WASHINGTON — U.S. officials say three Guantanamo Bay detainees have been sent home to Saudi Arabia. The Justice Department said the trio will be subject to judicial review in Saudi Arabia before they participate in a rehabilitation program administered by the Saudi government. With the latest transfer, the U.S. has removed 10 detainees from Guantanamo in the past week, sending four to Bermuda, one to Chad, one to Iraq, and one to face trial in New York City. That leaves 229 detainees still at the U.S. military detention center in Cuba.
Rhode Island: Kennedy rehab
Rep. Patrick Kennedy, who has struggled with depression, alcoholism and addiction for much of his life, said Friday that he has checked into a medical facility for treatment. The Rhode Island Democrat, who sought treatment three years ago after a car crash near the U.S. Capitol, said his recovery is a “lifelong process” and that he will do whatever it takes to preserve his health. After a relapse in 2006, Kennedy said he was more aware of the stresses in his life and trying to minimize them where possible.
Missouri: Fish food stimulus
The United States is about to spend $50 million in stimulus money on fish food to help fish farmers who have been struggling since feed prices jumped 50 percent last year. The money could provide algae to nourish clam and oyster larvae along the Pacific coast, fill the bellies of tilapia in Arizona and feed catfish, trout and gamefish in the Midwest and South. Supporters said many fish farms are in already poor areas. They said the money will help keep the farms going and preserve jobs in areas hard hit by the recession and lacking other industries.
Colorado: Plane off runway
Allegiant Air said the nose gear of one of its planes ran off a taxi-way at the Fort Collins-Loveland Municipal Airport, but none of the 145 passengers and crew was injured. An Allegiant spokeswoman said the Boeing MD-83 landed safely on a flight from Las Vegas on Friday and was taxiing to the terminal when it became stuck at about 10:30 a.m. She said the airline is working to find a replacement plane for a return flight to Las Vegas.
Alaska: Two climbers die
Two climbers fell more than 2,000 feet to their deaths on Alaska’s Mount McKinley, raising this year’s death toll on the mountain to four, officials said Friday. John Mislow, 39, and Andrew Swanson, 36, were roped together when they fell Thursday afternoon along Messner Couloir, a steep, hourglass-shaped snow gully on the 20,320-foot mountain, North America’s tallest peak. Rangers used a helicopter to recover their bodies Thursday. In 2000, the two received the Denali Pro Award in recognition of setting the highest standards of mountaineering for safety, self-sufficiency and assistance to fellow climbers.
Texas: Mental-health abuse
Nearly 270 employees were fired or suspended for abusing or neglecting residents of large, state-run institutions for the mentally disabled in Texas during the last fiscal year, according to records obtained by The Associated Press. The revelations Friday come a day after the governor signed legislation aimed at improving oversight at the 13 state schools. They are home to about 4,600 residents and more than 12,000 full-time employees. Documents show that 11 of the 268 firings or suspensions were considered serious because they involved physical or sexual abuse that caused or may have caused serious physical injury.
California: Porn HIV case
State health officials are looking into the latest HIV case reported in California’s multibillion-dollar porn industry, fearing that reckless practices on film sets might be raising the risk of new infections. It was revealed this week that a woman tested positive for HIV immediately after making an adult film. The state Division of Occupational Safety and Health is attempting to identify the filmmaker, at which point a formal investigation would begin.
Canada: Slaying of U.S. sailor
A Canadian man convicted of manslaughter in the stabbing death of a U.S. sailor was sentenced Friday to 15 years in prison. A justice for the Nova Scotia Supreme Court sentenced Cory Wright to 15 years, but reduced his time in jail to 11 years after taking into account time already served. Wright pleaded guilty two years ago to fatally stabbing Damon Crooks during a 2006 bar brawl at a Halifax nightclub. Crooks, a 28-year-old sailor from Jacksonville, Florida, was serving on the USS Doyle.
From Herald news services
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
