Nation, World Briefs: California declares state of emergency
Published 7:50 pm Friday, August 13, 2010
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California’s acting governor Friday declared a state of emergency in Santa Cruz County, site of one of two large coastal fires burning out of control and forcing residents to flee their homes. Lt. Gov. John Garamendi issued the order because Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was out of state attending the funeral of his mother-in-law, Eunice Kennedy Shriver. The governor is expected to tour the fire zone in Santa Cruz County, a mountainous coastal area south of San Francisco, today. That fire started Wednesday evening and the cause is under investigation. More than 2,000 people were evacuated.
Texas: ‘Squeaky’ Fromme free
Three decades after basking in the national spotlight as “Squeaky” the infamous Charles Manson disciple who tried to assassinate President Gerald Ford, the now 60-year-old woman slipped quietly out of a federal prison Friday after being released on parole. Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme eluded the media as she left Fort Worth’s Federal Medical Center Carswell in one of the many cars streaming in and out of the front gate Friday morning. She previously refused interview requests, and prison officials would not say where she planned to live or what she planned to do after more than 30 years behind bars.
Florida: Navy pilot buried
Navy pilot Scott Speicher, the long-missing first casualty of the first Gulf War, was finally laid to rest Friday in his adopted hometown of Jacksonville as thousands of people lined the streets to watch a funeral procession pass his school, church and former military base. Speicher was shot down in 1991 on the first night of the Gulf War. For more than 18 years, no one knew if he was killed or being held prisoner in Iraq until his remains were found in the desert, west of Baghdad, earlier this month.
Nebraska: Bremerton death
A collision between a semitrailer and a car on Interstate 80 east of Kearney left two relatives dead. The Nebraska State Patrol said the accident occurred just before 1 p.m. Thursday. The patrol said the westbound truck went out of control, crossed the median and struck an eastbound car. The car driver, 68-year-old David McLeod of Kearney, and his passenger, 43-year-old Jamie McLeod of Bremerton, were pronounced dead at the scene.
New York: 2nd DWI charge
A former New York congressman has been indicted on a felony charge of drunken driving. A Saratoga County grand jury indicted 54-year-old John Sweeney Friday. State police stopped Sweeney for speeding early on April 5. He refused sobriety tests and was charged with his second DWI count since November 2007. He pleaded guilty to a reduced charged of misdemeanor DWI in that case. The Republican lost his seat in 2006 to Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand, now a U.S. senator, amid allegations of spousal abuse.
Michigan: Inmate’s appeal
A Michigan prison inmate who said his kosher meals were illegally suspended isn’t getting any relief at a federal appeals court. In 2005, convicted killer Phillip Berryman stopped receiving costly kosher meals at St. Louis Correctional Facility after he was caught buying non-kosher munchies at the prison store. The appeals court this week said Michigan has a legitimate interest in maintaining discipline and ensuring that only inmates with “sincere beliefs” participate in the kosher program. The 66-year-old Berryman said the snacks were for another inmate.
Britain: Swine flu vaccine
Drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline PLC said Friday it has started testing its swine flu vaccine in humans. Glaxo said it plans to conduct 16 clinical trials of its swine flu vaccine in more than 9,000 people in Europe and North America. It expects to have early results in September from its first trial in Germany. Both Europe and the United States have fast-track approval systems for the swine flu vaccine, to ensure that the vaccine is available as soon as possible — and before complete safety tests are finished.
Brazil: DNA helps ID body
Authorities said they have used DNA to identify the last body found from the Air France jet crash in the mid-Atlantic that killed 228 people. Officials said the 50th body recovered was that of a non-Brazilian man. The government task force identifying the remains said late Thursday that there were 20 Brazilians and 30 people of other nationalities among the bodies recovered. Air France Flight 447 crashed June 1 into the Atlantic en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris.
From Herald news services
