TERROR IN OKLAHOMA CITY : Soap’s Plot Coincidence

The ugly reality of the Oklahoma City bombing prompted an apologetic disclaimer from ABC’s “All My Children,” a soap opera in which a character has been planning to bomb a wedding. In the network’s top-rated daytime drama, the character Janet Green (played by Robin Mattson) plots to build a bomb and plant it at the wedding of Trevor and Lauren. “Unfortunately, these scenes were taped weeks ago and began airing this week,” said ABC publicist Sally Schoenbaum. The coincidence was too painful to go unnoticed. The show’s actors and producers met and decided to air a taped statement at the top of the show and before every episode that deals with the bomb.

Messages From School

The 675 students at Jurupa Vista Elementary School in Fontana joined other children around the nation in sending best wishes and condolences to the children of Oklahoma City. At lunch, the children and teachers signed a 50-foot banner that read: “We’re Thinking of You.” The children also wrote individual cards, which included such messages as “Dear children of Oklahoma City, we hope you’re feeling better soon,” and “I wish I could send my allowance to you but I don’t have enough.”

Elevator Plunge Survivor

A man who entered an elevator as a massive bomb tore apart Oklahoma City’s federal building walked away almost unscathed after the blast sent him plunging seven floors, firefighters said. “It crashed to the first floor, the doors opened and he walked out,” said NBC reporter Roger O’Neill, who spoke to the recue workers inside the building as part of a new pool. The firefighters did not give the man’s name but said that he was only slightly injured. Firefighters added that the elevator, which may have saved the man’s life, was now working again, but was not being used by search teams.