New York City

Poll shows support for televised executions

Three in 10 Americans polled last month said that Osama bin Laden should be the first victim if executions were televised — and 21 percent said they’d pay for the privilege.

Eighteen percent said Saddam Hussein should be executed on TV, and 11 percent said they’d pay to watch it.

One-third of the respondents said they didn’t believe executions should be televised.

Harris Interactive interviewed 1,017 Americans aged 18 or older at random Jan. 24-26. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

Texas

Highly contagious strain of bird flu discovered

A strain of avian influenza found on a Texas chicken farm is far more dangerous to poultry than originally thought and has spread to live bird markets in Houston, federal officials said Monday.

However, the flu is not the same strain that has killed at least 22 people in Asia, said Dr. Ron DeHaven of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The highly contagious strain, found in Gonzales County in South Texas, poses little threat to people, said Dr. Nancy Cox of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

On Friday, state officials said the outbreak was a low-pathogenic version of bird flu, meaning it posed little risk to humans and only low risk to chickens. However, it was reclassified as high-pathogenic after genetic testing, DeHaven said.

The name and location of the chicken farm wasn’t revealed. The farm’s flock was destroyed during the weekend but birds from that flock already had been sent to two live bird markets in Houston, DeHaven said.

California

Rain delays flights, triggers car crashes

Heavy rain flooded roads and caused mudslides in Southern California, contributing to hundreds of traffic accidents and delaying airline flights at major airports.

“There’s lots and lots of crashes,” said Phil Konstantin, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol’s San Diego area. He said the downpour Sunday washed mud and rocks onto roads near areas denuded by last year’s wildfires.

Three people have died in separate collisions since the storm arrived Friday, officials said.

Rainfall totals included 1.49 inches in 24 hours at Los Angeles International Airport and 1.14 inches in San Diego. Another storm system is expected late today.