Virginia: UNC awaits ruling on Quran discussions

Lawyers for the University of North Carolina told an appeals court Saturday that students would be deprived of free-speech rights if the court banned discussions of a book on the Muslim holy text, the Quran.

Three incoming freshmen and a conservative Christian group sued the school last month over the summer reading assignment. A federal judge rejected their lawsuit Thursday and said the assignment did not promote religion.

The Family Policy Network appealed and asked the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond to stop the book discussions. The court was expected to rule before the discussions begin Monday.

New York: Human bone found near twin towers site

A construction worker found a human bone on a rooftop two blocks from the site of the World Trade Center, police said.

The bone found Friday may have been thrown onto the building by the force of the explosions and collapse of the trade center towers in the Sept. 11 attacks.

The bone appeared to be from a woman’s pelvis, investigators said. It was taken to the city’s Medical Examiner’s Office to be analyzed.

Washington: Evacuation plan targets federal workers

The Bush administration reportedly has approved a plan designed to initiate an evacuation of the nation’s more than 2 million federal workers within 15 minutes if there is a broad attack or threat from nuclear, chemical or biological weapons.

Under the plan, the heads of the Office of Personnel Management, Federal Emergency Management Agency and General Services Administration may release up to 350,000 federal workers in the Washington area and 1.8 million nationwide if a threat is confirmed, The Washington Post reported in Saturday editions.