School bus crash kills 4 students

COTTONWOOD - A school bus and several other vehicles crashed in southwestern Minnesota yesterday, killing four students and injuring more than a dozen others, authorities said. The bus was hit by a van about 3:25 p.m. on a highway north of Cottonwood. The bus then hit a pickup and tipped on its side, State Patrol Lieutenant Mark Peterson said. At least 14 people were hurt. (AP)

The military's attempt to shoot down a wayward US spy satellite as it falls toward Earth could happen as early as tonight, but no final decision on timing has been made, officials said. The Pentagon press secretary, Geoff Morrell, said yesterday that senior military officers are evaluating the situation and will advise Defense Secretary Robert Gates on the best time to carry it out. (AP)

Soldiers heading to war this summer are likely to see their tours shortened from 15 months to 12 months, even if troop cuts in Iraq are suspended in July as expected, the Army's top general said yesterday. General George Casey said that, although his forces are strained by nearly seven years at war, the Army can maintain 15 combat brigades in battle for at least a couple of months after July while military commanders assess the situation in Iraq. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and General David Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq, have both said they favor a suspension in troop cuts after July to assess security gains before more forces leave the country. (AP)

ASHEVILLE - Evangelist Billy Graham returned to his mountainside home yesterday to continue his recovery from surgery to update a shunt that controls excess fluid on his brain, officials said. Graham, who underwent the elective surgery last Wednesday, is recovering well, and his physicians are pleased with his progress, said a Mission Hospitals spokeswoman, Merrell Gregory. Dr. Ralph Loomis, Graham's neurosurgeon, said doctors will continue to calibrate the updated valve at Graham's home. (AP)

SANTA MONICA - Former first lady Nancy Reagan has been released from a hospital two days after falling at her Bel-Air home. Spokeswoman Joanne Drake said Reagan was released yesterday from St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica and was "very happy to be back in her home." Reagan, 86, fell Sunday morning and was taken to the hospital, where doctors determined she did not break a hip. (AP)