News briefs on the Haiti earthquake

Hillary Clinton will travel to Haiti Saturday

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says she is heading to Haiti to inspect the damage from this week's earthquake firsthand.

Clinton will travel with USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah Saturday. She plans to meet with President Rene Preval and other Haitian officials. She says she will inspect U.S. relief efforts.

Donations qualify for '09 deductions

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans who make donations for Haitian earthquake victims would be able to write off charitable deductions from their 2009 taxes under a bill unveiled Friday by a bipartisan group of House and Senate leaders.

The lawmakers said Friday they will introduce a bill allowing 2009 tax deductions for donations made by the end of February. Under current law, donors would have to wait until they file their 2010 returns next spring to take the deductions.

Congress could act on the bill as early as next week. A similar law was enacted in 2005 for donations to victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami that happened in December 2004.

N.J. church group comes home safely

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. (AP) — A second New Jersey church delegation has arrived home from Haiti.

Fourteen congregants and staff members from The Presbyterian Church in Lawrenceville and six people from other Mercer County churches were flown Friday from Port-au-Prince to San Juan, Puerto Rico. They arrived at the Lawrenceville church shortly after 3 p.m.

The church group is the second from New Jersey to get out of Haiti safely. A 15-member group from Trinity United Methodist Church in Hackettstown got home earlier Friday.

Mail to Haiti is put on hold indefinitely

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Postal Service said Friday it is holding mail destined for Haiti. The post office said the mail hold was imposed because of disruptions to normal flight operations by airlines. Officials said mail addressed to Haiti will still be accepted, but will be held until transportation arrangements become available.

Obama allows illegal Haitians to stay put

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration said Friday it will allow Haitians who were already in the U.S. illegally to remain because of the catastrophic earthquake.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano granted the temporary protected status on Friday, two days after she temporarily halted deportations of Haitians, even those already in detention. The protection is only available to Haitians already in the country as of last Tuesday, and allows them to stay and work for 18 months.

Napolitano told reporters that the temporary legal status is an act of compassion.