Nation briefly
Published 9:00 pm Monday, August 7, 2006
Atrocities against civilians and prisoners by Army soldiers during the Vietnam War were more common than originally disclosed to the public, according to a Los Angeles Times review of recently unsealed government files. Records detail 320 wartime atrocities substantiated by the Army, and every division operating in Vietnam. The files show investigators found enough evidence to charge 203 soldiers with crimes related to the mistreatment of Vietnamese civilians and prisoners. But only 57 soldiers were court-martialed and 23 convicted, the Times reported.
LAX problem delays passengers
A navigational system for one runway failed at Los Angeles International Airport Monday morning, delaying thousands of passengers on hundreds of flights at LAX and airports across the country. Airport officials had to delay many flights by 90 minutes or more and cancel other flights before the equipment was fixed early Monday afternoon, Federal Aviation Administration officials said. By late Monday evening, there were no more flight delays, an airport spokesman said.
Arizona: SUV rollover kills nine
A sport utility vehicle crammed with suspected illegal immigrants rolled over Monday near Yuma in an attempt to outrun Border Patrol agents, killing nine Mexican citizens and injuring at least 12 others, officials said. Five of the injured, including a pregnant woman, were in critical condition, most with head trauma, hospital officials said.
D.C.: GOP gives up DeLay fight
Texas Republicans on Monday abandoned their court fight to replace former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay on the November ballot after being turned back at the U.S. Supreme Court. The decision came after Justice Antonin Scalia rejected Texas Republicans’ request to block an appeals court ruling saying DeLay’s name should remain on the ballot. DeLay, under indictment on money laundering charges in Texas, resigned from Congress in June and could still withdraw from the race.
N.Y.: Manatee in the city
In the heat of summer, all sorts of tourists head north to cooler climes. This year, a manatee has joined the crowd, cruising past the nightclubs of Manhattan and continuing north. The massive animal has been spotted in the Hudson River at least three times in the last week. It is unusual for a manatee, an endangered marine mammal, to travel so far north.
From Herald news services
