■ United States
Country singer killed
An up-and-coming country singer was struck and killed as he walked along a Texas interstate service road, and the driver is being held on an intoxicated manslaughter charge, officials said. Buck Jones, who released an album called Lucky Star in 2005, was struck from behind early Saturday off Interstate 30, authorities said on Sunday. Jones, 33, of Nashville, Tennessee, had blown a tire and was looking for a mile marker so road assistance crews could find him, promoter and co-producer Billy Block said in a statement.
■ United States
Bald eagles nest in city
Wildlife authorities have found the first bald eagle nest in Philadelphia in more than 200 years and hope the occupants will produce offspring, Pennsylvania officials said. The nest "demonstrates the resilience of this species and its apparent growing tolerance to human activity," Dan Brauning, a supervisor with the state Game Commission, said in a statement on Friday. Officials are not disclosing the nest's exact location, to avoid disturbing it, but it is being closely monitored, the commission said.
■ United States
Nude ecological protest
Scores of protesters shed their clothes and hugged trees in a bid to save a grove of oak trees slated to be chopped down to make way for new buildings on the University of California, Berkeley campus. On Saturday, 78 bare-bottomed activists -- some first-time nudists, others lifelong exhibitionists -- joined a half-dozen protesters who have been living in the trees since December. University administrators want to cut down more than 30 oaks near Memorial Stadium to make way for a US$125 million sports training facility. After activist groups sued to halt the project, a preliminary injunction was issued by a judge on Jan. 29 that prevents the university from breaking ground or removing any trees. A trial is expected later this year. "This is an activity I am proud to support," said Debbie Moore, cofounder of a local nude theater troupe called the X-plicit Players. "Besides, I never turn down a chance to take off my clothes."
■ United States
Jail protest ends peacefully
More than 100 inmates awaiting federal immigration hearings staged a peaceful protest to complain about conditions in their New Jersey jail and ended it hours later, satisfied. Monmouth County undersheriff Ted Freeman said 132 inmates on Sunday refused to eat or participate in activities because they wanted, among other things, more food and Spanish-speaking officers, and for a TV set to be fixed. "The warden has been meeting with them all day, and their concerns have been met," Freeman said. He did not expect food servings to change, saying all inmates get three meals a day. And while the TV had been replaced, Freeman said he did not know how the request for more Spanish-speaking officers would be resolved.
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