WASHINGTON

WORKERS MARCH IN D.C. FOR HEALTH CARE Hundreds of workers gathered at the Lincoln Memorial yesterday to demand health care, better wages, guaranteed Social Security benefits, and an end to the war in Iraq.

Many of the longshoremen, transit workers, carpenters, and mail carriers carried signs saying “Bush lied, thousands died,” “More money for jobs, not war,” and others. In the decidedly anti-President Bush atmosphere, some wore T-shirts and badges advocating the election of Democrat John Kerry or Reform Party candidate Ralph Nader. Organizers had billed the gathering as the “Million Worker March” and had obtained a permit for a gathering of more than 100,000 on the National Mall. The turnout was much smaller, but U.S. Park Police has not made official crowd estimates since a furor arose in 1995 over its estimate of 400,000 at the “Million Man March” sponsored by the Nation of Islam.

Standing on the Lincoln Memorial steps where his father delivered his “I have a dream” speech in 1963, Martin Luther King III told the crowd that civil rights workers and anti-war activists must come together in common cause.

“Our most important step that we can take is the short step to the ballot box,” Mr. King said. “We must vote like we never have before.”

– Associated Press

A SEA CHANGE FOR WOMEN IN UNIFORM AS NAVY CHANGES DRESS CODE

The U.S. Navy is getting a 21st century makeover, with a new dress code that makes skirts optional for its more than 54,000 female sailors for the first time since women officially entered the service in 1908.

Women can still choose to wear skirts, which come in colors that vary according to rank and sometimes the season. But until the new rules went into effect this month, they had to maintain skirts in their sea bags and could be ordered to wear them for special events such as change-of-command and retirement ceremonies.

The revamped skirt policy is one of several new changes to the dress code recommended after a survey of more than 40,000 sailors. As a result, all sailors in working uniform can now wear cell phones and carry garment bags over their shoulders. Women can also ditch their military purses – boxy and widely unpopular “granny bags” – and purchase more stylish replacements from department stores.

“They are really commonsense, practical changes that are in line with the Navy of the 21st century,” said a spokeswoman for Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Terry Scott, Lisa Mikoliczyk.

– Associated Press

NORTHEAST

I-95 OPENS AFTER 90 VEHICLES CRASH IN MARYLAND

WHITE MARSH, Md. – Traffic resumed flowing smoothly on Interstate 95 yesterday, a day after more than 90 vehicles crashed in a string of collisions apparently triggered by a blinding storm. The sudden, fast-moving storm dumped hail and rain along an 11-mile stretch of the highway, one of the busiest on the East Coast. No deaths were reported, but authorities said 50 people were injured, some seriously, in 17 separate accidents involving 92 vehicles in suburban Baltimore.

The wrecks started happening about 4:30 p.m. Saturday, apparently triggered by sunlight shining off hail.

A section of I-95 was closed in both directions, but authorities reopened all lanes late Saturday night. Traffic was moving smoothly by yesterday morning, said a Maryland State Police spokesman, Major Greg Shipley. Maryland State Police Corporal Rob Moroney said the pileup was worse than an 89-car pileup last year on Interstate 68 in western Maryland.

“It’s just unbelievable,” Corporal Moroney said. “Amazingly, amazingly, so far, we have no fatalities.”

– Associated Press