VERACRUZ, Mexico — Tropical Storm Jose weakened over the mountains of central Mexico on Tuesday, leaving flooding and at least one death in its wake.

Jose grew to tropical storm strength Monday afternoon in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, and made landfall early Tuesday northwest of Veracruz with a sustained wind speed of 50 mph (80 kph), the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

The storm dumped rain across region, triggering landslides and flooding that forced thousands to evacuate their houses. A 59-year-old man was killed in Jalapa when his home was buried by a mudslide, emergency official Ranulfo Marquez said.

In Misantla, 40 miles (70 kilometers) southeast of Jalapa, some 1,500 residents were housed in seven makeshift shelters because the Misantla River was overflowing its banks and approaching populated areas.

Several other people were rescued from their cars after becoming stranded along a flooded stretch of highway between Jalapa and Cardel.

On Sunday, in southern Oaxaca state, a truck was swept away while trying to cross a swollen river, killing nine people trapped inside, emergency officials said.

Human cadaver exhibit breaks Tampa museum records

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — More than 12,000 people came to the Museum of Science and Industry in the first four days of an exhibit featuring preserved human cadavers and body parts, breaking records set by a 2003 exhibit about the Titanic, museum officials said.

The 20 cadavers and 260 body parts in "BODIES, the Exhibition" are preserved with a process that replaces soft tissue with silicone rubber. Skin is removed, exposing muscles, bones, organs, tendons, blood vessels and brains. Similar exhibitions have drawn millions of visitors around the world.

The bodies in the Tampa exhibit, which opened Aug. 18 and is scheduled through February, belonged to Chinese people who died unidentified or unclaimed by family members and were preserved at the Dalian Medical University of Plastination Laboratories in China, according to the exhibition's medical director, Roy Glover.

The exhibit came under fire from a state agency whose members were uncomfortable that no permission was obtained from the deceased or their families. The museum went ahead with the exhibit and Anatomical Board dropped its effort to stop it.

On the Net:

Museum of Science & Industry: http://www.mosi.org/

Sean Penn writes accounts of Iran travels

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Sean Penn is trading screenplays for a reporter's notebook yet again.

The Oscar-winning actor traveled to Tehran, Iran, in June. The San Francisco Chronicle, which has published previous accounts of his travels, is running a five-part series this week on his experiences.

In the first installment, Penn wrote about the difficulties of obtaining a visa to travel to Iran, how women are instructed to cover their heads before landing in the country, and some tense moments when he was fingerprinted entering Iran.

The 45-year-old actor compared the bustle of Tehran to Baghdad, Iraq, or Mexico City, saying the city was filled with "jousting, yelling, horn honking and warm thickly polluted air, mud-splattered motorcycles winding through human traffic at death-bound speeds."

Penn arrived in Tehran the week before the Iranian elections.

Given a press credential by Chronicle Executive Editor Phil Bronstein, Penn visited Iraq in late November 2003, shortly before Saddam Hussein was captured.

Penn won a best-actor Oscar for his role in "Mystic River." His screen credits also include "I Am Sam," "Sweet and Lowdown" and "Dead Man Walking."

He wrote and directed "The Crossing Guard" and "The Indian Runner."

On the Net:

http://www.sfgate.com

Shooting leaves two dead in Wal-Mart parking lot in Arizona

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) - Two Wal-Mart employees were shot to death Tuesday in the parking lot of one of the retail stores in suburban Phoenix, police said.

The shooting occurred in the middle of the lot, at least 50 yards from the store entrance.

Police spokesman Mike Pena said authorities were searching for the gunman. He said there were several witnesses to the shootings but would not identify them.

"This is an extremely tragic situation. It has been confirmed that we have lost two of our associates," company spokeswoman Sharon Weber said from Wal-Mart's headquarters in Bentonville, Ark.

Police cordoned off much of the parking lot, telling anyone whose car was within a perimeter that they would have to leave their vehicles there.

Authorities initially said a third victim had been wounded, but Pena later said that was not the case.

Glendale is about eight miles northwest of downtown Phoenix.

Heavy rains trigger more flooding, landslides across central and southern Europe

INNSBRUCK, Austria (AP) — Rescue workers piled sandbags to hold back surging floodwaters and evacuated hundreds of people from alpine valleys Tuesday as heavy rains and landslides battered central and southern Europe.

At least 26 people have died in storm- or flood-related accidents in the past week; most drowned, were crushed by debris or collapsed buildings or struck by lightning. Two Swiss firefighters were killed Monday in a landslide.

Worst hit was Romania with 18 dead, some 20,000 homes inundated and more than 1,000 small bridges damaged.

Five people were reported dead Tuesday in Austria, Bulgaria and Switzerland. Thundering torrents of water surged along riverbanks in many regions, causing millions of dollars in damage.

Austrian firefighters, soldiers and rescue workers fanned out to help hundreds to safety in the hard-hit Landeck region. The Kleinwalsertal Valley, which borders the German state of Bavaria, was completely cut off, with flooding of major access roads.

In a dramatic rescue in the southern province of Carinthia, firefighters saved a 72-year-old woman whose car was perched for two hours at a 45-degree angle into surging waters.

As water gushed around the windshield, a firefighter lowered by a helicopter shattered the rear window and attached cables to the frame. The car was dragged from the water with the driver inside. She suffered shock, police said.

Brown waters rushed just under a bridge spanning the Inn River, which was nearly overflowing its banks. Firefighters and volunteers heaved sandbags in a desperate attempt to hold back the river in Innsbruck, the capital of Tyrol province.

Rising waters caused a gas explosion in the town of Reuthe, Austria Press Agency reported. At least three people were treated for burns at area hospitals. Storms caused power and telephone cuts and interruptions in train service.

In Bavaria, German soldiers evacuated residents as river embankments collapsed, sending flood waters surging through several Alpine resort and farming towns. Police had to evacuate about 54 people by helicopter from their homes in the town of Eschenlohe.

"All hell broke loose," said Albrecht Ott, spokesman for regional authorities.

Rescue crews helped build makeshift barriers and personnel from police and fire departments around Bavaria were called in to help, the state Interior Ministry said.

Several regions of Switzerland reported the heaviest rainfall on record, and five people there have died in the past two days.

A new wave of rain hit northwestern Bulgaria, flooding dozens of communities and killing one man, Bulgaria's Civil Defense agency said Tuesday. Border areas between Croatia and Slovenia were flooded, and emergency officials were on alert.

Brock Peters, actor who appeared in 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' dies

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Actor Brock Peters, best known for his heartbreaking performance as the black man falsely accused of rape in "To Kill a Mockingbird," died Tuesday at his home after battling pancreatic cancer. He was 78.

Peters was diagnosed with the disease in January and had been receiving chemotherapy treatment, according to Marilyn Darby, his longtime companion. His condition became worse in recent weeks.

He died peacefully in bed, surrounded by family, she said.

Peters was born George Fisher on July 2, 1927 in New York. His long film career began in the 1950s with the landmark productions of "Carmen Jones" in 1954 and "Porgy and Bess" in 1959.

In recent years, he played Admiral Cartwright in two of the "Star Trek" feature films. He also appeared in numerous TV shows. His distinctive deep bass voice was often used for animated characters.

He was perhaps best known for portraying accused rapist Tom Robinson, defended by Gregory Peck's Atticus Finch in the 1962 film "To Kill a Mockingbird."

Peters paid tribute to Peck after he died in 2003.

"In art there is compassion, in compassion there is humanity, with humanity there is generosity and love," Peters said. "Gregory Peck gave us these attributes in full measure. To this day the children of 'Mockingbird' … call him Atticus."

Peters recounted how shortly before he was to start filming, he was awakened early on a Sunday morning by a phone call from Peck to welcome him to the production. He was so surprised, he recalled, that he dropped the telephone.

"I worked over the years in many, many productions, but no one ever again called me to welcome me aboard, except perhaps the director and the producer, but not my fellow actor-to-be."

In May, Peters was on hand as Harper Lee, the reclusive author of "To Kill a Mockingbird," made a rare step into the limelight to be honored by the Los Angeles Public Library.

In "Carmen Jones," Peters worked with Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte. Otto Preminger's production of "Porgy" starred Sidney Poitier and Dandridge, and featured Sammy Davis Jr., Pearl Bailey and Diahann Carroll as well as Peters.

Among Peters' other films were "Soylent Green," "The L-Shaped Room" and "The Pawnbroker."

In a 1985 story by The Associated Press on blacks in the movies, Peters said there had been a string of recent hits involving blacks, but "I have been here a long time, and I have seen this cycle happen before. I'll wait awhile and see if this flurry of activity leads to anything permanent."

His accolades include a National Film Society Award, a Life Achievement Award from the Screen Actors Guild, and a Tony Award nomination for his performance on Broadway in "Lost in the Stars."

Peters was a widow and has one daughter, Lise Jo Peters.

AP Writer Polly Anderson in New York contributed to this report.

Fraud charges filed against mother of Michael Jackson's accuser

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The woman whose son accused Michael Jackson of child molestation was charged with welfare fraud Tuesday for allegedly collecting nearly $19,000 in payments while making false claims.

At Jackson's trial, the woman invoked her Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination and refused to testify about the welfare matter.

But Jackson's lawyers presented evidence that she and her family had received a $150,000 settlement in a 2001 lawsuit against a department store at a time when she was claiming to be poor. They also showed the woman was receiving money from her boyfriend to pay the rent on her apartment.

The complaint filed by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office alleged that the woman hid from authorities the fact that she had received the settlement and also failed to report the receipt of $637 for payment of her rent in January 2003.

The Associated Press is withholding the name of the woman to protect the identity of her son.

The woman was a key witness for the prosecution against Jackson, who was acquitted of all charges. Many jurors said her lack of credibility on the witness stand was a major factor in their verdict.

Mexican authorities fear serial killer of elderly in Mexico City

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican authorities are looking for a possible serial killer in the recent slayings of elderly people in the capital, Mexico City Attorney General Bernardo Batiz said Tuesday.

"We have a serious suspicion that there is a serial killer," Batiz was quoted by the Mexican news media as saying. "We have some cases in which the similarity of behavior and modus operandi would indicate to us that this is feasible."

At least 24 elderly people have been slain in this capital of 8 million people since mid-2003, many of them inside their homes, according to the Mexican news media.

Batiz said there were similar patterns in at least four of the homicides.

Although some suspects have been detained, the crimes have continued.

In the coming days, authorities will produce a police sketch of the possible serial killer and will distribute a brochure with recommendations on how the elderly can protect themselves from crime, Batiz said.

Idaho prosecutor to announce death-penalty decision in slayings and child kidnappings

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho (AP) — A prosecutor said Tuesday that as soon as a convicted sex offender was arraigned on charges that he beat three people to death and kidnapped two young children, he would announce his decision on whether he will seek the death penalty.

Joseph Edward Duncan III is accused of killing Brenda Groene, her boyfriend Mark McKenzie and her 13-year-old son Slade in May, then abducting Groene's two other children, 9-year-old Dylan and 8-year-old Shasta.

Duncan, who has spent most of his adult life in prison for sex crimes against children, was arrested in early July as he ate with Shasta at a local restaurant. Dylan's body was found a few days later in Montana.

Duncan, 42, was expected to enter a plea late Tuesday.

All the charges he faces carry the death penalty.

Kootenai County Prosecutor Bill Douglas told The Associated Press earlier Tuesday that he would announce his decision on whether he'll pursue that penalty immediately after Duncan's arraignment. State law requires a plea before a prosecutor makes a capital-punishment announcement.

Authorities said the killings were part of a scheme designed to enable Duncan to abduct the two children for sex.

Douglas said he believes Duncan can get a fair trial in Kootenai County, despite three months of intense publicity after the killings and abductions, but he expects Duncan's lawyers will seek a change of venue.

Public defender John Adams, who is representing Duncan, would not comment on the case before Tuesday's hearing.

Public sentiment in this lakeside city of 35,000 runs heavily against Duncan.

"Duncan, welcome to Idaho, a death penalty state," said a message board at a doughnut shop shortly after Duncan's arrest.

Authorities contend Duncan watched his victims' home along Interstate 90 for days, then entered the night of May 15-16, tied up the three and beat them to death with a hammer.

Court documents allege he then held Shasta and her brother for weeks at a primitive campsite in Montana where he molested them and eventually killed the little boy.

Federal charges are expected later in the crimes against the younger children, since they were taken across a state line. Under federal law, a kidnapping that results in a death is punishable by death.

While it is The Associated Press' policy not to identify alleged victims of sexual assault in most cases, the search for Shasta and her brother was so heavily publicized that their names are widely known.

Duncan also is being investigated in the killings of a 10-year-old boy in California in 1997 and three children — ages 7, 9 and 11 — in Washington state in 1996.

Duncan was sentenced to 20 years in prison in Washington for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old Tacoma boy in 1980. Authorities said he was paroled in 1994 and moved into a halfway house in Seattle.

He was returned to prison in 1997 after testing positive for marijuana use, then was released in 2000. At the time of his July arrest, Duncan was a fugitive charged with molesting a 6-year-old boy in Minnesota.

Man found in Australia while believed missing on Utah hike is charged with insurance fraud

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A man accused of faking his disappearance, setting off a search in the area where he had supposedly gone hiking, has been charged with insurance fraud.

The felony charge was filed Monday against Bryan Butas, 35, of St. George. A second-degree felony is punishable by a maximum sentence of one to 15 years in prison.

Butas had applied for a $250,000 life-insurance policy that named his estranged wife, their two sons and a stepdaughter as beneficiaries, authorities said.

According to an affidavit, Butas told a Washington County sheriff's sergeant that he had been under a great deal of stress and "wanted to disappear and never be found."

Authorities said Butas told friends July 30 he was going hiking in the Oak Grove area of Washington County, in southwestern Utah. He didn't return to work two days later, setting off a 10-day search by authorities and dozens of volunteers, until sheriff's investigators traced him to Australia.

Butas has since checked himself into a Veterans Affairs hospital at Ohio and plans were under way for him to return to Utah, Sheriff's Sgt. Jake Adams said.

According to Adams, Butas said he left his car at Oak Grove, rode a bicycle to another location where he had parked a different vehicle, and eventually caught a bus to Los Angeles, picked up a passport and boarded a flight to Australia.

Butas hoped "everyone would presume he was dead and his children could claim the life insurance policy," Adams said.

Butas' mother, Cathy Butas, told The Salt Lake Tribune last week that the situation was a difficult for the family. "Mentally, he is not very good, but he is alive," she said from Brunswick, Ohio.

One family despairs at missing migrants from Cuba feared lost in boating accident

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Dr. Pablo Delvis Ruiz Pores left his home in Cuba on Aug. 15 with plans for a treacherous boat trip to the United States and hopes of reuniting with his wife in Miami. He hasn't been seen since.

Relatives feared Tuesday he could have been one of the 31 Cubans believed to have gone down in the deadliest migrant boating accident in years.

Coast Guard crews located a capsized 28-foot boat matching the Cubans' description about 16 miles from where three people were picked up alive Sunday, but they did not find any bodies.

The ongoing search, which now includes a Coast Guard cutter, an HC-130 Hercules aircraft and an HH-25 Falcon jet, has covered more than 3,300 square miles — an area larger than Delaware.

Delvis Ruiz, the physician, had a U.S. visa that could have allowed him an easier passage to Florida, but the Cuban government would not let him leave because his profession is considered too valuable.

"They're all going crazy trying to find out what's happening. They know he's on a boat and they think it may be that boat. They're absolutely falling apart," said Mania Perez, a family friend.

So far this year, the Coast Guard has intercepted 1,500 migrants from Cuba and thousands more from other countries, but U.S. officials don't know how many more die trying to make it to the U.S. shore.

Under a "wet-foot, dry-foot" policy, Cubans who make it to land generally are allowed to remain in the United States while those stopped at sea are returned to Cuba.

The Coast Guard learned of the boating accident late Sunday night after two women and one man were rescued by an Antiguan merchant ship about 30 miles north of Matanzas, Cuba.

The three survivors, who were taken back to a Cuban port, described a speed boat that was equipped to carry only about 10 people and said it capsized about 30 minutes after leaving Cuba on Aug. 16.

They said 31 others were aboard; 20 floated away immediately, while others were clinging to the hull for a time before letting go, the Coast Guard reported.

Many Cubans make rafts with inner tubes or other supplies, including old cars, trucks, refrigerators, bathtubs and surfboards. The homemade rafts can be as dangerous as traveling on a packed speedboat with smugglers who charge as much as $10,000 for the trip.

Camila Ruiz, director of government relations at the Cuban American National Foundation, said an increasing number of Cubans are turning to the illegal operations and other dangerous options for travel to the United States.

"People are so desperate they'll try to find any avenue out of the island. There are very limited options. And these people will go on anything that floats," Ruiz said.

Doctors, teachers and those at the eligible age for entering the military might receive a visa from U.S. officials, but Cuban authorities forbid them from leaving, she said.

"People with legal entry to the United States will take up desperate measures to be able to achieve freedom. They find they have no other options except this risky kind of trip," Ruiz said.