In brief: Firefighters gaining on Boulder wildfire

Boulder, Colo. – A wildfire in Colorado that destroyed at least 169 homes and drove thousands of people from their homes near Boulder was roughly 50 percent contained Friday.

Fire officials said late Friday the high winds that prompted Boulder authorities to warn residents in some parts of the city to be ready to flee had died down. Firefighters had dug containment lines around 56 percent of the fire, up from about 30 percent earlier in the day.

About 2,000 people were cleared to return to their home Friday, but at least 1,000 are still waiting. Their homes are in areas scorched by the 10-square-mile blaze that started Monday.

The fire’s cause is under investigation.

Swap preserves Valley Forge land

Philadelphia – A land swap that will bring a Revolutionary War museum to Philadelphia and preserve 78 acres of land at nearby Valley Forge was heralded as a victory by those on both sides of what had been a contentious battle over the historic battlefield.

Under the agreement signed at a formal ceremony Friday afternoon, the National Park Service will hand over a site near Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, Liberty Bell and other landmarks to the American Revolution Center. In exchange, the Revolution Center will turn over 78 acres in Valley Forge to the National Park Service.

“It took many hands, many years and a tortuous trail for us to be here today,” said cable TV mogul and philanthropist H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest, chairman of the American Revolution Center. He praised the cooperation of city, state, federal and the center’s board to make the land exchange a reality.