Columbus heading to Puerto Rico

             SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- (AP) -- The first pieces of a 351-foot statue of
             Christopher Columbus that has inspired doubt among residents and opposition
             from environmentalists will arrive in Puerto Rico next month, planners announced.

             The bronze colossus, which was rejected by five cities, will be delivered in 2,750
             pieces from Russia, where it was designed by a sculptor.

             A 40-foot-high base for the statue will be built in San Juan Bay, said the vice
             president of the Puerto Rican Senate, Anibal Marrero Perez.

             The statue, which will stand taller than the Statue of Liberty, depicts three gigantic
             sails and Columbus at the wheel of a ship. Some say the metal behemoth is ugly,
             while others question the environmental implications of building the statue on a spit
             of dumped sand.