BATON ROUGE, La. — An internal review by ACORN’s board of directors found that $5 million was embezzled from the community organization, far more than a previously reported sum of $1 million, according to documents from the Louisiana attorney general’s office. The new amount was reported in a subpoena released Monday. It is unclear if the money was taken from state, federal or private funds, according to the subpoena. ACORN Chief Executive Officer Bertha Lewis said the new embezzlement allegation is “completely false.”
Utah: Rocket firm layoffs
The company that makes booster rockets for the space shuttle is laying off 550 engineers, factory workers and others at three Utah locations. ATK Space Systems said Tuesday’s pink slips mark the phase-out of the space shuttle, as well as the end of production for the government’s Minuteman III ballistic missile program. ATK alerted workers to the reductions in July. More than 130 of the employees voluntarily accepted a layoff.
Alaska: Afghan war troops
Former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is urging President Barack Obama to increase the number of U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan. Palin said in a posting on her Facebook page Tuesday that this is “not the time for cold feet, second thoughts, or indecision.” Instead, the former Alaska governor writes it’s time “to act as commander in chief and approve the troops so clearly needed in Afghanistan.”
Arizona: Swine flu closure
Health officials suspect an outbreak of swine flu has caused a school to shut down after more than a third of the students called in sick. Huachuca City Elementary will closed, the rest of the week followed by the regular fall break. Crews will disinfect everything that children put their hands on, from door knobs and desks to restrooms, and the cafeteria.
California: Mel Gibson DUI
A judge in Los Angeles on Tuesday agreed to expunge Mel Gibson’s conviction that followed an infamous Malibu drunken driving arrest in which the actor made anti-Semitic comments to a sheriff’s deputy. As part of his 2006 conviction, Gibson agreed to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, perform in public service announcements and pay $1,300 in fines to resolve the drunken driving case. As a first-time offender, Gibson was eligible to have the conviction removed from his record after completing the terms of his probation.
W. Virginia: Pagans busted
National Pagans Motorcycle Club leaders and more than 50 members and associates of the outlaw biker gang are accused of plotting to kill and extort rivals to consolidate the club’s power in the eastern U.S., according to an indictment unsealed Tuesday. The defendants include national Pagans President David Keith “Bart” Barbeito of Myersville, Md., and national Vice President Floyd B. “Jesse” Moore of St. Albans. Also named are members and associates in West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Florida.
Michigan: Wheelchair fall
Detroit police said a 58-year-old man died when his motorized wheelchair fell eight floors down an elevator shaft in a downtown building. A police spokesman said it appears the wheelchair had been moving erratically and bumping into the elevator door on the eighth floor of the residential building Monday afternoon. He said at some point the door opened. The wheelchair then lurched into the shaft.
Israel: Fighter interception
Israel’s air force scrambled fighter jets Tuesday after a small civilian plane flew into restricted airspace near the country’s heavily guarded and secretive Dimona nuclear reactor, security officials said Tuesday. The Israeli military said two fighter planes that were already airborne responded and directed the pilot to a nearby airport. Israeli media said the man had flown into the area accidentally and was released after being questioned. Foreign experts have concluded that Israel possesses a formidable nuclear arsenal based on pictures taken at the site two decades ago by a technician. Israel maintains a policy it calls nuclear ambiguity, refusing to acknowledge whether it has atomic weapons.
From Herald news services
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
