BP report spreads blame for Gulf coast

Oil company British Petroleum reported new findings about the oil rig disaster last Wednesday after an internal investigation of the spill, but placed much of the blame to other involved parties, including contractors Halliburton and Transocean.

Faulty cementing, a misread pressure test and an improperly maintained blowout preventer were all aspects that contributed to the April 20 explosion that killed 11 workers aboard the Deepwater Horizon drill rig and led to the worst oil spill in U.S. history.

Wildfire in Colorado destroys 54 homes

A wildfire has swept over west of Boulder, Colorado this past week.† At least 54 homes have been destroyed and four people remain† unaccounted for. At first authorities reported 20 missing persons but now 16 of them have been located.

24 engines and 200 firefighters were on scene Wednesday, and several aircraft were also being used to battle the blaze.† At this point authorities had evacuated 70 subdivisions and made nearly 8,000 notifications. Colorado has put $5 million into the battle to save homes.

Bites compiled by Grainne Carlin