NEW ORLEANS – FBI agents searched the Washington, D.C., and New Orleans homes of a Louisiana congressman Wednesday, hauling away boxes and bags from one of the residences. The Justice Department refused to say what agents were looking for during the searches of U.S. Rep. William Jefferson’s homes and vehicle. Jefferson, 58, an eight-term Democrat from New Orleans, said in a statement that he did “not know the extent or precise nature of this investigation” but said he was cooperating fully.
Virginia: Brain-dead mother dies
A brain-dead woman who was kept alive for three months so she could deliver the child she was carrying was removed from life support in Arlington on Wednesday and died, a day after giving birth. Susan Torres, a cancer-stricken, 26-year-old researcher at the National Institutes of Health, suffered a stroke in May after the melanoma spread to her brain. Her family decided to keep her alive to give her fetus a chance. It became a race between the fetus’ development and the cancer that was ravaging the woman’s body.
California: No jail for 11-year-old
An 11-year-old girl who threw a rock at a boy during a water balloon fight escaped jail time Wednesday on a felony assault with a deadly weapon charge after lawyers worked out a deal in the emotionally charged case. Maribel Cuevas was ordered to meet with her young victim and talk about the fight under the deal, reached on the same day the girl was to stand trial in juvenile court in Fresno. She did not have to plead guilty, and the charges will be dismissed if she stays in school and keeps out of trouble.
New York: Hillary leads, poll finds
Sen. Hillary Clinton has a huge lead over Jeanine Pirro, Westchester County’s high-profile Republican district attorney, in a possible 2006 Senate matchup, according to a poll released Wednesday. The poll, from the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, had Clinton leading Pirro, 63 percent to 29 percent, in a hypothetical matchup. The poll found Clinton leading another potential Senate challenger, Manhattan lawyer Edward Cox, 64 percent to 26 percent. Cox is a son-in-law of the late President Nixon.
D.C.: No mad cow disease
A cow suspected of having mad cow disease has tested negative for the brain-wasting ailment, the Agriculture Department said Wednesday. Testing by the department’s laboratory in Ames, Iowa, and the internationally recognized laboratory in Weybridge, England, came back negative, said John Clifford, the department’s chief veterinarian. The animal had complications while giving birth and died on the farm where it had lived.
W. Virginia: Sen. Byrd strikes back
Eight-term Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd has responded to a Republican ad criticizing his record by putting out his own spot that says the GOP commercial is false and misleading. “Their agenda? Privatize Social Security and tax breaks for companies that ship our jobs overseas,” Byrd’s ad says. The West Virginia lawmaker has yet to announce that he will seek a ninth term in 2006. More than a year before the election, the National Republican Senatorial Committee already has begun showing an ad that assails Byrd for his votes against President Bush on national security and taxes.
Illinois: No last wish for nudist
Even in death, Robert Norton’s nakedness is a no-no. Norton, 82, of Pekin spent four decades in and out of court fighting repeated arrests for gardening and wandering his yard in the nude. He said he wanted to be buried without any clothes, but his family is sending him to eternity wearing gray slacks and a matching shirt. “He’s not going to be buried in the nude,” said his brother, Jack Norton, a minister. Brenda Loete, who lived next door to Norton for a dozen years, said she never spoke to her neighbor. “We didn’t really know him. We just had him arrested,” Loete said.
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