I -NATION/WORLD Changes in weather fuel Calif. wild fires LAKE ARROWHEAD, Calif. (AP) - Firefighters struggled desperately yesterday to save emptied-out resort towns in Southern California's San Bernardino Mountains as 200-foot walls of flame engulfed dead and dried-out trees. In San Diego County, the state's largest fire claimed another victim when a firefighting crew was over- come by flames, killing one and injur- ing three. It marked the first firefighter death since the series of blazes began last week. "It just swept right over them. They probably didn't have time to get out of the way," San Diego County Sheriff's Sgt. Conrad Grayson said. The death toll later reached 20 after authorities said two people were found dead yesterday on an Indian reserva- tion as the result of the same fire. In the San Bernardino Mountains east of Los Angeles, the hot, dry Santa Ana winds from the desert that had been whipping the fires into raging infernos eased yesterday. But they gave way to stiff breezes off the ocean that pushed the flames up the canyon walls around evacuated mountain enclaves like Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear - towns that are among Southern Cali- fornia's most popular mountain play- grounds. By early afternoon, homes were burning in the mountain community of CedarPines Park. The flames were expected to hit the town of Running Springs after crews weren't able to set backfires along a highway to pro- tect the town. The fires also swept over mountain tops, forcing evacua- tions in parts of the high desert town of Hesperia. "There's fire on so many fronts, it's not even manageable at this point," said Chris Cade, a fire prevention tech- nician with the U.S. Forest Service, as he watched a pillar of smoke he esti- mated at 9,000 feet rise into a hazy sky thick with ash. "I am at a loss what you can do about it." The fires have burned more than 620,000 acres and destroyed 2,100 homes. More than 12,000 firefighters and support crew were fighting what Gov. Gray Davis said may be the worst and costliest disaster California has ever faced. He estimated the cost at $2 billion so far. The fires burned in a broken are across Southern California, from Ven- tura County east to Los Angeles Coun- ty and the San Bernardino Mountains and south to San Diego County. About 100 fire engines encircled the historic mining town of Julian in the mountains of eastern San Diego Coun- ty, hoping to save the popular weekend getaway community renowned for its vineyards and apple orchards. However, some two dozen engines and water tenders that were headed to Julian were forced to turn back when flames swept over a highway. And as the winds picked up, floating embers sparked spot fires near the town of 3,500, forcing some crews to retreat. South of Julian, about 90 percent of the homes had been destroyed in Cuyamaca, a lakeside town of about 160 residents. Charred cows lay by the side of the road and houses were reduced to little more than stone entryways. "Everything's kind of happening all at once. These fires are trying really hard to tie in with each other," said Bill Bourbeau, a forest safety officer for the Cleveland National Forest. "It's tremendous." FOOD FOR THOUGHT Manipulating Opinion In 1969, alarmed at the success of Richard Nixon's Vietnamization policy, the NLF and "Alliance" formed the PRG, or Provisional Revolutionary Government "to enhance our claim of representing the Southern people, giving the peace movement additional ammunition." P. 146, A Viet Con Memoir. The protestorsfe I or it. Gary Lillie & Assoc., Realtors www.garylillie.com WASHINGTON (AP) 'j. / Congress reaches deal on aid package Congressional negotiators agreed yesterday on an $87.5 billion aid package for Iraq and Afghanistan that meets a White House demand that none of the money be provided as loans. Despite rising criticism in Congress over the handling of the war, the package worked out by House-Senate negotiators largely resembles the proposal submitted by President Bush. The House and Senate are expected to act quickly to give the bill final approval before it goes to Bush for his signature. But both Republicans and Democrats expressed frustration over what they described as the White House's disdainful treatment of Congress on Iraq. "You bump up to a degree of arrogance over and over," said Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va. Rep. David Obey of Wisconsin, the top Democrat on the House Appropria- tions Committee, said "it is an act of considerable statesmanship for a lot of peo- ple in this place to continue to support what the president is trying to do in Iraq given the smidgen of information we're getting in return." But Republicans, including Wolf, rejected a Democratic proposal that would have required Senate confirmation for Bush's civilian administrator in Iraq, the position held by L. Paul Bremer. Sen. Pete Domenici ( R-N.M.) rejected Democratic claims that this would make the administration more accountable. 4 DENVER Solar storm nears earth, disrupts airlines The most powerful geomagnetic storm possible walloped the Earth early yesterday, knocking out some airline communications but apparently causing no large power outages or other major problems. The storm, the most disruptive to hit Earth since 1989, was unleashed by the fourth-most powerful solar flare ever seen, NASA said. The gigantic cloud of highly charged particles hurled from the sun posed a threat to electric utilities, high frequency radio communications, satellite navigation systems and television broadcasts. Continued turbulence on the sun remains a concern for the next week, space forecasters say. The biggest immediate effect was the blackout of high-frequency voice-radio com- munications for planes flying far northern routes. But airliners in an emergency could still communicate through VHF contact with another aircraft or military monitoring station, said Louis Gameau, a spokesman for the company that handles Canada's civil aviation navigation service. British controllers were keeping trans-Atlantic jets on more southerly routes than DALLAS (AP) Bush renews push for faith-based initatives In a speech replete with references to "miracles" and a "higher power bigger than people's problems," President Bush yesterday renewed his push to let reli- gious groups compete for government money. "The best way to help the addict ... is to change their heart," Bush said in a reference to how he stopped drinking at age 40. "See, if you change their heart, then they change their behavior. "I know!" Bush said, thrusting a finger into the air. Bush spoke to a packed audi- torium at the Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship here where several hundred, mostly black, parishioners sang and swayed to gospel music and chanted "U.S.A. U.S.A." when the president walked in. There to dedicate a new youth educa- tion center for Operation Turnaround, a job, literacy and social services program, Bush called for legislation that would give religious groups access to federal funds as long as their services are avail- able to anyone. SAN FRANSICO Gov.-elect readies for energy deregulation No stranger to sequels, Gov.-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger hopes to sell California on the virtues of electricity deregulation again, despite the fiasco the first time around. The action hero's energy advisers say they will bring a fresh approach to dereg- ulation this time, avoiding the mistakes that led to rolling blackouts, insolvent utilities, market manipulation and a $20 billion debt that customers will spend the next decade repaying. "We have a system that is broken, with pieces laying on the ground that need to be picked up and put back together again," said James Sweeney, a Stanford University professor. SANFORD, Maine Casino could tarnish L.L. Bean's image Maine voters will decide next week whether to allow two Indian tribes to build the state's first casino, a colossal $650 million project that opponents say will spoil Maine's L.L. Bean image of spruce woods, lobster shacks and light- houses. The clash has casino backers and opponents spending a record amount for any ballot measure in Maine history: $6.8 million as of the end of September, and perhaps as much as $10 million by the time Election Day arrives Tuesday. If voters approve, the Passamaquoddy and Penobscot tribes will develop the casino in southern Maine. - Compiled from Daily wire reports. 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