Van with Amish overturns; 5 dead
A van carrying Amish on an interstate highway veered out of control, overturned and ejected some passengers Sunday, killing five people and injuring 11, authorities said.
Two adults and three children were killed when the southbound van veered onto the grassy median, flipped over and came to rest in the northbound lanes of the highway about 50 miles northeast of Indianapolis, State Police Sgt. Rod Russell said.
No other vehicles were involved in the crash, he said.
It was not clear at first how many people had been riding in the van, as survivors gave conflicting stories of 15, 16 or 17 passengers.
SIOUX CITY, Iowa
City embracing odd airport code
City leaders have scrapped plans to do away with the Sioux Gateway Airport’s unflattering three-letter identifier – SUX – and instead have made it the centerpiece of the airport’s new marketing campaign.
The code, used by pilots and airports worldwide and printed on tickets and luggage tags, will be used on T-shirts and caps sporting the airport’s new slogan, “FLY SUX.”
Airport board member Dave Bernstein proposed embracing the identifier.
“Let’s make the best of it,” Bernstein said. “I think we have the opportunity to turn it into a positive.”
He noted that many airports, including some of the busiest, have forgettable three-letter codes.
PHILADELPHIA
Sudoku champ a familiar face
When it comes to sudoku, 7 and 9 are the numbers to beat.
Thomas Snyder took seven minutes and nine seconds to solve an advanced puzzle to win the first Philadelphia Inquirer National Sudoku Championship on Saturday.
Snyder, 27, of Palo Alto, Calif., won the $10,000 prize and a spot on the six-person U.S. World Sudoku Team, which will compete in the third annual World Sudoku Championship next year in Goa, India.
Snyder is the current world champion, having won the second world competition, held in the spring in Prague.
The tournament, hosted by New York Times crossword editor Will Shortz, attracted 857 contestants and 302 spectators, ranging in age from 6 to 87.