Overcrowded ferry overturns in storm killing more than 1,000

More than 1,000 people died after a Senegalese passenger ferry capsized during a fierce storm off the coast of Gambia. The state-owned vessel, equipped to carry a maximum of 550 passengers, was probably carrying more than 1,100. The ferry, which was travelling from Ziguinchor in the south of Senegal to the capital, Dakar, had only recently resumed service after undergoing repairs-the details of which were unknown. However Senegalese officials are looking into possible links between the disaster and such repairs. One of the 64 survivors, Moussa Ndong, speaking to the Associated Press, said the boat began tipping over to one side as a storm brewed. "It was horrible. Water rushed into the cabin. When the lights went out passengers screamed," she said. Survivors stayed on top of the capsized boat for nearly two hours, until fishing boats arrived to carry groups of them to shore, according to the BBC. Many were traumatized by the screaming of survivors trapped under the hull. Senegalese officials explained that the rescue operation has been closed and now all efforts are focused on salvaging the wreckage and identifying the bodies, according to the BBC.

National: New York, New York

Giuliani asked Bush for permission to execute bin Laden

In his book released yesterday, former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani explained how on Sept. 14, 2001 he asked President George W. Bush for permission to personally execute Osama bin Laden if and when U.S. forces captured him, according to the AP. "Bin Laden had attacked my city, and as its mayor I had the strong feeling that I was the most appropriate person to do it," he wrote. Giuliani explained that he thinks Bush assumed he was asking in jest. However, Giuliani admits to being quite serious in his remarks at the time, according to the AP. Giuliani also expects to re-enter politics at some time in the future. Although he dismissed the possibility that he will run for mayor of New York City again, he hinted that campaigns for President, U.S. Senator or New York governor were possible. Giuliani is mentioned frequently as a candidate for appointed positions such as head of the new Department of Homeland Security that Bush is in the process of creating in response to the Sept. 11 attacks, according to the AP.

Local: Hadley, Massachusetts

Town survey indicated desire to preserve rural atmosphere

Initial results of Hadley's Long Range Planning Committee survey that the town conducted last spring indicated that residents support preserving agricultural land, limiting most major business development to the Route 9 corridor and maintaining the town's agrarian and rural characteristics, according to The Daily Hampshire Gazette. The town will analyze the results, which will be used in part to develop a "master plan" for the next 20 years of town decision making. It will also hold public forums throughout the fall to discuss future plans. Of the 1,950 surveys sent to all the households in Hadley, 814 surveys were returned. One of the more striking results was a broad consensus (nearly 75 percent) that farmland should not be developed, either for business or housing stock. Non-development is an attitude that comes from both new and long-time residents, according to The Gazette. People responding to the survey were more adamant about preserving the farmland than they were about raising taxes to increase spending on schools-which only 20 percent of the survey's respondents supported.