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fighters room to set backfires, dig containment lines and to strengthen lines around threatened communities, fire spokesman Trevor Augustino.
• He said it also helped that more than 4600 firefighters were brought in to battle the flames.
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Filmmaker Shane Salerno spent a decade seeking, and finding, clues about J.D. Salinger
• LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Shane Salerno's phone never stops ringing.
• Known until now as a screenwriter for "Armageddon" and "Savages," working by day on a sequel to "Avatar," he has taken on a surprising and news-making identity: the latest, and, apparently, greatest seeker of clues about J.D. Salinger.
• Salerno is finally opening up about a private quest he worked on for a decade, spending $2 million of his own money. Stating that he has found more than even he had imagined, including what the author might have written over the last half century of his life, Salerno is presenting his case in "Salinger," a unique, 3-way project: A 700-page book, co-authored with David Shields; a theatrical release distributed by the Weinstein Company; and a TV documentary that will air on PBS in January as the 200th installment of "American Masters."
• Earnest and energetic with sharp, narrow blue eyes and dark, brushed-back hair that could qualify him as an honorary Baldwin brother, the 40-year-old Salerno seems an unlikely candidate for breaking Salinger ground. He is not an experienced biographer, a trained academic or investigative journalist. He is, instead, a lifelong Salinger fan, a believer and a go-getter who has often succeeded simply by refusing to quit.
• "When I get something in my head, I go after it with extreme passion and I went after this for a decade with extreme passion," Salerno, who reportedly negotiated 7-figure deals for each edition of "Salinger," said during a recent weekend interview.
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Endurance swimmer Diana Nyad getting closer to completing record-breaking Cuba-Florida swim
• KEY WEST, Fla. (AP) -- U.S. endurance swimmer Diana Nyad's representatives say she's getting closer in her latest attempt to swim from Cuba to Florida.
• Early Monday, her team tweeted that she's less than 10 miles away from Florida. Overall, the swim is expected to be about 100 miles if she's able to complete it.
• The 64-year-old is trying to become the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida (Continued on page 37)
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