Metro Source News           07/23/2008    17:12:12


Headlines 21

Hurricane Dolly is spinning over southern Texas after slamming ashore today on South Padre Island near Brownsville. She whipped the area with 100-mile-an-hour winds and heavy rain as a Category Two hurricane. Dolly has since been downgraded to Category One, but still is packing lots of violent wind and rain.

Republican presidential candidate John McCain may be leaning toward Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty as his running mate. CNN reports that McCain dropped a hint yesterday when he said people are, quote, "really going to like Pawlenty." Meanwhile, McCain has cancelled a planned appearance on an oil platform while rival Barack Obama delivers a speech in Germany.

A 29-mile stretch of the Mississippi River near New Orleans is shut down because of an oil spill. The Coast Guard closed the river to boat traffic after a chemical tanker collided with a fuel barge, cutting the barge in half. More than 400-thousand gallons of fuel oil spilled into the river.

A sweeping housing relief bill has passed the House of Representatives. The vote on the measure was 272-152, which now goes to the Senate. At the request of the White House, the measure props up ailing mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

It's finally clear what President Bush's plans are for the Republican National Convention. His spokeswoman says he will attend the opening night of the confab and deliver a speech. The GOP convention is slated September 1st through the 4th in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Conservative syndicated columnist Robert Novak was allegedly involved in a hit-and-run accident in downtown Washington, DC, this morning. According to CBS News, Novak allegedly struck a pedestrian in a crosswalk with his Corvette and then kept on going. A man on a bicycle chased down Novak and called 911. Novak was cited for failing to yield the right-of-way.

Country singer Mindy McCready is in rehab in Arizona after reportedly suffering what's called a nervous breakdown last week. The "New York Post" reports McCready was the object of affection by married baseball star Roger Clemens when McCready was still underage. She's also battling for custody of her two-year-old son, Zander.

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Don Andrews/fba

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