Gwinnett Daily Post

Gulf Coast watches, waits for oil spill path

NEW ORLEANS -- Cleanup and containment of a massive oil slick resumed Tuesday as winds eased in the Gulf of Mexico and people along beaches and bayous waited to find out just how badly it might damage the delicate coast.

So far only sheens have reached some coastal waters. The oil has lingered in the Gulf for two weeks, despite an uncapped seafloor gusher. The slow movement has given crews and volunteers time to lay boom in front of shorelines, an effort stymied by choppy seas over the weekend.

Mummified baby corpse missing from grave site

CONCORD, N.H. -- The mummified body of a baby, kept by a family for nearly a century before a judge ordered the remains to be buried, has been removed from a cemetery, Concord police said Tuesday.

A cemetery visitor on Monday reported that a grave appeared to have been unearthed, police Sgt. John Thomas said. The corpse of ''Baby John'' has not been recovered, he said.

The mummified body had been kept for years by Charles Peavey. The family had kept the mummy for 80 to 90 years and considered it a family heirloom.

Affidavit: Player shook, hit victim repeatedly

CHARLOTTES-VILLE, Va. -- A Virginia lacrosse player suspected of killing a member of the women's team told police he shook her and hit her head repeatedly against a wall, according to a court document in the case.

An affidavit filed with a search warrant said police found Yeardley Love, 22, face down in her bedroom early Monday with a pool of blood on her pillow, a large bruise on her face and one eye swollen shut. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said the suspect, George Huguely, told them he had an altercation with Love and had kicked in her bedroom door.

Rescuers pray for no more victims in floods

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The dark waters of the Cumberland River slowly started to ebb Tuesday as residents who frantically fled the deadly flash floods returned home to find mud-caked floors and soggy furniture. Rescuers prayed they would not find more bodies as the floodwaters receded.

The river and its tributaries had flooded parts of middle Tennessee after a record-breaking weekend storm dumped more than a foot of rain in two days, rapidly spilling water into homes, roads and some of Music City's best-known attractions.

At least 29 people were killed in Tennessee, Mississippi and Kentucky by either floodwaters or tornadoes.

Water submerged parts of the Grand Ole Opry House, considered by many to be the heart of country music, and the nearby Opryland Hotel could be closed for up to six months.

Tumbling stocks, stronger dollar drive down oil

Oil prices tumbled below $83 a barrel Tuesday on a stronger dollar and a falling stock market as investors worried about the ongoing European financial crisis.

After setting an 18-month high during trading Monday, benchmark crude for June delivery fell $3.45, or 4 percent, to settle at $82.74 on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

The decline came as stocks dropped sharply around the world over concerns that European countries would fail to approve a $144 billion bailout package for Greece. That could make it more difficult to rescue a larger country like Spain, which also has financial problems.

Michigan school wins Obama as grad speaker

KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- A school in western Michigan has won a contest to have President Barack Obama make its commencement address this spring.

Kalamazoo Central High School was one of three finalists in the Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge. Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced the winner Tuesday.

The school said Obama will speak June 10.

Judge agrees to delay release of militia members

DETROIT -- Prosecutors won a delay in the release of nine Michigan militia members who had been ordered freed from jail to await trial on a charge of trying to wage war against the government.

U.S. District Judge Victoria Roberts gave prosecutors until 5 p.m. today to declare whether they will appeal a ruling that frees the nine. At that point, the judge will decide whether to further delay their release.

The nine members of the southern Michigan-based Hutaree group were charged in March with conspiracy to commit sedition, or rebellion, against the government and attempted use of weapons of mass destruction.

Prosecutors claim they are too dangerous to be free until trial.