Urban News

(HOUSTON) -- The head of the Mexican consulate in Houston is warning local illegal immigrants working at area airports that they should surrender or make plans to return to their homeland. The Houston Chronicle says warnings are being issued in the wake of a series of arrests in the Washington area in which 100 workers were fired for falsifying paperwork when applying for employment.

Mexican Consul General Enrique Buj Flores says it is just a matter of time before the federal background checks of airline employees reach his area.

Flores' warnings will be broadcast in Spanish on local Houston media to the large Hispanic population there.

The new, more stringent checks on airline security employees are part of the government's restructuring of airport procedures that include the hiring and training of federal employees at checkpoints.

(SEATTLE) -- Another accident involving a semi-trailer rig has led to the closing of a section of Interstate 5 in downtown Seattle. A chain-reaction series of collisions resulted when a truck jackknifed after running into the back of another vehicle.

The Post-Intelligencer says that several people had to be taken to nearby hospitals, though none was injured seriously.

All of the lanes of the northbound interstate were closed at the height of Friday afternoon's rush hour.

The accident was the worst of many that happened because of low visibility and rain-slick pavements. Earlier in the day a disabled bus blocked traffic on the southbound lanes of the busy highway.

(LOUISVILLE) -- One of the most famous of all Louisville-based companies is about to close its doors. The Fischer Packing Co., after half a century of making bacon, bologna and other meat products, says it is -- in the words of the Courier-Journal -- "packing it in."

The company says it will shut down its Falls City operations and move production to Owensboro, Ky., about 90 minutes west. Some 225 supervisory and production employees will be given pink slips. Many workers told the publication that although the closing had been rumored, Friday's announcement came as a surprise.

In recent years production had fallen off at the plant and only one shift a day was being called in. The parent company decided to keep its Owensboro plant open because it is newer and has a greater chance of becoming productive.

(PORTLAND, Ore.) -- Police in the southern suburbs of Portland, Ore., report that an 8-year-old girl was fatally stabbed when she tried to stop a fight between her half-brother and her father. The Oregonian newspaper says that the 33-year-old half-brother was arraigned on charges of aggravated assault and attempted murder.

The fight apparently started over the ownership of some car parts.

The father of the family reportedly had taken care of the dead girl's brother from a previous marriage. The family was religious and often took part in church functions and plays.

Counselors were provided at the young girl's school following the incident.

Neighbors put a wreath on the family's door. It read: "We'll Always Love You."