WASHINGTON

ROEMER JOINS RACE FOR DNC CHAIRMAN

A former Democratic congressman, Tim Roemer, said yesterday that he’s joining the race to lead the Democratic National Committee – a move certain to spark a heated debate about the abortion issue. Mr. Roemer, a Catholic who opposes legalized abortion, wants to lead a party that has a platform that currently supports abortion rights.

The former Indiana congressman said he respects the position of the many Democrats who favor abortion rights. He said he’s joining the race not to rewrite the party’s platform, but to instead expand the party both geographically and ideologically. In the last election, “the Democratic Party lost 97 of the 100 fastest-growing counties in the United States. We have four senators, Democrat senators, left in the Deep South,” Mr. Roemer said on ABC’s “This Week.” He said Democrats also have lost ground with Hispanic voters, “churchgoing African-American voters” and Catholics.

Kate Michelman, a leading advocate for abortion rights, said “the election of such a staunchly anti-choice leader would signal that the Democratic Party is retreating from one of its core principles.”

Mr. Roemer joins a field that includes former Texas Rep. Martin Frost; Democratic activists Simon Rosenberg and Donnie Fowler; a former Denver mayor, Wellington Webb, and a former Ohio Democratic Party chairman, David Leland. Howard Dean, a former Democratic presidential candidate, is considering whether to join the race for DNC chairman.

– Associated Press

MIDWEST

THREE DEAD, ONE MISSING AFTER TUGBOAT SINKS

INDUSTRY, Pa. – A tugboat and three barges sank yesterday after being pushed through a dam on the Ohio River by currents made stronger by heavy rains, killing three crew members. One person was missing and believed to be aboard the sunken boat.

Three people were rescued by crews of other tugs and taken to a hospital. Fire crews arriving on the scene determined the swift water was too dangerous to enter, said Chuck Ward, assistant fire chief in Industry.

“The worst thing was, you could see two people in the boat screaming for help” over the rush of the water, Mr. Ward said.

Two of the rescued crew members were treated and released; information was not available for the third. Industry Fire Chief Thomas Llewellyn said no attempts could be made to reach the missing crew member until the water level had receded.

The tug, named the Elizabeth M, was pushing six coal barges, three of which were loaded, north on the river when it went through the lock at the Montgomery Island Dam about 2:30 a.m. After it emerged on the other side, strong currents pushed the boat back against the dam, Chief Llewellyn said.

Officials believe the barges were then pushed by the currents into the tug, forcing it through a gate in the dam, said Richard Lockwood, chief of operations of the Pittsburgh District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The tug sank in the churning water below the dam.

– Associated Press

SOUTH

TWO ARRESTED AFTER FATAL HOSPITAL SHOOTING

MERIDIAN, Miss. – Two people were arrested yesterday in a fatal shooting at a hospital that may have been related to an earlier murder-suicide attempt, police said.

One of the suspects was arrested at Rush Foundation Hospital and the other turned himself in to police, Meridian Police Chief Benjamin Dubose said. Both were expected to be charged today. The man fatally shot at the hospital was the son of a man who Mr. Dubose said shot himself and a woman at a Meridian residence yesterday morning in an apparent murder-suicide attempt. Mr. Dubose said one of the suspects is the woman’s son. The man and woman found at the home did not suffer life-threatening injuries. The murder victim’s name was not immediately released by authorities. Police closed off the hospital for several hours after the shooting to search for the gunmen. The hospital was reopened last night.

– Associated Press

TERRITORIES

SAILOR DIES AFTER NUCLEAR SUBMARINE MISHAP

HONOLULU – A nuclear submarine that ran aground about 350 miles south of Guam, killing one crewman and injuring 23 others, was due back at its home port in Guam today, according to a Navy spokesman.

There were no reports of damage to the reactor plant aboard the USS San Francisco, but the extent of damage to the 360-foot submarine will be determined when it gets to port, said Jonathan Yoshishige, spokesman for the U.S. Pacific Fleet. The vessel was moving under its own power. Officials said they still don’t know what the Los Angeles-class submarine hit Saturday, but Lieutenant Adam Clampitt of the Pacific Fleet said it had been conducting operations under-water at the time. The incident is under investigation, said Mr. Yoshishige.

Navy medical personnel from Guam have been brought aboard the submarine to treat the injuries, which included broken bones, lacerations, bruises, and a back injury, the Navy said. The submarine has a crew of 137.

The name of the sailor who died was being withheld pending a mandatory 24-hour waiting period, the Navy said. The sailor’s next of kin have been notified.

Located west of the international date line, Guam is an American territory about 3,700 miles southwest of Hawaii.

– Associated Press