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Transit strike forces Philly commuters, tourists to find new ride; no talks planned
• PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Workers, employers and travelers in the Philadelphia area have been forced to make contingency plans as a commuter rail strike adds to the region's summer transportation woes.
• Four hundred workers at the Southeast Pennsylvania Transportation Authority's regional rail system went on strike Saturday morning, shutting down 13 train lines that carry commuters to the suburbs and Philadelphia International Airport.
• The strike began after negotiations between the transit agency and two unions failed to reach a new contract deal Friday. No further talks were scheduled.
• Subways, trolleys and buses operated by SEPTA will continue to run.
• Gov. Tom Corbett is counting on negotiators to reach an agreement and keep the trains running, spokesman Jay Pagni said. President Obama could also appoint a Presidential Emergency Board to intervene in the negotiations and prevent a strike for up to 240 days.
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The melting pot: German-Americans more than 20 percent of US World Cup roster
• SAO PAULO (AP) -- Timmy Chandler says the melting pot of the U.S. soccer team speaks the same language.
• "We understand everything good: English, German, Mexican, Chinese," the defender explained.
• But, ja, German is a plus on this year's American World Cup team.
• Chandler is among five German-Americans on the 23-man roster, the sons of American servicemen and German mothers. A sixth was among the final cuts, and another three members of the player pool weren't even invited to the 30-man training camp last month in California.
• All speak decent English, some more accented than others. Thomas Dooley said that puts them far ahead of where he was when he joined the U.S. team in 1992, 5 1/2 weeks after picking up his U.S. passport. The tall defender started all four American games at the 1994 World Cup and was captain in 1998.
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