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Haitians flee in fear as big aftershock hits

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – A frightening new aftershock Wednesday forced more earthquake survivors onto the capital’s streets to live and sent others fleeing to the countryside, where aid was only beginning to reach wrecked towns.

A flotilla of rescue vessels, meanwhile, led by the U.S. hospital ship Comfort, converged on Port-au-Prince harbor to help fill gaps in still-lagging global efforts to deliver water, food and medical help. Hundreds of thousands of survivors of Haiti’s cataclysmic earthquake were living in makeshift tents or on blankets and plastic sheets under the tropical sun.

The strongest tremor since the Jan. 12 quake struck at 6:03 a.m., just before sunrise while many still slept. From the teeming plaza near the collapsed presidential palace to a hillside tent city, the 5.9-magnitude aftershock lasted only seconds but panicked thousands of Haitians.

“Jesus!” they cried as rubble tumbled and dust rose anew from government buildings around the plaza. Parents gathered up children and ran. (more…)

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‘Rachel’ wins Horse of the Year

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – Rachel Alexandra did through the ballot box what no horse could do on the racetrack. In a compelling, highly anticipated showdown, Rachel Alexandra defeated Zenyatta for the 2009 Horse of the Year award, a result that was announced on Monday night at the 39th annual Eclipse Awards at the Four Seasons Beverly Wilshire Hotel.

Rachel Alexandra received 130 first-place votes to 99 for Zenyatta from the 232 voters who returned ballots. Three voters abstained or did not vote.
All three voting blocs went for Rachel Alexandra. The National Turf Writers Association preferred Rachel Alexandra by 71 votes to 51. Daily Racing Form went for Rachel Alexandra by a 31-23 margin. And the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, which includes racing secretaries and members of Equibase, had Rachel Alexandra by 28-25.

Jess Jackson, the majority owner of Rachel Alexandra, won the Horse of the Year title for the third straight year, following Curlin in 2007-08. He received the gold Horse of the Year trophy from Alex Waldrop, the president and CEO of the NTRA, who referenced both horses racing this year. (more…)

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Chan Gailey reportedly headed to Buffalo

Former Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey has emerged as the front-runner for the Buffalo Bills head coaching vacancy, FoxSports.com’s Jay Glazer reports.

The 57-year-old Gailey interviewed with the Bills, who haven’t made the playoffs since 1999, last week and he is expected to meet with team owner Ralph Wilson and GM Buddy Nix again this week. “As long as talks don’t break down, Gailey is expected to be hired as the Bills head coach within the next 24-48 hours,” Glazer wrote.

Gailey was 44-33 in six seasons with Georgia Tech. Kansas City named him offensive coordinator in 2008 but he was fired after the Chiefs brought in a new head coach prior to the 2009 season. (more…)

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