New York: Millions of tires burn after explosion at dump

Firefighters battled a wind-whipped blaze that burned millions of tires Sunday at an illegal tire dump in Waterford.

No injuries were reported in the fire, which began at around 8:15 p.m. Saturday with a powerful explosion and a large ball of flame, residents said.

“It shook the whole house and scared us to death,” neighbor Dan Nettle said. “I’ve dreaded this for years, looking at that mountain of tires over there.”

By noon Sunday, black plumes could be seen a mile away, but firefighters said they had prevented the fire from spreading. Occasional explosions came from drums containing unknown liquids.

The cause of the blaze was under investigation.

Massachusetts: Sheriff to charge inmates for cells, meals

Available immediately: room, bed and three meals a day for $5. Checkout time: none.

Bristol County Sheriff Tom Hodgson has a new money-saving plan of making prisoners pay for their meals and a cot in the jail in New Bedford.

“If they’ve got money to buy things from the canteen, they have money to pay their own way,” Hodgson said. “Inmates need to learn responsibility. They have to be accountable just like everyone else. They shouldn’t be inflation- or recession-free.”

Inmates advocates have been harshly critical of Hodgson for some of his other measures, such as restoring chain gangs, and charging inmates for haircuts, medical care and transportation.

The $5-a-day room and board would be deducted automatically from an inmate’s account. When an inmate is sentenced to a jail in Bristol County, Hodgson said, any money they have goes into a jail account that they do not control until their sentence is complete.

Indigent inmates would not have to pay.

Chicago: Blood-pressure study cites alcohol benefit

Women who have a few alcoholic drinks a week have an almost 15 percent lower chance of developing high blood pressure than teetotalers, new research shows.

However, the study also found that consuming more than about 1 1/2 drinks daily increases the high blood pressure risk by 30 percent compared with nondrinkers. The increased risk was associated equally with wine, beer and hard liquor.

The reduced risk among light drinkers appeared strongest with beer, though more research is needed to clarify whether the type of drink really makes a difference, said the authors, led by Dr. Ravi Thadhani of Harvard University Medical School.

Exercise and reducing salt intake are other ways to control blood pressure.

New Jersey: Early SAT scores available on Web

High school students can end the nerve-racking wait for SAT scores a week early, but it will cost them.

Students who used the Internet to register for the college-entrance exam received an e-mail two weeks after the test telling them scores were available online immediately for a $13 fee.

If the students waited another eight days, they could access their scores for free by mail or computer.

The exam’s New York-based owner, the College Board, said the service is one more way to lessen the anxiety for test-takers. For years, students have been able to get early test scores by phone for $13.

Critics say the service makes money off students’ anxieties.

“They want to know what their scores are, and they want to know them quickly to determine whether they should take it again. It’s using that anxiety as a profit center,” said Bob Schaeffer, public education director for The National Center for Fair & Open Testing.