Strikes Oklahoma

Complaining of a lack of manpower and tools, 3,500 auto workers have walked off the job at a General Motors plant that had not seen a strike in its 18-year history. Workers left at one minute before midnight Friday. Talks were to resume today. The walkout could halt production of the new Chevy Malibu and Oldsmobile Cutlass, whose sales have been increasing recently. Malibus are also produced in Wilmington, Del., but Oklahoma City is the only source of the Cutlass.

Oklahoma's law governing executions is unconstitutional because privacy provisions prevent anyone from learning about the drugs used to kill the condemned, a state judge ruled Wednesday in the latest case in the growing area of death penalty litigation. Oklahoma County District Judge Patricia Parrish ruled that the state's secrecy laws prevent the courts and inmates from getting information about the drugs that would be used in executions, thus preventing them from exercising their rights under the Constitution.

Oklahoma's law governing executions is unconstitutional because privacy provisions prevent anyone from learning about the drugs used to kill the condemned, a state judge ruled Wednesday in the latest case in the growing area of death penalty litigation. Oklahoma County District Judge Patricia Parrish ruled that the state's secrecy laws prevent the courts and inmates from getting information about the drugs that would be used in executions, thus preventing them from exercising their rights under the Constitution.

. -- Severe weather including a tornado that spun across the Oklahoma-Missouri border killed at least 18 people Saturday, mangling buildings and trapping people in rubble in the storm-weary region. At least six people were killed as the tornado flattened the northeastern Oklahoma town of Picher before the funnel struck across the border about 15 miles away near Seneca. At least 12 were killed in southwestern Missouri, the State Emergency Management Agency said.

. -- Severe weather including a tornado that spun across the Oklahoma-Missouri border killed at least 18 people Saturday, mangling buildings and trapping people in rubble in the storm-weary region. At least six people were killed as the tornado flattened the northeastern Oklahoma town of Picher before the funnel struck across the border about 15 miles away near Seneca. At least 12 were killed in southwestern Missouri, the State Emergency Management Agency said.

The third strike to hit General Motors Corp. in about five weeks threatened Tuesday to force a broad shutdown of GM's North American vehicle operations and affect other auto makers that buy GM electrical components. In Warren, Ohio, about 8,200 members of the International Union of Electronic workers walked off the job at 18 plants operated by GM's Delphi Packard Electric Systems division just after midnight.

ARLINGTON, Wash. - The Stillaguamish River and the Hazel Slide have been rivals for decades. The river eats away at the clay and sand hillside to the north of the snaking river. Weakened by the erosion, the hill's foot lacks the strength to fight the pull of gravity. Rain and logging add to the river's offense. In this deep-seated recess, landslides are inevitable. They send sediment surging into the river, deforming it for years until the cycle repeats. DOCUMENTS: Warnings about landslides in Snohomish County This ongoing battle exploded Saturday in a catastrophic geological event as a wall of mud, trees and rocks slammed into the river below, blocking the flow.

U.S. auto sales rose more than expected in July, led by General Motors Corp.'s surprisingly strong performance, as big incentives attracted consumers to late-model-year vehicles. GM on Friday recorded its best July ever for light truck sales, helping its total sales rise 6.7% from the year-earlier month. Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. also posted stronger-than-expected gains, but Chrysler Corp.'s sales fell 9.

Complaining of a lack of manpower and tools, 3,500 auto workers have walked off the job at a General Motors plant that had not seen a strike in its 18-year history. Workers left at one minute before midnight Friday. Talks were to resume today. The walkout could halt production of the new Chevy Malibu and Oldsmobile Cutlass, whose sales have been increasing recently. Malibus are also produced in Wilmington, Del., but Oklahoma City is the only source of the Cutlass.