PICHER, Okla. – President Bush has issued a major disaster declaration for this polluted area in northeastern Oklahoma ravaged by a powerful tornado during the weekend.

The declaration means that Picher and Ottawa County residents can receive individual assistance, including grants for temporary housing and low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses. Because Picher is in a Superfund site, residents will not be able to rebuild.

WASHINGTON – Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn on Wednesday filed a bill in the Senate as a companion to a measure filed by Corpus Christi Democratic Rep. Solomon Ortiz to save a landmark site of the Mexican-American War.

The bills would get the Resaca de la Palma battlefield designated a national historic site. The grassy field at the center of the border city of Brownsville is where thousands of Mexican and American troops fought on May 9, 1846.

TULSA, Okla. – Emergency officials in Tulsa say five ExpressJet passengers were injured when their plane experienced air turbulence on its way from Houston to Tulsa International Airport.

Officials said the five women, ranging in age from 25 to 77, were taken to St. John Medical Center with minor injuries, including cuts and bruises. The plane began experiencing turbulence south of Tulsa. The scheduled flight back to Houston was canceled.FROM WIRE REPORTS