Senate Approves Arming Pilots

— -- Senate Votes to Arm Pilots in Cockpits

W A S H I N G T O N, Sept. 5 — The Senate voted today to allow pilots tocarry guns in the cockpit.

The 87-to-6 vote came on an amendment to the bill creating anew homeland security agency. The measure also calls for self-defense training for flightattendants.

The vote came shortly after the Bush administration changed its position today on the issue. The Bush administration is considering a plan to arm a limited number of commercial pilots, as long as a variety of safety and training concerns are addressed. However, administration officials said they had not yet worked out a formal proposal, a senior Bush administration source said.

Supporters say pilots are the last line of defense against ahijacker.

The House of Representatives has already passed separate legislation to arm the nation's commercial pilots, also on a voluntary basis. But the Senate's plan is slightly different. For instance, it also would provide self-defense training for flight attendants. Differences in the two measures would have to be worked out during House and Senate negotiations on the Homeland Security bill.

— Wire Reports

Intruder Reported at Chemical Weapons Site

T O O E L E, Utah, Sept. 5 — Officials at the Deseret Chemical Depot,which stores and destroys nerve agents, sounded a terrorist alertthis morning after a possible intrusion.

One person was spotted within the heavily guarded perimeter,said Shelia Culley, joint information command center manager. Itwasn't immediately clear if that person was caught. The possible intruder was within the fenced area between thestored chemicals and the outer perimeter. Chris Kramer, publicinformation officer with the Utah Department of Public Safety, saidthe person was seen about one mile north of the weaponsincinerator. Wade Mathews, with the Tooele County Emergency Management, saidsheriff's deputies setup a roadblock around the depot after thealarm sounded at 9:24 a.m. and the Utah Department of Public Safetywas using a helicopter to search the grounds. There were no immediate evacuations of the depot or surroundingareas, he said. The depot, about 45 miles southwest of Salt Lake City, storeschemical and nerve agents such as mustard gas. It has beendestroying a stockpile of deadly chemical weapons since 1996. Earlier this year, it finished destroying the largest stockpileof sarin nerve gas in the United States. It is scheduled to destroy1,300 tons of VX, a more toxic but less volatile nerve agent, and6,100 tons of mustard gas, a blister agent that can dissolve tissueon contact.

— The Associated Press

Gov’t Announces Sept. 11 Flight Restrictions

W A S H I N G T O N, Sept. 5 — The federal government today announcedflight restrictions coinciding with public ceremonies at the threeSept. 11 crash sites.

The temporary rules are less stringent than those presented tothe aviation industry last week. The proposal would have bannedinternationally owned airlines from flying over the sites on theanniversary of the terrorist attacks.

The rules limit flying within a 34.5-mile radius of the eventsites below 18,000 feet. Passengers on commercial airlines will berequired to remain seated for 30 minutes after takeoff and 30minutes before landing in the three areas.

Private flying will be banned or in some cases limited toaircraft operating under instrument flight rules. Sightseeing andtraining flights will also be banned.