8A
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2006
CRIME
St. Louis named No.1 most dangerous city in U.S.
BY CHRISTOPHER LEONARD
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ST. LOUIS - Just days after the St. Louis Cardinals won the top honor in Major League Baseball, their hometown jumped to first place on a list no one wants to lead: the most dangerous cities in the United States.
This Midwestern city has long been in the upper tiers of the annual ranking of the nation's safest and most dangerous cities, compiled by
Morgan Quitno Press. Violent crime surged nearly 20 percent there this year, when the rate of such crimes rose much faster in the Midwest than in the rest of nation, according to FBI figures released in June.
The ranking, being released Monday, came as the city was still celebrating Friday's World Series victory at the new Busch Stadium. St. Louis has been spending millions of dollars on urban renewal even as the crime rate climbs.
Mavor Francis Slav did not return
calls seeking comment Sunday.
Scott Morgan, president of Morgan Quitno Press, a private research and publishing company specializing in state and city reference books, said he was not surprised to see St. Louis top the list, since it has been among the 10 most dangerous cities for years.
Morgan said the study looks at crime only within St. Louis city limits, with a population of about 330,000. It doesn't take into account the suburbs in St. Louis County,
which has roughly 980,000 residents.
The safest city in 2005 was Brick, N.J., population about 78,000, followed by Amherst, N.Y. and Mission Viejo, Calif. The second most dangerous city was Detroit, followed by Flint, Mich., and Compton, Calif.
The national FBI figures released in June showed the murder rate in St. Louis jumped 16 percent in 2005, compared with 4.8 percent nationally. The overall violent crime rate increased nearly 20 percent, compared with 2.5 percent nationally.
While crime increased in all regions last year, the 5.7 percent rise in the 12 Midwestern states was at least three times higher than any other region, according to the FBI.
Visiting St. Louis on Thursday, FBI director Robert Mueller said it was too early to tell why some types of crime were rising faster in the Midwest.
Mueller said the FBI is working harder to form partnerships with police departments to launch programs like St. Louis' Safe Streets task force, which focuses police efforts on problematic neighborhoods.
This year's ranking was good news for Camden, N.J., which in 2005 was named the most dangerous city for the second year in a row.
Camden Mayor Gwendolyn Faison said Sunday she was thrilled to learn that her city no longer topped the most-dangerous list.
"You made my day!" said Faison, who has served since 2000. "There's a new hope and a new spirit."
Lili Arroyo, 76, stands looking at what is left of home her home, a small trailer that burned to the ground Thursday, during the Esperanza Fire in the mountain community south of Banning, Calif., Saturday.
FIRE
California evacuees return home, firefighters continue to battle blaze
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Brett Snow/ASSOCIATED PRESS
TWIN PINES, Calif. - While crews made progress on a wildfire that killed four firefighters, evacuees began returning to their homes
often to find nothing left.
Carol Hurley stood Saturday at the still-smoldering wreckage of a neighbor's house but was unable to bear the sight of what was left of her own lopsided home.
"I'm not ready to see it," said Hurley, 68. "I just want to remember it like it was."
Three of her children and a grandson dug through piles of concrete in search of jewelry and other valuables, but found little more than a blackened fork and knife and remnants of her china.
Nearby, other homes were burnt to the foundation.
"There's nothing left, just a couple of walls and rubble," said Oscar Pineiro, 52, who had returned to his home with his wife.
Fire officials said 34 homes and 29 other buildings have been destroyed in the fire that broke out early Thursday in uninhabited brushland about 90 miles east of Los Angeles.
Evacuation orders remained in effect for about 500 homes in Poppet
Flat and Twin Pines. Residents were allowed back in Saturday for several hours to retrieve personal items and feed or remove animals.
Meanwhile, firefighters launched an aggressive aerial attack on the 63-
square-mile conflagration as Santa Ana winds dissipated, and the mother of one of the firefighters killed in the blaze that authorities blamed on arsonists urged those who set it to turn themselves in.
Bonnie McKay, whose son Jason,
27, died Thursday. "Don't let the
remorse eat you alive. Come forward.
... I for one will try not to
judge you."
Fire crews took advantage of calm weather, using a fleet of helicopters and airplanes, including a DC-10 jumbo jet, to drop water and retardant on flames.
"I firmly believe you didn't believe that things were going to turn out the way they did, but they did," said
They expected to get an even bigger boost Sunday with temperatures forecast to drop into the 70s.
Scott McLean, spokesman for the California Department of Forestry, said the southeastern flank was threatening to spread to Black Mountain, a steep mountainous forest that would be difficult for firefighters to access.
Still, forestry officials worried about the fire spreading in one area.
Firefighters planned to focus on the south side of the fire Sunday to prevent any spread toward small communities including Soboba Hot Springs and San Jacinto.
The 40,450-acre blaze was 60 percent contained, three days after blowtorch gusts overran a U.S. Forest Service crew, killing four of its members and leaving a fifth clinging to life with burns over most of his body.
Firefighter Pablo Cerda, 23, was in critical condition late Saturday at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center after surgery Friday to remove damaged skin.
Investigators combed the area Saturday, looking for clues on how the fire engulfed the men so quickly. They also interviewed firefighters who were nearby when it happened.
The north side of the fire, paralleling Interstate 10, was considered well-contained. On the west flank, Highway 79 was reopened after firefighters stopped the fire's advance in that direction.
The fire was set at the base of a slope in the city of Cabazon. Residents say they saw two young men leaving the scene. Authorities declared the fire arson within hours of its start but have withheld details of any evidence they have.
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