DENVER

Rescuers call off search amid landslide fears

Authorities braced for the possibility of another landslide in a remote part of western Colorado as they surveyed a massive debris field Tuesday amid dangerously unstable conditions that led them to call off the search for three ranchers missing there.

Mesa County Sheriff Stan Hilkey said the search eventually could resume for Clancy Nichols, 51, who also worked as a county road and bridge employee; his son Danny Nichols, 24; and Wes Hawkins, 46.

But it might not be safe enough to do so until summer.

“We don’t want to create any more tragedy than we already have,” Hilkey said.

ORLANDO, Fla.

Study shows activity helps seniors stay independent

It may seem obvious, but now there’s proof: Physical activity of moderate intensity can help older people stay mobile and independent, according to the largest clinical trial ever done on the issue.

The study, presented Tuesday at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in Orlando, Fla., involved researchers at eight field centers.

A physical activity program consisting of aerobic, resistance and flexibility exercises significantly reduced the risk of a major mobility disability, researchers found.

“Until this study, we didn’t have the proof necessary to say that daily exercise, sustained over several years, truly can prevent loss of mobility,” said Anne Newman, chair of the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public Health, which participated in the study. “Doctors can now feel confident that moderate physical activity improves the independence and mobility of older adults.”

Researchers, led by Marco Pahor of the University of Florida Institute of Aging in Gainesville, randomly assigned 1,635 seniors aged 70 to 89 who were able to walk a quarter of a mile either to the exercise program or to a health education program consisting of workshops and upper extremity stretching exercises.

SAN FRANCISCO

Hidden envelopes of cash cause social media frenzy

Someone’s dropping envelopes full of cash across San Francisco, causing a social media frenzy.

The mysterious person with the Twitter handle @HiddenCash has been hiding money throughout the city since Friday that’s leading scores on a scavenger hunt. His Twitter following has exploded from a few hundred on Friday to more than 75,000 and counting by Tuesday. Hidden Cash’s creator says his giveaways are a “social experiment for good.” He claims to make his money off San Francisco’s hot real estate market and hopes that winners also pay it forward.

Adam Wenger, a 27-year-old web producer, said he won $200 finding two envelopes Friday in the city’s South of Market District. He bought pizza for his co-workers on Tuesday and will pay a $100 parking ticket.