detained for questioning, but no one had been arrested early Wednesday, police Capt. Al Casciato said. He said two groups of people had gotten into an altercation before the shooting began. One victim was listed in critical condition at San Francisco General Hospital.

Woman arrested after fire kills 6 at Reno hotel

RENO, Nev. -- A woman who previously served prison time for second-degree murder was arrested Wednesday and accused of setting a blaze that killed six people and gutted much of a historic brick building in Reno's downtown casino district. Valerie Moore, 47, a casino cook, was arrested on arson and murder charges stemming from Tuesday night's blaze at the Mizpah Hotel that police said began when she set fire to a mattress. About 30 people were injured, some of them after they leaped out the windows of the three-story building, which was primarily a residential hotel.

Blast hits PayPal building in California

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- A Halloween night explosion shattered a window at a building housing offices for eBay's PayPal division, forcing the evacuation of dozens of employees. PayPal spokeswoman Amanda Pires said Wednesday that the company had not received any threats but declined to comment on the investigation. The blast hit the first floor of the company's network operations center. Business was not disrupted, but the complex was closed Wednesday and cordoned off by police tape. About 1,900 eBay and PayPal employees who work in buildings on the campus where the explosion occurred were asked to work from home or at another eBay campus in San Jose, Pires said.

Ex-rep staying in rehab beyond 30-day session

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Former Rep. Mark Foley, who resigned over sexually explicit messages sent to male congressional pages, is remaining in treatment for alcoholism beyond his initial 30-day stay, his attorney said Wednesday. Foley checked into a 30-day treatment program at the Sierra Tucson center in Catalina, Ariz., on Oct. 1. There was no immediate indication how much longer Foley would remain there. The Florida Republican resigned from Congress in September after he was confronted with the explicit computer messages he had sent to male teenage congressional pages. Authorities are investigating whether Foley broke any state or federal laws, and a House ethics committee is questioning members of Congress about what they knew regarding Foley's inappropriate contacts.

Park Service wants input on D.C. mall upgrade

WASHINGTON -- The National Park Service is preparing to nip and tuck at the nation's seat of power. As caretakers of the National Mall, Park Service officials want to know what visitors want from the nation's premier but well-worn spot for remembering, celebrating and rallying. They ask that people speak up, log on and turn out for a monthslong, $800,000 planning process. "As you can imagine, 25 million visitors adds up to a lot of wear and tear," Park Service director Mary Bomar said. Three to four tons of trash is left at and removed from the mall every day. There's scattered parking, and just 300 acres of turf, 47 drinking fountains and 100 restrooms. The mall extends from the Lincoln Memorial to the west front of the Capitol, and from the White House to the Thomas Jefferson Memorial and Tidal Basin. Its formal spaces draw on landscape traditions of European capitals, but are crafted to showcase American democracy.

-- From wire reports