WASHINGTON — A 17-year-old Eagle Scout wanting to honor his grandfather’s “love of God, country and family” with a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol has helped remove a ban on the word “God” in certificates that accompany these flags. The acting Architect of the Capitol said Thursday he was revising guidelines on Capitol flag certificates because it was “beyond the scope of this agency’s responsibilities to censor messages from members of Congress.” Last week Rep. Michael Turner, R-Ohio, protested upon learning that the office had removed the word “God” from the certificate of authenticity accompanying a flag 17-year-old Andrew Larochelle of Dayton wanted to give his grandfather.
GOP lawmaker will step down
Rep. Ralph Regula, 82, an Ohio Republican who has served in the House for 35 years, has decided not to seek re-election, GOP operatives said Thursday. The congressman was expected to announce today that he will retire at the end of his current two-year term in January 2009. He will be the 11th Republican to forgo a re-election bid next year, further complicating the GOP’s efforts to retake control of the House.
WWII bomber crew recovered
The remains of nine U.S. airmen, missing in action since a World War II mission over Germany, have been identified and will be returned to their families for burial, the Pentagon said Thursday. The men, members of the 492nd bomber group, were aboard a B-24J Liberator on a mission to bomb a German aircraft factory near Bernburg. The plane, which departed North Pickenham, England, was last seen by U.S. aircrew members in that area.
Hawaii: Superferry lays off crew
Blocked by court order, Hawaii Superferry announced Thursday it is laying off most of its employees on three Hawaiian islands. The announcement furloughing 249 of the company’s 309 employees came from the Superferry president two days after a Maui judge ordered the ferry service grounded until an environmental study can be completed. Hawaii’s first interisland car and passenger service was stopped before it could begin full service more than a month ago.
New Jersey: Rabbi assaulted
A man wielding an aluminum baseball bat attacked an Orthodox Jewish rabbi walking to synagogue, critically injuring the 53-year-old man and threatening to strain the already tense ethnic relations in Lakewood, officials said. The beating of Mordechai Moskowitz, reportedly at the hands of a black man, has put residents on edge in the diverse city of 70,000 near the Jersey Shore that is home to a large Orthodox Jewish population, as well as black and Hispanic communities. Moskowitz remained in critical condition Thursday, his face disfigured.
Turkey: Airliner catches fire
An Egyptian plane carrying 163 people to Poland caught fire Thursday after making an emergency landing at Istanbul’s international airport, a government official said. One passenger was slightly injured. The fire in the Egyptian Boeing MD-82 airliner owned by AMC Airlines was extinguished, and there was no loss of life, said the official at the state agency in charge of airports. The plane was forced to land in Istanbul due to a technical problem, but its landing gear failed to work properly. The aircraft landed on its fuselage, starting a fire, the official said.
Spain: Bill targets Gen. Franco
Statues, street names and other symbols honoring former dictator Gen. Francisco Franco would be eliminated under a bill that seeks to make amends to victims of its civil war, the ruling Socialist Party said Thursday. The new legislation would force central, local and regional governments to strip away publicly displayed symbols honoring Franco and his 40-year rule. If passed, the law would be the first to specifically condemn the Franco regime. Lawmakers did this in 2002, but in a nonbinding motion that had no practical effect.
Australia: Referendum of Aborigines
Prime Minister John Howard promised Thursday to hold a referendum giving constitutional recognition to Aborigines as Australia’s first inhabitants — a major policy shift just weeks before elections. But he ruled out making a formal apology on behalf of the nation to Aborigines for past policies that included the forced removal of children from their families. Howard’s comments appeared to be a bid to soften his image as unbending on a topic that polls show many Australians are more sympathetic about.
Bosnia-Herzegovina: Mass grave found
Forensic experts have exhumed the remains of 226 victims of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre from a mass grave in eastern Bosnia, officials said Thursday. The mass grave, the third found in Zeleni Jadar, near Srebrenica, and one of dozens discovered in eastern Bosnia, contained only 34 complete bodies, while the rest were incomplete, the head of the forensic team said. This grave is filled with bodies moved from an original mass grave to try to cover up the crime, officials said.
From Herald news services
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
