Christening held for USS New York

AVONDALE - The USS New York, an amphibious assault ship built with scrap steel from the ruins of the World Trade Center, was christened yesterday as a source of strength and inspiration for the nation. Thousands of people, including friends and families of those who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, gathered near the hulking gray ship, trimmed in red, white, and blue banners. The bow stem, which contains 7.5 tons of steel from the site, bore a shield with two gray bars to symbolize the twin towers and a banner over that declaring "Never Forget," a slogan among New Yorkers. (AP)

NEW YORK - Hundreds of tourists and ordinary New Yorkers flocked to The Plaza Hotel yesterday to take part in the landmark's reopening after a three-year, $400 million renovation. The Plaza, which is a National Historic Landmark, first opened in 1907. Marilyn Monroe was photographed here, the Beatles stayed here, and Frank Lloyd Wright lived here. The hotel ballroom was the setting for Truman Capote's "Black and White Ball" and the wedding of President Nixon's daughter Julie. Movies shot at the hotel include "North by Northwest," "Barefoot in the Park," and "Home Alone 2." Owners have included Conrad Hilton and Donald Trump. Many fans know the hotel from books by Kay Thompson about a little girl named Eloise who lives at The Plaza. A portrait of Eloise in the lobby will be back up later this spring, hotel officials say. (AP)

LOS ANGELES - The US Navy isn't exempt from environmental laws and must restrict planned exercises off the coast of Southern California that are harmful to whales and other marine mammals, a federal appeals court said. The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Friday upheld a Los Angeles district judge's order that the White House's Council on Environmental Quality inappropriately exempted the Navy from compliance with certain environmental laws. (Bloomberg)

TITUSVILLE, Fla. - A small airplane that may have had trouble landing struck another aircraft that was taxiing at an airfield and both burst into flames yesterday, killing two people, authorities said. Two other people were critically injured. Both planes were single-engine craft known as "experimental" or amateur-built, officials said. (AP)