Astrophysicist Ends WIPP Fast

Thursday June 24 6:15 AM ET

(ALBUQUERUQE, NEW MEXICO) -- An 82-day fast didn't work, so Charles Hyder now says he'll try something else. Hyder, 69, began fasting March 26th... the day the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in Carlsbad received its first shipment of nuclear waste. Hyder, a retired astrophysicist, began the fast to protest the opening of the WIPP site. He was forced to quit last week after spending three days in the hospital. In March, Hyder said he would continue to fast until the WIPP site closed or until he died. Thirteen shipments later, the WIPP site is still open, and Hyder is eating again. Asked why he began eating despite his promise, Hyder only pointed out that the media ``would not have cared if Charles Hyder died.''