Device explodes at federal courthouse

SAN DIEGO - A suspected pipe bomb exploded at the federal courthouse in downtown San Diego early yesterday morning, shattering a glass entryway and damaging the lobby. No injuries were reported. The device, which was placed outside the main entrance of the Edward J. Schwartz Federal Courthouse, caused no major structural damage. The FBI said it was too early to say whether it was an act of terrorism. (Los Angeles Times)

PORTLAND - Six federally protected sea lions were apparently shot to death on the Columbia River as they lay in open traps put out to ensnare the animals, which eat spawning salmon. The carcasses of four California sea lions and two Steller sea lions were found yesterday below the Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River. The discovery came a day after three elephant seals were found shot to death at a breeding ground in central California. (AP)

BATON ROUGE - A Democrat won a special congressional election here, bolstering his party's majority status on Capitol Hill by taking a seat Republicans have held since 1974. Don Cazayoux, a state lawmaker, beat Republican Woody Jenkins on Saturday. The seat opened when Republican Richard Baker, a 20-year incumbent, resigned. (AP)

ALBUQUERQUE - Hundreds of evacuees were allowed to return home yesterday to the towns of Torreon and Tajique, which had been threatened by a wildfire that has destroyed 59 houses east of the Manzano Mountains. High winds that drove the flames eased over the weekend, and firefighters worked to complete containment lines. As of yesterday, the blaze had covered 21 square miles and was 45 percent contained. (AP)

JACKSON - An explosion tore through a paper mill after a boiler inspection, killing a contract worker and injuring 17 others. The explosion occurred Saturday as a boiler was being started after an annual maintenance shutdown at the International Paper mill in Redwood, the company said. (AP)