In brief: Runaway truck hits house; kills 3

Santa Barbara, Calif. – A runaway truck hauling tons of gravel flew off an embankment Tuesday and crushed a home, killing a man, a woman and a child inside, authorities said.

The truck’s brakes might have failed as it careened along State Highway 154 and through two intersections, then hit two parked cars before plunging down a driveway onto the house.

The truck driver, Joaquin Garcia Morales, had just collected a load of gravel from a nearby rock quarry.

Witnesses reported seeing smoke billowing from under the truck as it headed downhill on Highway 154 and reached 50 mph.

Morales managed to avoid a motel and steered the truck into a side street before crashing.

Tolerance at risk, says archbishop

New York – The tense climate around a proposal for an Islamic community center and mosque near ground zero could put New Yorkers in danger of losing their sense of tolerance and unity, values they embraced in the days after Sept. 11, the leader of the area’s Roman Catholics said Tuesday.

“We’re just a little bit apprehensive that these noble values may be a bit at risk in this way the conversation and debate about the site of the mosque is taking place,” Archbishop Timothy Dolan said after a meeting with Gov. David Paterson about the issue.

Critics say the building is too close to where Islamic extremists destroyed the World Trade Center in 2001 and killed nearly 2,800 people. Supporters say religious freedom should be protected. Dolan said both sides have legitimate stances.

“I sure don’t have strong feelings on where the mosque should ultimately be,” he said during a brief news conference after meeting with the governor.