WASHINGTON — Democratic Rep. David Wu of Oregon announced Tuesday that he will resign amid the political fallout from an 18-year-old woman’s allegations of an unwanted sexual encounter with him.
Wu had already said that he would not seek re-election, but he had come under increasing pressure
to step down. Shortly after the allegations broke, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi requested a House Ethics Committee investigation of his conduct.
Wu said he will quit once the debt-ceiling crisis is resolved. A Yale-educated lawyer, he was elected to Congress in 1998 as the first Chinese-American to serve in the House.
Tenn.: Gay marriage T-shirt flap
A lesbian couple is asking for changes at the Dollywood theme park after an employee asked one of the women to turn her T-shirt reading “marriage is so gay” inside-out to avoid offending others. Olivier Odom and Jennifer Tipton told The Knoxville News Sentinel they want the park to be more inclusive of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender families. Dollywood spokesman Pete Owens said on Tuesday that Dollywood is open to all families, but their dress code policy is to ask people with clothing or tattoos that could be considered offensive to change clothes or cover up.
Conn.: Big cat walked 2K miles
A mountain lion killed on a Connecticut highway last month had apparently walked halfway across the country from South Dakota, according to Connecticut environmental officials who said Tuesday that the journey of roughly 2,000 miles was one of the longest ever recorded for a land mammal. The 140-pound male originated in the Black Hills region of South Dakota and was tracked by DNA from its hair and droppings as it passed through Minnesota and Wisconsin in 2009 and 2010, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Daniel Esty said. It was the first confirmed wild mountain lion in Connecticut in more than 100 years.
Ga: Judge goes easy on mom
A woman who was arrested after her 4-year-old son was struck and killed by a van as they were jaywalking across a busy street was spared a prison sentence Tuesday following an outcry over her prosecution. Raquel Nelson, 30, was convicted by a jury earlier this month of vehicular homicide and other charges for not using a crosswalk and could have gotten three years behind bars — far more than the six months the hit-and-run driver served. Instead, without explanation, Judge Kathryn Tanksley gave the suburban Atlanta mother a year’s probation, ordered 40 hours of community service, and took the unusual step of offering her a new trial. Nelson’s lawyer said late Tuesday that she will take the judge up on the offer.
Calif.: Butter knife self-surgery
A Southern California man stuck a butter knife into his belly in a failed bid at self-surgery to remove a painful hernia, police said Tuesday. The wife of the 63-year-old Glendale man called 911 on Sunday night and told the emergency operator her husband was using a knife to remove a protruding hernia, Sgt. Tom Lorenz said. Officers found the man naked on a patio lounge chair outside his apartment with a 6-inch butter knife sticking out of his stomach.
Around the world
S. Korea: Landslides kill 17
Officials say five people have been killed and one child is missing in a landslide in southern Seoul as heavy rains pound South Korea. Officials also say 12 other people were also killed in an earlier landslide in a northern South Korean town Wednesday. Two others are also missing in Chuncheon, about 68 miles northeast of Seoul.
Egypt: Mubarak won’t eat
Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has refused to eat for four days, has lost weight and is weak, his chief doctor said Tuesday, increasing speculation that the ousted leader won’t stand trial next week as scheduled. Any delay in Mubarak’s trial would likely further inflame tensions between the military council ruling Egypt since Mubarak’s fall and protesters frustrated with the pace of change.
Mexico: Assassin, 14, jailed
A judge on Tuesday sentenced a 14-year-old U.S. citizen to three years in prison for homicide, kidnapping and drug and weapons possession. Authorities say the teen confessed to killing four people whose beheaded bodies were found hanging from a bridge. Edgar Jimenez Lugo, known as “El Ponchis,” was given the maximum sentenced allowed for a minor in the central state of Morelos. Authorities say the teenager confessed to working for the South Pacific drug cartel.
From Herald news services
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