Tremonton, Utah

A Utah State University van overturned yesterday about 65 miles north of Salt Lake City, killing seven students and an instructor, authorities said. Three other students were injured, at least two critically.

The 11 occupants of the van were ejected as the vehicle rolled four times on Interstate 84 near Tremonton, said Trooper Jeff Nigbur. The roof was collapsed to the windows.

Seven of the dead were Utah residents, said Nigbur. The eighth was identified as Steven Bair, 24, of Moses Lake, Wash.

The single-vehicle crash occurred at about 4 p.m. It appeared the van's left rear tire blew out as it tried to pass another vehicle, and speed was a contributing factor, patrol Lt. Ed Michaud said.

The students were on a trip to look at agricultural equipment in Tremonton, about 85 miles southwest of the Logan campus, said a university spokesman.

New Windsor, N.Y.

Ex-worker shoots three at nail-polish factory

A fired employee walked into a nail-polish factory yesterday and shot the co-owners and a manager in the head before killing himself, police said.

Factory co-owners Mario Maffei, 57, and Robert Roth, 65, were in stable condition last night. Office manager JoAnne OBrien, 48, was in critical condition, authorities said.

Victor Piazza was fired from Verla International after being arrested in 2004 on charges that he had child pornography on his company computer. He was sentenced to 10 years probation, police said.

New York

Gotti to be released on $7 million bond

A federal judge agreed yesterday to free the son of late mob boss John Gotti on $7 million bond, less than a week after declaring a mistrial in the racketeering case against him.

Under bail conditions approved by U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin, John A. "Junior" Gotti will be released but remain under house arrest. Gotti, 41, remained in custody while paperwork was being finalized. His lawyers said he could be home as early as today.

The judge granted the bail request despite warnings by prosecutors that Gotti could try to tamper with witnesses if set free pending a retrial.

The scion of the Gambino organized crime family has been jailed since 1999.

Last week, a jury failed to reach a verdict on racketeering charges against Gotti, who was accused in an alleged plot to kidnap Curtis Sliwa, a radio host and founder of the Guardian Angels crime-fighting group. Prosecutors have not announced whether they will seek a retrial.

Miami

Government settles "gold train" lawsuit

A federal judge yesterday approved a $25.5 million settlement between the U.S. government and Hungarian Jews who lost jewelry, artwork and other treasures when a Nazi "gold train" was commandeered by the U.S. Army during World War II.

The settlement came in a lawsuit filed by Hungarian Holocaust survivors over the U.S. capture and pilfering in 1945 of a train loaded with gold, jewels, silver, china, 3,000 Oriental rugs and 1,200 paintings that had been stolen from Hungarian Jews by the Nazis. There are about 62,000 Hungarian Holocaust survivors worldwide.

Rather than trying to directly compensate people whose items were stolen, the agreement will distribute money through Jewish social-service agencies over the next five years to needy Hungarian survivors around the world.

Compiled from The Associated Press