// a href = ./ //

   KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - A bus collided on Friday with the wreckage of a truck that was attacked by Taliban insurgents in southern Afghanistan, killing 30 people aboard the bus in a fiery crash, officials said.

   The battered truck was left in the middle of a narrow road on the border of Helmand and Kandahar provinces for several days after insurgents opened fire on it. Police considered the area too dangerous to enter, the officials said.

   Before sunrise Friday, the bus smashed into the truck and both vehicles burst into flames, badly burning many of the bus passengers, said Abdul Razaq, the provincial police chief of Kandahar.

   Razaq said eight passengers were injured. Omar Zawak, the governor's spokesman in Helmand province, put the injury total at 11. Both said the casualties included men, women and children.

   The bus began its journey in the capital of Helmand province and was scheduled to stop in Kandahar city, then travel north to Kabul, the Afghan capital, Razaq said.

   Officials with the St. Louis Community College at Meramec continue to be questioned about the way an alleged assault in a women's restroom was handled.  

   A student, 18 year old Jevon Mallory, was arrested Tuesday and charged with an April 18th attack on a female student. But critics are questioning the five day delay.

   Campus police had taken Mallory into custody on the day Blythe Grupe reported being choked in a restroom.  But no charges were filed, and no alert was sent to the campus community.  Instead, police let Mallory go with a stern warning not to return to campus.

   A college spokesperson told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that campus police hadn't initially view the attack as serious since there were no weapons involved.  

   After Grupe and her parents continued to push the issue, Mallory was arrested. He's now jailed in St. Louis County on felony assault charges.

   ST. LOUIS (AP) - Ryan Reaves scored twice and Brian Elliott earned his NHL-leading 10th win in April in the St. Louis Blues' 4-1 victory over the Calgary Flames on Thursday night.

   Reaves scored the Blues 1st and 4th goals in the game. In between, Andy McDonald scored a power play goal and Alex Steen scored the goal that made it a 3-1 St. Louis lead.

   St. Louis, which has won five of six, moved into fourth place in the Western Conference. The Blues have 58 points, one ahead of Los Angeles and San Jose. They can clinch the No. 4 seed and home ice in the opening round of the playoffs with a victory over Chicago on Saturday.

   Los Angeles and San Jose will meet Saturday in the final regular-season game for both teams.

   Calgary, which will miss the playoffs for the fourth straight year, has won five of eight but will end the season Friday at Chicago.

   Elliott made 18 saves in improving to 10-2 in April. He has three shutouts in the month and has allowed only 15 goals.