HYGIENE, Colo. -- Weary Colorado evacuees have begun returning home after days of rain and flooding, but Monday's clearing skies and receding waters revealed only more heartbreak: toppled houses, upended vehicles and a stinking layer of muck covering everything.

Rescuers grounded by weekend rains took advantage of the break in the weather to resume searches for people still stranded, with 21 helicopters fanning out over the mountainsides and the plains to drop supplies and airlift those who need help.

The confirmed death toll stood at four, with two women missing and presumed dead. State emergency officials reported the death toll at seven Monday -- four dead in Boulder County, two in Larimer County and one in El Paso County. But local authorities said they had not raised the death count to seven.

The number of missing people was difficult to pinpoint, but it has been decreasing. The state's count fell Monday from just over 1,200 to about half that. State officials hoped the overall number would continue to drop with rescuers reaching more people and phone service being restored.

NEW YORK -- William C. Thompson Jr. withdrew from the race for mayor of New York on Monday, ending his second bid to run the city and making Bill de Blasio the undisputed Democratic nominee.

Mr. Thompson, 60, a former city comptroller, endorsed Mr. de Blasio at a news conference at City Hall. His decision clears the way for a general election contest in which Mr. de Blasio, currently the city's elected public advocate, will face Joseph J. Lhota, a Republican who previously served as chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVY BASE, Cuba -- The judge in the Sept. 11 case shouted down two alleged conspirators protesting their lack of rights, ejected one from the war court and then hastily recessed Monday morning to get a sick defense lawyer to the Navy base hospital.

"I have a right to talk," Yemeni defendant Ramzi bin al-Shibh, 41, shouted at the judge, Army Col. James Pohl. "No you don't," the judge shouted back, trying to silence him before ordering U.S. Army guards to remove him from the court.

Moments before, the alleged 911 mastermind, Khalid Sheik Mohammed, 48, appeared to be reading an Arabic-language protest of military obstacles to meeting with his lawyers. The judge shut him down with a ruling that Mr. Mohammed lost the right to voluntarily absent himself from this week's pretrial hearing by not answering his questions.

JUNEAU, Alaska -- One of the partners in a massive and contentious proposed gold and copper mine in Alaska is pulling out, raising questions about the future of the project.

London-based Anglo American PLC announced Monday that a subsidiary, Anglo American (US) Pebble LLC, is withdrawing from the Pebble Mine project, leaving Canada-based Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. as the sole owner. Anglo American CEO Mark Cutifani said the decision follows a review of his company's backlog of projects.

Pebble has said the project is one of the largest of its kind in the world, with the potential of producing 80.6 billion pounds of copper, 5.6 billion pounds of molybdenum and 107.4 million ounces of gold.

BOSTON -- A Boston man homeless since 2005 who police said turned in a backpack containing tens of thousands of dollars in cash and traveler's checks said even if he were desperate he wouldn't have kept "even a penny."

Police Commissioner Edward Davis honored Glen James on Monday, giving him a special citation and thanking him for an "extraordinary show of character and honesty."

Mr. James, who said he once worked as a Boston courthouse employee, found the backpack at a mall Saturday evening. He flagged down a police officer and handed it over. Inside was $2,400 in U.S. currency, almost $40,000 in traveler's checks, Chinese passports and other personal papers.

-- Compiled from news services

HYGIENE, Colo. -- Weary Colorado evacuees have begun returning home after days of rain and flooding, but Monday's clearing skies and receding waters revealed only more heartbreak: toppled houses, upended vehicles and a stinking layer of muck covering everything.

Rescuers resumed searches for people still stranded, with 21 helicopters fanning out to drop supplies and airlift those who needed help.

The confirmed death toll stood at four, with two women missing and presumed dead. Officials reported the death toll at seven Monday -- four dead in Boulder County, two in Larimer County and one in El Paso County. But local authorities said they had not raised the count to seven.

The number of missing was difficult to pinpoint, but it has been decreasing. The state's count fell Monday from just over 1,200 to about half that. Officials hoped the overall number would continue to drop with rescuers reaching more people and phone service being restored.

NEW YORK -- William C. Thompson Jr. withdrew from the race for mayor of New York on Monday, ending his second bid to run the city and making Bill de Blasio the undisputed Democratic nominee.

Mr. Thompson, 60, a former city comptroller, endorsed Mr. de Blasio. His decision clears the way for a general election contest in which Mr. de Blasio, the city's elected public advocate, will face Joseph J. Lhota, a Republican who had served as chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVY BASE, Cuba -- The judge in the Sept. 11 case shouted down two alleged conspirators protesting their lack of rights, ejected one from the court and then hastily recessed Monday to get a sick defense lawyer to the Navy base hospital.

"I have a right to talk," Yemeni defendant Ramzi bin al-Shibh, 41, shouted at the judge, Army Col. James Pohl. "No you don't," the judge shouted back before ordering U.S. Army guards to remove him from the court.

Moments before, the alleged 911 mastermind, Khalid Sheik Mohammed, 48, appeared to be reading an Arabic-language protest of military obstacles to meeting with his lawyers. The judge shut him down with a ruling that he lost the right to voluntarily absent himself from the pretrial hearing by not answering his questions.

JUNEAU, Alaska -- A partner in a massive proposed gold and copper mine in Alaska is pulling out, raising questions about the future of the project.

London-based Anglo American PLC said Monday that a subsidiary, Anglo American Pebble LLC, is withdrawing from the Pebble Mine project, leaving Canada-based Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. as the sole owner.

Pebble has said the project is one of the largest of its kind in the world, with the potential of producing 80.6 billion pounds of copper, 5.6 billion pounds of molybdenum and 107.4 million ounces of gold.

BOSTON -- A man homeless since 2005 who police said turned in a backpack containing almost $43,000 in cash and traveler's checks said even if he were desperate he wouldn't have kept "even a penny."

Police Commissioner Edward Davis honored Glen James on Monday, giving him a special citation and thanking him for an "extraordinary show of character and honesty."

Mr. James, who said he once worked as a Boston courthouse employee, found the backpack at a mall Saturday evening.

-- Compiled from news services

First Published: September 17, 2013, 4:15 a.m.