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Stimulus plan on Obama-Dems agenda

WASHINGTON, Feb. 2 (UPI) -- As the U.S. Senate prepares to take up the stimulus package, President Barack Obama prepares to seek some bipartisan support for the plan.

Obama was to meet Monday with House and Senate Democratic leaders at the White House, trying to diffuse tensions building between Democrats and Republicans over the economic recovery plan's content, Politico reported.

Obama would like bipartisan support for the stimulus in the Senate, after the House version was passed over the objection of all Republicans -- and 11 Democrats -- despite the president's efforts to build cross-party support before the vote on the $819 billion package.

The Senate is scheduled to take up its version of the bill this week, but senators from both parties have expressed misgivings about the House version.

Also thought to be on the agenda will be the fate of Tom Daschle, whose nomination as health and human services secretary hit a bump Friday because of revelations of unpaid taxes for a car and driver provided by a wealthy Democratic donor to the former U.S. Senate minority leader from South Dakota.

Daschle apologizes for income tax flubs

WASHINGTON, Feb. 2 (UPI) -- Tom Daschle, trying to defend his bid to become the nest U.S. health and human services secretary, apologized to two key lawmakers for income his tax errors.

In the letter released Monday, the former Senate majority leader and ally of President Barack Obama offered a seven-month timeline account of the particulars, saying he discovered a series of errors resulting in $146,000 in back taxes for the previous three years' returns, The Washington Post reported.

"I am deeply embarrassed and disappointed by the errors that required me to amend my tax returns," he wrote to Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, chairman and ranking minority member, respectively, of the Senate Finance Committee. "I apologize for the errors and profoundly regret that you have had to devote time to them."

The committee, which must vote on his nomination before it can move to the full Senate, was scheduled to meet Monday and Daschle was to be available to answer questions. The letter was released to reporters overnight, the Post said.

In his two-page letter, Daschle said issues around his tax filings arose during the Obama transition team's vetting process.

"During the course of those reviews, the vetting team flagged charitable contributions they felt were deducted in error," he said, referring to $15,000 worth of donations that lacked proper receipts. Questions about other items were raised as well.

Daschle said that he "remedied these issues by filing amended tax returns with full payments, including interest."

Backus has said Daschle paid the back taxes Jan. 2, informing the committee and White House about two days later.

Pittsburgh's Bowl joy has destructive bent

PITTSBURGH, Feb. 2 (UPI) -- Pittsburgh Steelers fans celebrated the team's record sixth Super Bowl win with fireworks, fires, broken barricades and other destruction on the streets.

Police and firefighters worked into the morning Monday to clean up the aftermath of happy fans and to douse fires set by students in Oakland celebrating the team's victory, a 27-23 win over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.

The first 30 minutes of celebration Sunday was relatively calm but as the night wore on, crowds grew rowdier and police began making arrests, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported.

Thousands of people formed an impromptu parade that snaked its way along until reaching a blockade of police motorcycles. The Tribune-Review reported the parade tried to keep marching until police forced marchers back.

Revelers destroyed a bus shelter, overturned garbage receptacles and started a bonfire on Forbes Avenue near the Hillman Library. Another large fire was reported on Oakland Avenue near Sennott Street, and a third was burning on Atwood, where the crowd tried to push a car into the blaze, the Post-Gazette reported.

Four hundred city police officers were on duty Sunday to assuage potentially unruly crowds, post barricades, make arrests when necessary and maintain the peace. Police reported arrests and minor injuries.

"We just want people to have a good time and we want to keep anything from getting out of hand," Pittsburgh police Cmdr. Catherine McNeilly said. "We want everyone to be safe."

Heavy snow cripples Britain

LONDON, Feb. 2 (UPI) -- Heavy snow forced closures of London Heathrow Airport runways, transit service, schools and courthouses Monday, disrupting travel and delighting children.

An extreme weather warning was posted for England, Wales and parts of eastern Scotland as snow was forecast into Tuesday, the BBC reported.

Forecasters predict as much as 8 inches of snow may fall in some areas, Sky News reported, with transportation and transit problems expected to continue.

Besides Heathrow, London City, Luton and Southampton airports were closed while Norwich and Leeds Bradford airports reopened.

BAA warned passengers traveling to and from Heathrow and Stansted airports to expect "significant delays and cancellations."

All London buses were pulled from service because of "adverse weather and dangerous driving conditions," the BBC said, adding that some would-be passengers watched as buses drove past them without stopping.

Only the Victoria Line of London's subway system was fully operational.

Britain's Highways Agency advised that people travel only if necessary, reporting too many minor accidents "to put a number on."

Sky News weather forecaster Lucy Verasamy said the storm was pretty widespread, affecting most of central and eastern Britain.

"It has been pretty well forecast. We have been mentioning it for a few days," Verasamy said. "But there was more continuous snowfall overnight than expected. ... We haven't seen so much continuous heavy snow affect the Southeast since 1991."

Riot at Texas prison ends

PECOS, Texas, Feb. 2 (UPI) -- Rioting inmates were brought under control at a western Texas prison Sunday, authorities said.

April Orsoco of the Reeves County Sheriff's Office said the department was told by prison officials about 4 p.m. that the situation at the Reeves County Detention Center was "under control," CNN reported. As many as 2,000 inmates had been involved in the fighting.

But about 700 prisoners were to spend the night in tents because of the two-day disturbance, the network said.

Three inmates were reported to have been injured Saturday. One building at the corrections facility was heavily damaged.

No explanation was provided for how the riot was brought quelled or what prompted it in the first place.

It was the second riot at the 2,400-bed, low-security detention center, located near Pecos, in less than two months. The facility, run by Geo Group Inc., houses federal prisoners and inmates from other states.