60,000 seek roles in inaugural events
WASHINGTON: An unprecedented 60,000 people have sent applications to the Presidential Inaugural Committee to volunteer for activities surrounding the swearing-in of Barack Obama - even if it means simply giving directions or friendly hellos to out-of-towners at airports and Metro stops. With several days of events, including the Jan. 20 swearing-in, the committee needs 15,000 to 18,000 volunteers, officials said, or three times as many as were called upon for the inaugurations of George W. Bush.
2 dead in fiery plane crash at Ill. airport
JOLIET, Ill.: The Federal Aviation Administration said two people were killed when a plane crashed at Joliet Regional Airport in suburban Chicago. FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said there were two fatalities and "an aircraft that burned" in the crash late yesterday. Joliet Park District executive director Dominic Egizio said the crash occurred about 9 p.m. The district operates the airport. Egizio said the skies were clear over Joliet at the time of the crash. He said the plane was likely a two- to four-seater.
Zune players overcome glitch, Microsoft says
Many of Microsoft's Zune media players that froze up on the last day of 2008 because of a glitch involving their internal clocks were functioning properly yesterday as the new year was ushered in, according to the company. Microsoft spokesman Brian Eskridge said that, based on responses from customers and his review of online message forums, affected users of the 30-gigabyte Zune model were not having further problems after fully recharging their devices and powering them on again. But, by midmorning yesterday, a few people were still complaining on one online Zune forum about their devices not booting up.
