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In the Nation

Lawmaker, 82, is 'fine' after fall

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Two weeks after breaking her leg in a fall, New York Rep. Louise Slaughter said Tuesday she was undergoing painful rehabilitation but hoped to return to Washington early next month, and her health is otherwise "fine."

The 82-year-old Democrat and her doctor spoke to reporters during a news conference at the University of Rochester Medical Center, where she expects to stay for the next week and a half while spending about three hours a day in physical therapy.

The 13-term congresswoman used the occasion to dismiss as "absolutely not true" rumors that she is seriously ill as she embarks on what may be her toughest campaign in a newly redrawn district. She is being challenged by Republican Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks.

Slaughter said she, her daughter and granddaughter were crossing a New York City street where construction was under way April 2 when she tripped on a portion that was dug up.

She said the prospect of campaigning, even if from a wheelchair, against a younger opponent "doesn't bother me in the least."

"Everybody knows who I am and what I do," she said. "I've never been concerned about that. Most people, when they see me, don't know anything about my age."

- AP

N.D. oil firms start new cleanup

BISMARCK, N.D. - Companies working in North Dakota's booming oil patch say they're starting a new initiative to clean up the human waste, old tires, and other trash littering the state's highways.

The Associated Press reported last month that oil patch communities were struggling to combat the growing trash problem that includes urine-filled jugs tossed by truckers.

A spokeswoman for the North Dakota Petroleum Council says the oil industry planned to address the problem but the international publicity "speeded us up a little bit."

The council said Tuesday it will launch a "Pick up the Patch" campaign Wednesday along a stretch of highway near Dickinson. The council represents about 350 companies working in the oil patch.

- AP

Seeking a grizzly? Check your phone

CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Pretty soon, the best place to be on the lookout for a wolf, grizzly bear, or other wildlife in Yellowstone National Park could be your phone.

Just don't be surprised if lots of other people get the same idea.

New smartphone apps enable people to pinpoint where they've recently seen critters in Yellowstone. Other people can then drive to those places for a wildlife viewing experience that otherwise wouldn't happen except for the luck of being in the right place at the right time.

One app called "Where's a Bear" promises "up to the second" animal sightings in Yellowstone. A website called Yellowstone Wildlife offers a similar app.

Park officials say apps could become a concern if they contribute to the traffic jams that occur when wildlife linger near roadsides.

- AP