Maryland

Flooding kills two along Eastern Seaboard

A storm system plowed through the central Appalachians and drenched the Eastern Seaboard on Wednesday, causing flooding that killed at least two people, left dozens stranded and forced others to flee their homes.

In Maryland, a boy drowned in a rain-swollen creek and three construction workers were caught in floodwaters while working on a storm drain, killing at least one, authorities said. Another was missing and presumed dead.

Schools were closed in parts of West Virginia and North Carolina, but more than 250 students became stranded by high water at three West Virginia schools and prepared to bed down there for the night.

Up to 8 inches of rain fell in northwestern North Carolina. About 4 inches fell in 24 hours in parts of West Virginia, and an additional 4 inches was possible today, the National Weather Service said.

California

Activist admits damage to power line towers

A peace activist pleaded guilty Wednesday to tampering with high-voltage power line towers in what he has said was an effort to draw attention to lax security for the nation’s energy infrastructure.

Michael Devlyn Poulin, 62, of Spokane, Wash., admitted damaging or attempting to damage more than 20 towers last month in California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. Bolts were loosened or taken from the legs of the steel towers.

In an agreement with prosecutors, he entered his pleas before U.S. District Judge William Shubb in only two incidents near Anderson, and Klamath Falls, Ore. In return, prosecutors will recommend a sentence of 27 months, against a maximum of 10 years, and he will not be prosecuted in Idaho or Washington. No sentencing date was set.

Washington, D.C.

Scientists, parents join to fight autism

The government has developed a broad, decadelong research plan to help fight autism, including hunting genetic causes of the complex brain disorder and providing better educational services for children who have it.

Aiding the work will be a research partnership between government scientists and a parents group, the National Alliance for Autism Research.

The alliance, for several years, has been gathering databases of affected families for both the gene hunt and separate research to find ways to diagnose autism earlier. National Institutes of Health scientists will work with the group on those projects instead of having to start similar ones from scratch.

Autism is a neurological disorder featuring a wide range of symptoms, from mild to severe, that include problems communicating and with social interaction. Some studies suggest it might affect at least 40 per 10,000 U.S. children.

North Carolina

Teacher suspended for sickening exercise

A high school teacher was suspended for a classroom experiment that caused several students to vomit after drinking large amounts of milk.

Jeff Ferguson, a chemistry and physics teacher at Smithfield-Selma High School, organized the experiment last week to test the body’s ability to neutralize acids in milk.

It was intended to show the body can handle only so much before a natural reaction occurs and the person vomits. Out of 42 students in two classes, at least five did just that.

On Wednesday, Ferguson failed to persuade a judge to let him return to the classroom. He wanted a temporary restraining order lifted so that he could return to help his students prepare for end-of-semester exams, but Superior Court Judge Knox Jenkins denied his request.

Ferguson’s attorney, Lamar Armstrong, said students were not required to participate in the experiment, and had receptacles in case they became ill.