A multi-car accident just south of the town of Bishop in California left 3 dead and 12 injured.  The CHP reported that one of the students killed was a member of California Baptist University’s cross country team.

According to the CHP, three vans carrying members of the team were traveling on highway 395 when an SUV drifted off the shoulder, swerved into the center median, and then collided with the van.  Upon impact the van then burst into flames.

This same SUV then struck the second of the 3 vans after which the SUV caught fire as well.  Luckily, the 3rd van avoided the SUV but another vehicle following the van was not as fortunate and struck the burning SUV.

According to reports, the students were returning home to Southern California, following a cross-country event.

A four-car crash caused lanes to be temporarily blocked on the San Diego (405) Freeway near Westwood yesterday.  Fortunately no one was seriously injured, according to the CHP.

No one was taken to a hospital even though an ambulance was dispatched to the scene, said Capt. Rick McClure of the fire department.

The accident occurred around 9:30 p.m. just south of the Wilshire Boulevard exit on the southbound side, said Officer Anthony Martin of CHP.

All lanes were cleared up by 10 p.m.

Southern Florida, the Florida Keys and the East Coast are not likely to experience effects from surface oil, assuming that the Gulf of Mexico well remains capped, according to new analysis by government scientists.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Friday that most surface oil remaining in the Gulf has degraded to a thin sheen. The oil is hundreds of miles away from a loop current.

“For southern Florida, the Florida Keys, and the Eastern Seaboard, the coast remains clear, ” said Jane Lubchenco, NOAA administrator, in a statement. “With the flow stopped and the loop current a considerable distance away, the light sheen remaining on the Gulf’s surface will continue to biodegrade and disperse, but will not travel far.”

Republican Meg Whitman and Democrat Jerry Brown have agreed to participate in a live broadcast debate at the University of California, Davis, in September. The event is sponsored by Capital Public Radio, KCRA-TV Sacramento, The Sacramento Bee and UC Davis. The debate is scheduled to be held on Sept. 28. It will be the first gubernatorial debate and one of only three planned before the November election.

“UC Davis, with its proximity to Sacramento and its strong focus on public policy, is the ideal choice to host this historic debate,” said UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi. “We’re proud to partner with three of California’s leading media organizations to make this event possible. We especially hope that by having the debate on a public university campus, more college students will be inspired to learn what is at stake in November’s gubernatorial election.”

Cheryl Dell, publisher and president of The Sacramento Bee, added, “We want to thank the candidates for agreeing to participate in this debate. It is an important and difficult time for California voters and I’m proud of your efforts to help educate them. Secondly, thank you to our partners — a diverse and impressive group — for working together to make this happen.”

California’s voters have identified jobs and the economy as their two biggest concerns, followed by issues including the state budget deficit, education and healthcare. The debate will give candidates the opportunity to tell Californians how they would address these concerns and lead the state out of the recession.

“KCRA 3 has an ongoing commitment to provide voters of Northern California with the information they need to make informed decisions, especially at this critical time in our state’s history,” said KCRA 3 President and General Manager Elliott Troshinsky. “The decision by Meg Whitman and Jerry Brown to accept our debate offer is another opportunity for us to fulfill that commitment. We appreciate that opportunity. We look forward to a spirited and meaningful exchange that will allow each candidate to express their positions and benefit each voter who watches.”

“Debate is essential in an election. Californians need to hear the candidates talk about their ideas and positions,” said Rick Eytcheson, Capital Public Radio president and general manager. “We’re pleased to help present this important discussion about the future of our state.”

Details of the debate, including the length and format, will be worked out in the coming weeks.

Two years removed from an electoral wave created by President Barack Obama that swept Democrats into wide Congressional majorities, the chief executive’s numbers have faltered badly in a number of contested states — raising concerns that he could be a drag on Democratic candidates this fall.

A new independent poll in Missouri paints a grim picture for the president. Obama’s job approval rating stood at just 34 percent with the overall electorate; among independents the numbers were even worse with just 27 percent approving of the job Obama is doing and 63 percent disapproving.

Go deeper into the poll and the numbers don’t get any better. With the economy shaping up to be the dominant issue in the campaign across the country this fall, just one in three Missouri voters approved of Obama’s handling of it; among independents a whopping 68 percent disapprove of how the president had handled the economy.

Despite those numbers, Rep. Roy Blunt (R) holds only a 48 percent to 42 percent lead over Secretary of State Robin Carnahan (D) in the race to replace retiring Sen. Kit Bond (R) this fall.

That trend — poor Obama numbers coupled with a competitive head to head Senate race — has played out in a series of polls in recent weeks.

To wit:

* Obama’s approval at 41 percent (56 percent disapprove) in a new independent poll in Kentucky; ophthalmologist Rand Paul (R) takes 41 percent to state Attorney General Jack Conway‘s (D) 38 percent in the Senate race.

* Forty-five percent approval/49 percent disapproval for Obama in a late June Quinnipiac University Ohio poll (including just 40 percent approval among independents); Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher (D) at 42 percent to 40 percent for former Rep. Rob Portman (R) in the Senate race.

* Forty-six percent approval/49 percent disapproval for Obama in a mid-July Q poll in Pennsylvania with disapproval among independents at 53 percent; Rep. Joe Sestak (D) and former Rep. Pat Toomey (R) tied at 43 percent in the Senate race.

Eric Schultz, spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, insisted that the disconnect between Obama’s approval ratings and the head-to-head numbers is evidence that Republican attempts to make the election a referendum on President Obama won’t succeed.

“As much as Republicans wish it wasn’t true, their candidates are on the ballot too,” said Schultz. “The national environment is relevant, but not determinative.”

Perhaps.

But, remember that in very few of these races have the two candidates engaged in any meaningful way (read: television ads) — a fact that makes it difficult to draw hard and fast conclusions about whether Obama’s number will ultimately hurt Democrats in states like Missouri, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Nevada and Kentucky.

Missouri, forever a swing state, may give us an early indication of whether (and how much) Obama will drag down Democrats.

In a new ad, Blunt goes directly at Carnahan’s decision to raise money with President Obama — describing her as a “rubberstamp” for his agenda and quoting the chief executive saying “it would’ve already been done if I had Robin Carnahan there.” That commercial went on the Missouri airwaves July 20 and the Mason-Dixon poll came out of the field just one day later so its impact (if there is one) isn’t reflected in the latest survey.

Blunt’s strategy, which almost certainly will be mimicked by other Republicans running in competitive Senate contests around the country, is borrowed from Democrats in 2006 who labeled virtually every Republican running for office as a rubberstamp for then President George W. Bush. (One important difference: Bush was far less popular nationally in 2006 than Obama is today.)

Will the Republican rubberstamp strategy work?

“Midterm elections are usually a referendum on the President,” said one Democratic pollster granted anonymity to speak candidly. “But I think there are a host of other numbers that are more worrisome — right direction, lack of economic optimism, the Democrats in Congress having poor numbers and the sharp rise in anti-incumbency.”

Elections are far more complex than many people — including the media  typically assume and, as a result, it’s impossible to quantitatively measure exactly what the Obama effect will be this fall.

But, numbers like the ones in Missouri have to be concerning for Democratic candidates who have to hope Obama’s approval ratings improve between now and Nov. 2. Running with a light breeze in your face is one thing; running with a gale force wind blowing against you is quite another.

Glenn Beck, the conservative radio and TV host and author, tearfully announced that he’s losing his eyesight because of a disease called macular dystrophy, which affects the central vision.

Beck may never fully go blind. But as the degenerative disease progresses, he may lose the ability to read, recognize faces, drive and make out other fine details. Macular dystrophy, as with its close cousin, macular degeneration, leaves intact the peripheral vision.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has a good explanation of the two diseases: Dystrophy is inherited, while degeneration normally comes with age.

Both affect the macula, an area of the retina in the back of the eye. With macular dystrophy, a pigment builds up, gradually damaging the cells of the macula and causing blurry vision when looking straight ahead. There is no effective treatment.

Beck announced his diagnosis to an audience in Salt Lake City, during the last stop of his “American Revival” tour. He said he’d been having problems focusing his eyes, so he went to the doctor, who said he had the disease and that “you could go blind in the next year, or you might not.” There’s no way of telling how quickly the disease might progress.

Regardless of what you think of Beck’s views or his personality, his remarks appeared genuinely emotional — and darkly humorous.

I know what my wife looks like, I know what my children look like. I have a great imagination. I know what color looks like. But I love to read. And I thought to myself, in that time, I’m too darn lazy to learn Braille!

Back in the Fox News studio on Wednesday, Beck said he’d accept his fate “with a smile” and “with dignity.”

I don’t know what tomorrow brings. … C’est la vie, and that is the way I feel about it. … I don’t own my life, and I certainly don’t own my eyes. If that’s the price of admission, I’m grateful that I’ve had them. I don’t want to lose them, but I’m grateful that I had them.

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama will call on Republican lawmakers to stop blocking an extension of unemployment benefits as the Senate prepares to take up the issue again this week.

A White House official says Obama will have “strong words” for Republicans when he delivers remarks Monday in the Rose Garden. Obama will argue that the GOP shouldn’t be calling for tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans while denying benefits to the unemployed.

Benefits for 2.5 million people ran out at the end of May. Republicans say they will only support an extension if the bill is paid for and doesn’t add to the national debt.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview the president’s remarks.

“A liability carrier that lost its bid to refuse to defend claims over a mercury-contaminated day care center must pay its insureds $208,000 in legal fees. The $208,748 award, ordered Tuesday by US District Judge Jerome Simandle, reflects a 35 percent enhancement on a $153,750 lodestar, based largely on the risk that the insureds’ lawyer, who took the coverage case on a contingency basis, would not get paid. The case, Baughman v. US Liability Insurance Co., 08-cv-2901, was risky because the carrier had a reasonable basis to refuse coverage in light of the novel legal issues raised – such as whether exposure to indoor mercury contamination was ‘traditional environmental pollution,’ whether medical monitoring constituted ‘damages’ and whether exposure to harmful substances comprises ‘bodily injury’ – Simandle said.”

Well, summer is upon us and that means warmer temperatures and some real hot days ahead. This means millions of California motorists will be heading to recreational areas such as parks and beaches. With all the motorists heading for weekends of fun, they will be towing their summer toys, such as boats, wave runners and travel trailers.

I would like to remind all of you who may be towing any of these recreational vehicles (toys) that you are required to be at a certain speed and in certain lanes of the highway. California Vehicle Code section 22406 designates several types of motor vehicles which may not be driven in excess of 55 mph. Among these vehicles are “any motortruck (pickup truck) … drawing any other vehicle” and “a passenger vehicle or bus drawing any other vehicle.” In plain English, this section tells you that if you are towing something, you are not allowed to exceed 55 mph under any circumstances.

California Vehicle Code section 22348(c) refers to section 22406 and requires a driver towing another vehicle or a trailer to drive in the right-hand lane for traffic or as close as practicable to the right-hand edge or curb, unless a lane is specifically designated by a sign.

For example, if you are towing something on a highway that has three or fewer lanes in one direction (not counting the car-pool

lane), and there are no signs designating specific lanes for vehicles towing trailers; then you must remain in the right lane (No. 3). You may use the No. 2 lane to pass another vehicle, but once the pass has been completed you must return safely to the No. 3 lane.

Keep in mind that even when passing, you are not permitted to exceed 55 mph. If the highway has four or more lanes in one direction, then you may drive in either of the two far right lanes, but you must remain in those lanes.

This section also prohibits towing any vehicle or trailer in the car-pool lane. As with most rules, there are some exceptions; section 22348(c) ends by stating “this subdivision does not apply to a driver who is preparing for a left- or right-hand turn or who is in the process of entering into or exiting from a highway or to a driver who is required necessarily to drive in a lane other than the right-hand lane to continue on his or her intended route.”

Most drivers are accustomed to seeing all the big rigs staying in the right lanes on the highways, but many drivers fail to realize that the same rules apply to them when they tow their “toys.”

The California Highway Patrol realizes that there will be many of you celebrating these summer fun times by drinking alcoholic beverages.

If you decide to celebrate in this manner, please remember that impairment begins with the first drink. The body’s ability to process alcohol depends on many variables. Gender, body weight, number of drinks consumed, and food intake all have an effect on the body and the way it handles alcohol. The clear and simple message is: “Don’t Drink and Drive.” If you decide to drink, designate a driver, call a cab, or call someone you trust (who has not been drinking) to pick you up.

July 12 – BP Plc may stop the flow of crude from its leaking Gulf of Mexico well, source of the biggest oil spill in U.S. history, beginning with a pressure test today.

BP plans to bolt a 40-foot (12-meter) stack of valves atop the well today and stop the flow for 48 hours as a test, Doug Suttles, chief operating officer for exploration and production, told reporters today on a conference call. If the plan works, the valves will keep oil from leaking until the well can be plugged with cement next month, he said. Should the test fail, BP will resume piping oil to ships on the surface.

BP’s Macondo well has been spewing into the ocean as much as 60,000 barrels of oil a day, according to a government estimate, since an April 20 drilling-rig explosion that killed 11 workers. The new cap has pressure-monitoring equipment that wasn’t available in May, when BP abandoned an effort to seal the well from above, company spokesman Bill Salvin said. “We need to know what the pressure is inside that cap to know what our next steps are, whether we can shut it in or will have to produce oil to keep the pressure off,” National Incident Commander Thad Allen said today in a CNN interview.

BP and the U.S. government quit trying to stop the leak on May 29, after a so-called top-kill technique in which drilling mud was injected into the well failed. Allen said the concern then was that the well bore might be damaged and that, absent pressure monitoring, operators wouldn’t know if shutting the valves forced crude to gush out uncontrolled. BP then focused on capturing oil and piping it to vessels on the surface.

The new cap contains three large valves, or rams, like those used in blowout preventers, which oil and gas drillers use to halt unexpected surges in pressure, Salvin said. The Macondo well’s blowout preventer failed, BP Senior Vice President Kent Wells told a presidential commission investigating the disaster.

The well can be shut if it withstands the expected pressure once the valves on the new cap are closed, Suttles said. Pressure lower than expected would suggest leakage in the well bore, indicating BP should continue to let oil flow to ships on the surface for processing, he said. BP and Obama administration officials will make that decision, he said.

Underwater robots are bolting in place a transitional fitting that was placed atop the well overnight, Suttles said. BP’s “confidence is growing” that it can control the well because installing the fitting gave engineers the “most concern” before starting the job, he said.

“We remain on track to have the sealing cap in place within four to seven days,” Suttles said. “We’re on day three.”

The remaining portion of the cap installation is relatively easy, said Les Ply, a retired consultant on drilling and plugging wells. The remaining work involves attaching equipment that was tested at the surface, which should be less difficult than earlier stages in which BP had to install parts that had been on the seafloor, he said.

BP began capturing oil and natural gas from the well and piping it to vessels on the surface last month. The company said today it has spent $3.5 billion on the spill, including oil and gas containment, cleanup and damage claims.

BP rose as much as 10 percent in U.K. trading after a report in the Sunday Times of London said Exxon Mobil Corp. may consider a takeover bid for the company.

Even if the new stack of valves stops the Gulf oil leak, BP said it will need to finish drilling an intercept well to permanently plug Macondo with cement. The first of two relief wells, started May 2, is on schedule to intercept the leaking well by the end of July, Suttles said. Plugging it may take until mid-August, he said.

Macondo is unsuitable for production because it blew out before it was completed, BP said. The company plans to abandon the well after plugging it.

Source: Bloomberg Weekly