Washington

Town where mad cow lived rallies around beef

As the government began a weeklong round of cattle-killing in response to a mad-cow case in Mabton, hundreds of residents crammed into a school gymnasium Saturday to show their support for the beef industry.

About 350 people attended a rally that featured booths offering literature about mad cow disease and T-shirts encouraging people to eat beef. Many more stopped by for free food; organizers gave away ribs, hot dogs and more than 1,000 hamburgers.

Also Saturday, nine cows arrived at a slaughterhouse in Wilbur, Wash. — the first of 129 from the Sunny Dene ranch being killed because they are believed to have come from the same farm in Alberta, Canada, as the diseased Holstein.

Florida

Court rules fetuses can’t have guardians

A state appeals court upheld a decision that a guardian could not be appointed for the fetus of a mentally disabled rape victim, striking another blow to Gov. Jeb Bush’s bid to extend guardianship rights to unborn children.

The 5th District Court of Appeal in Daytona Beach ruled Friday that Orange County Judge Lawrence R. Kirkwood properly denied a woman’s bid to be named guardian of the fetus, which was since born.

Nowhere in the Florida statutes discussing guardianship are fetal rights mentioned, Judge Richard B. Orfinger wrote in his majority opinion. He also noted that the Florida Supreme Court had previously rejected the argument that a fetus is a person.

California

Mars rover prepares to roll to surface Mars

NASA’s Spirit rover has unfolded itself and stretched up to its full 4-foot-9-inch height, making it ready to drive off the lander that delivered it to Mars, the space agency said Saturday.

The rover could reach the Martian surface as early as Wednesday morning.

“It now stands at full height and all six wheels are in their final position,” mission manager Jennifer Trosper said during a news conference at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

The unfolding was one of the most complex deployments ever performed by a robotic spacecraft, mechanical systems engineer Chris Voorhees said. NASA had to fold up the rover to make it fit inside the lander, which opened up like a four-petal flower.

Washington

Tacoma deemed most stressed-out big city

More nerve-racking than New York, more vexing than Vegas, Tacoma, a port city of 195,000, is a new survey’s pick for the nation’s most stressed-out big city.

In a survey based on divorces, suicide and other factors, Tacoma topped the list — followed by Miami, New Orleans, Las Vegas, New York City and Portland, Ore.

“Basically there wasn’t one thing that stood out,” said Bert Sperling, CEO of Fast Forward Inc., which produces the Best Places Web site, which released the survey Friday.

“It’s cloudy in Tacoma much of the time, and the suicide and property crime rates are high,” the Web site says. “On a brighter note, Tacomans can feel safe from bodily harm thanks to the low violent crime rate.”

Houston

Plea deal talks ongoing, Fastow lawyers say

The legal team representing the wife of former Enron Corp. finance chief Andrew Fastow continued Saturday to negotiate a plea deal that would satisfy a federal judge and clear a path for possible cases against the failed energy giant’s top executives.

“Yes, we are working,” said Mike DeGeurin, Lea Fastow’s lead attorney. “No, negotiations have not collapsed.”

Leslie Caldwell, head of the Justice Department’s Enron Task Force, and Justice Department spokesman Bryan Sierra didn’t return calls for comment Saturday.