Silo explosion at Ohio lumber company kills two

NEW KNOXVILLE, Ohio -- An explosion blew the top off a burning silo at a lumber company Wednesday, killing two firefighters who were atop the structure.

Nine people on the ground -- seven firefighters and two of the plant's owners -- were injured in the explosion, which sent chunks of the 75-foot-high concrete structure flying into a cemetery 100 yards away. Most were treated at hospitals and released.

The silo was filled with wood shavings and sawdust. New Knoxville fire chief Scott Schroer said firefighters had been trying to avoid a blast by hosing down the silo for about two hours when the structure exploded about 9 a.m.

The two firefighters who died were believed to have been on top of the silo or in an aerial bucket, Schroer said.

Bond disciplines aide for political activity

WASHINGTON -- An aide to Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., has been running a political Web site named for the tail number of the plane that crashed carrying the late Democratic Gov. Mel Carnahan.

The title of the site -- N8354N -- "is not random," a note on the Web site reads. "It marks an inflection point in current Missouri politics. On that day, the worm began to turn," the site reads.

Missouri Democrats found the Web site and made the connection to the senator's office on Wednesday.

Bond, told of his aide's activities, disciplined the aide for breaking Senate rules against using office equipment for political purposes.

Bond's chief of staff, Julie Dammann, would not identify the person or say how he or she was disciplined.

LA deputies stage sickout to close courts

LOS ANGELES -- Several Los Angeles County courthouses were closed Wednesday after sheriff's deputies staged a sickout in a contract dispute.

About 300 deputies called in sick Wednesday, most of them assigned to county Superior Courts -- the nation's largest court system. About 40 deputies working for transit services also called in sick.

It was the second day of the sickout, forcing the county to redeploy deputies who did show up as the need arose.

Six of 58 Los Angeles County courthouses could not open and criminal matters requiring hearings were transferred; one of the buildings opened at midday. The downtown civil courthouse opened late, forcing long lines of people to wait outside because there were not enough deputies to do security screenings.

-- From wire reports