Nation in brief: Bush optimistic on immigration bill
President Bush, promoting bipartisan immigration talks as they reach a critical stage, said Saturday that Republicans and Democrats are building consensus that could produce a bill this year.
“I am optimistic we can pass a comprehensive immigration bill and get this problem solved for the American people this year,” Bush said in his weekly radio address.
Bush used the address to put pressure on senators as they prepare to hold a vote on the contentious issue next week. Signing an overhaul into law would be viewed as a marquee domestic achievement for the president.
He has dispatched two members of his Cabinet, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, to Capitol Hill for almost daily closed-door meetings with a handful of Republicans and Democrats to cut an immigration deal. The group is eyeing a Tuesday deadline for a compromise.
Avalon, Calif.
Santa Catalina fire mostly contained
Cooler weather aided firefighters Saturday as they battled to surround a 4,200-acre wildfire in the rugged, unpopulated interior of Santa Catalina Island while a nearby resort town, no longer threatened, returned to life.
The fire was about two-thirds contained and was expected to be encircled by Tuesday evening, Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Andrew Olvera said. One home and six businesses burned Thursday but no one had been seriously injured.
Nearly 4,000 evacuated residents had started returning to the island, where damage was estimated at $2.1 million.
Fog and highs in only the 60s diminished the threat of the fire spreading. It was isolated in the back country of the 76-square-mile island, more than 20 miles off the Southern California coast.
The fire appeared to have been ignited by contractors working on antennas at a radio station in the island’s interior.
Jefferson City, Mo.
River’s flood peak lower than feared
The Missouri River neared its highest point in the state’s capital city Saturday after a week of flooding towns upstream, but hydrologists said it wasn’t nearly as bad as feared.
The river reached about 29 feet Saturday morning, some 6 feet above flood stage. That was high enough to flood stretches of the riverside Katy Trail hiking and biking route and some low-lying roads, plus nearly 1,400 acres of farmland.
However, it was short of the predicted 34-foot peak, which could have wiped out many farmers’ crops for the year and inundated the Jefferson City Airport.
Gov. Matt Blunt toured six mid-Missouri counties by helicopter for about an hour to survey flood damage, the second time in a week he has flown around to assess the impact of swollen rivers and streams. Blunt said the worst damage remained the northwest corner of the state, hit earlier in the week, and that overall agriculture losses were the biggest concern.