1. Expert climbers've begun their biggest effort to find 3 missing men on Mount Hood. One team started up the south side of the mountain, another team tackled the north side. Weather conditions are good for the search.

2. Democratic Senator Tim Johnson remains in critical condition today but doctors say he seems to have improved since he underwent brain surgery on Wednesday. He will remain hospitalized until the swelling in his brain subsides.

3. Two astronauts are walking in space. They are finishing up some electrical work on the International Space Station. This is the third scheduled spacewalk of the mission but NASA managers may decide on another walk on Monday.

4. And a rocket carrying 2 experimental satellites blazed into the Virginia sky this morning. It was the first launch for the mid-Atlantics commercial spaceport. The rocket will test how fast the military can transmit images of enemy targets to battlefield commanders.

WORDS IN THE NEWS


1. swelling : N-VAR
A swelling is a raised, curved shape on the surface of your body which appears as a result of an injury or an illness.

2. subside : VERB
If a feeling or noise subsides, it becomes less strong or loud.

3. finish up : PHR-V
If you finish up something that you have been eating or drinking, you eat or drink the last part of it.

4. spaceport : N-COUNT
An installation for sheltering, testing, maintaining, and launching spacecraft.