Free Republic

<p>SAN DIEGO (AP) - Fire codes should be made uniform in the state's highest-risk wildfire regions, overriding a patchwork of local regulations, a state report says.</p> <p>The proposal is one of 69 recommendations developed by the Gov.'s Blue Ribbon Fire Commission staff in response to last October's firestorms, many of which call for more funding. A draft summary obtained by The Associated Press also calls for more coordination among local, state and federal officials, including quicker use of military aircraft in emergencies.</p>

The members of Great White were spared Tuesday (December 9) when the band's tour manager and the club owners were indicted for the fire that took 100 lives in Rhode Island earlier this year. Tour manager Dan Biechele and the owners of The Station, Jeffrey and Michael Derderian, were each charged with 200 counts of manslaughter for the February 20 blaze in West Warwick that also injured 200 other people. All three men pled innocent at the hearing and were released after posting bail. Their next hearing is February 9. Biechele and the Derderians were each charged with 100 counts...