French Pair Who Died In US Desert Likely Saved Son - The Associated Press
A sheriff says a French couple who perished during an afternoon hike across the searing New Mexico desert likely saved their 9-year-old son by giving him two sips for each one they took from their water bottles before the supply was exhausted.
Otero County Sheriff Benny House said Friday that the boy was in remarkably good shape when he was found alongside his dead father on a trail in the White Sands National Monument. They were located about an hour after park rangers found the mother dead Tuesday.
House identified the couple as 42-year-old David Steiner and his 51-year-old wife, Ornella Steiner. They were tourists from the small town of Bourgogne (BEHR'-goyn-ya) near the city of Reims, France.
The couple apparently died from heat-related causes.
FBI Released Surveillance Video In New Mexico Church Blasts - The Associated Press
Authorities in New Mexico have released surveillance video in an effort to help identify a person of interest in two explosions that startled churchgoers last Sunday.
At a news conference Friday afternoon, an FBI spokeswoman said the agency has located two devices and believes the explosions are connected.
A $20,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest in the case.
No one was hurt in the explosions outside the Holy Cross Catholic Church and Calvary Baptist Church, which reportedly occurred about 20 minutes apart.
But authorities say the explosives could have killed or seriously injured someone nearby.
The video released by the FBI shows a man wearing a dark blue T-shirt, plaid shorts and hiking boots carrying a package or bag in the Baptist church's parking lot.
No Word Yet On Health Risk From Colorado Mine Spill - The Associated Press
Federal environmental officials say it's too early to know whether heavy metals that spilled into a river from a Colorado mine pose a health risk.
The Environmental Protection Agency said Friday that water samples still are being tested but so far no hazard has been detected. The EPA says lead, arsenic and other heavy metals were found in the Animas River in Colorado after 1 million gallons of mustard-colored wastewater surged out of the mine.
The EPA says it has no way to get the discolored water out of the river and that it will eventually dissipate. It wasn't clear when that will happen.
Officials say an EPA-led cleanup crew accidentally triggered the spill Wednesday.
The Animas flows from Colorado into New Mexico. Tests also were being done there, but results weren't known.