Driving with one hand on the wheel and the other on a cellphone is no longer an option for Washington state drivers. On Tuesday, they will join more than 28 million others nationwide who have to hang up their cellphones or use hands-free devices. A handful of states already have laws in place, and lawmakers in Louisiana recently sent a bill to the governor's desk. Georgia's cellphone law applies only to school bus drivers. A study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found drivers using cellphones are four times more likely to be in an accident. But the study also suggested that limiting cellphone use to hands-free devices doesn't have much of an effect. It's the talking that distracts people, traffic safety advocates say, and allowing hands-free phoning doesn't really address the safety issue.

Gay paraders show pride in marriage

A lesbian motorcycle group dressed in wedding gowns lent a matrimonial touch to San Francisco's 38th annual gay pride parade Sunday as revelers celebrated their newfound freedom to marry in California. Huge crowds lined the route as city tourism officials predicted the largest turnout yet for the parade, which typically draws tens of thousands.

Grizzly attacks teen in bike race

Anchorage, Alaska, police said a 14-year-old girl who was among about 60 participants in a 24-hour bike race was severely injured in a grizzly bear attack. The girl, who was riding before dawn Sunday on a park trail when attacked, used her cellphone to call 911 but was unable to communicate. Another biker found her, and medics were escorted by officers with shotguns into the dark woods to retrieve the victim while organizers scrambled to account for all the other riders.

Choppers collide near hospital

Two medical helicopters collided in midair near a Flagstaff, Ariz., hospital, killing at least seven people and critically injuring three. All three people on one of the helicopters were killed, including a patient and the pilot, the Federal Aviation Administration said. Four others were killed and three critically injured, the FAA said, but it was unclear if they were all on the second helicopter or whether some were on the ground. The cause was under investigation.

COMING UP

> The Mississippi River was expected to crest in St. Louis today and Cape Girardeau in southeastern Missouri on Wednesday. Cape Girardeau is expected to see a crest of 42.5 feet, well above the flood stage of 32 feet. The National Weather Service warned some residents will have to leave and thousands of acres of farmland will be flooded.

> New York City's ban on trans fats takes full effect Tuesday, making the Big Apple the first U.S. city to adopt such a stringent rule. Starting this week, the ban extends to almost all prepared food in restaurants, bakeries, cafeterias, salad bars and food carts. The artery-clogging substance was first banned from cooking oils last year.