NEW YORK — A federal judge on Friday rejected a legal settlement of more than a half-billion dollars for people sickened by ash and dust from the World Trade Center, saying the deal to compensate 10,000 police officers, firefighters and other laborers didn’t contain enough money for the workers. “In my judgment, this settlement is not enough,” the U.S. District judge said. The judge also said he was concerned too much of the deal would be eaten up by legal fees and that ground zero responders were going to be pressured into signing on before they knew how much they stood to receive. A third or more of the amount set aside for the workers was expected to go to their lawyers.
Lawyer alleges entrapment
Four men accused of trying to bomb synagogues and shoot down planes in New York last spring did little more than go along with a fake plot proposed, directed and funded by the federal government, defense lawyers claim in asking the court to dismiss the case. A federal informant chose the targets, offered payment, provided maps and bought the only real weapon involved, a handgun, the attorneys said in a dismissal motion filed this week in federal court. They alleged the defendants were not inclined toward any crime until the informant began recruiting them.
N. Dakota: Red River falls
The projected crest of the Red River at Fargo, N.D., has dropped a half-foot, which is good news for a city braced for flooding. The National Weather Service revised its projection Friday to show the Red at 19.5 feet above the flood stage by Sunday morning. That’s down from an earlier forecast of 20 feet. A spokesman said models suggest water levels should decline slowly but steadily after the crest.
California: Nursing scandal
A state watchdog group said nursing assistants who lost their certification still found work caring for the elderly. In a report released Friday, the Senate Office of Oversight and Outcomes found 20 cases of state-licensed facilities hiring nursing assistants who had their licenses revoked. In one case, a nursing assistant who was decertified and fired for hitting blind clients found work five months later at an 11-bed facility, where she is still employed.
Florida: Fall kills skydiver
A man died while skydiving after authorities said he had problems with his parachute. Police in Zephyrhills said 68-year-old Paul Luter appears to have died instantly upon impact Friday. A Skydive City manager said it appears Luter’s main shoot didn’t open properly. By the time Luter cut away from his main parachute at about 300 feet, there was not enough altitude for the reserve parachute to deploy. Luter was an experienced skydiver.
Arizona: Pot found in truck
U.S. Border Patrol agents said they seized 45 bundles of marijuana from a tractor-trailer at the Arizona-California border. Agents stopped the Freightliner near Blythe, Calif., at about 10 p.m. Wednesday and did a secondary inspection after a Border Patrol canine team smelled something in the cab. A search of the semi revealed about 580 pounds of marijuana hidden inside the truck’s sleeping area. Authorities said the drug had an estimated street value of $464,000. The driver, 43, was arrested and turned over to Drug Enforcement Administration officials.
Britain: Airline strike set
A three-day strike by British Airways cabin crew affecting thousands of travelers is going ahead today after last-ditch talks between the airline’s management and union leaders collapsed. The walkout has forced BA to cancel thousands of flights, but it still hopes to operate around 65 percent of its international schedule over the period. A total of 1,100 flights out of the 1,950 flights scheduled to operate during the walkout will be canceled, but the airline has leased planes and crew from rival carriers to take up some of the shortfall.
Mexico: Soldiers attacked
A shootout erupted in the streets on Friday, killing two suspected drug cartel gunmen and wounding a soldier. The gunmen opened fire on an army patrol outside the gates of a prestigious private university in Monterrey, the army said. Soldiers seized guns, ammunition and hand grenades at the scene. The wounded soldier is in stable condition. The previous day, gunmen in a convoy of six vehicles opened fire on a navy helicopter conducting an anti-crime reconnaissance patrol in Fresnillo, a town outside Monterrey.
From Herald news services
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