Tornado survivors gather belongings in Arkansas

Damascus, Ark.

Smoke rose from burning heaps of wreckage Saturday as residents of rural Arkansas cleaned up what was left of their homes after deadly tornadoes scoured a state that has been plagued by severe weather this year.

The storms killed seven people, damaged or destroyed about 400 homes, and knocked out electrical and telephone service for thousands of customers in 18 counties.

Meteorologists said more than 25 tornadoes may have touched down across Middle America late Thursday and early Friday, but Arkansas was the hardest hit.

Redwood, Miss.

Mill explosion kills 1, injures 17

Authorities say an explosion at a paper mill killed a contract worker and injured 17 people.

The Warren County deputy coroner said everyone had been accounted for at the International Paper mill in Redwood. The mill employs about 300 people.

Baton Rouge, La.

Democrat takes House seat

Democrat Don Cazayoux won a special congressional election Saturday, bolstering his party's majority status on Capitol Hill and taking a seat held by Republicans since 1974.

Cazayoux, a state lawmaker, beat Republican Woody Jenkins. The seat opened when Republican Richard Baker, a 20-year incumbent, resigned to take a lobbying job.

Also

Officer shot: A Philadelphia police officer who confronted at least two suspected bank robbers was shot and killed Saturday, leading to a manhunt during which an officer fatally shot one suspect, authorities said. Police searched a wooded area for another suspect involved.

New Mexico fire: Firefighters worked in cooler weather Saturday to clear lines around a blaze that has burned nearly 60 homes and more than 20 square miles in the central mountains.

Seattle Times news services