Eyes on Ike...Haiti could get it again...Hanna strengthens

MIAMI (AP) Hurricane Ike is roaring toward the Turks and Caicos islands as an "extremely dangerous" Category 4 storm with winds of 135 miles-per-hour. The governments of the Bahamas and Cuba have issued hurricane warnings. And officials in Florida and elsewhere along the U.S. Gulf Coast are also preparing for a possible hit.

GONAIVES, Haiti (AP) In parts of Haiti devastated by Tropical Storm Hanna, people are fleeing to higher ground amid warnings that Hurricane Ike could hit. Hundreds have fled Gonaives (goh-nah-EEV') which could get struck again. Meanwhile, the death toll from Hanna has climbed to at least 166.

UNDATED (AP) Tropical Storm Hanna is getting stronger as it races toward New England after dropping heavy rain across the Middle Atlantic region. Top sustained winds have climbed to near 55 miles-per-hour. The storm is expected to produce three to eight inches of rain as it heads up the coast, producing some flash flooding.

Washington (AP) A government takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could come as soon as tomorrow. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and two other regulators are working on a plan to put the troubled mortgage finance companies into a conservatorship.

CHICAGO (AP) Conservative political commentator Robert Novak says he's partly lost his sight and has undergone a lengthy surgery to remove a tumor since being diagnosed with brain cancer. He writes in the Chicago Sun-Times that his brain tumor has been bringing out the best in people.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 09-06-08 1952CDT | save this article / add to your favorites list