HOUSTON — The Charles Manson follower convicted of attempting to assassinate President Gerald Ford is set to be released from a federal prison in Texas later this month after serving more than 30 years behind bars. Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme was a 26-year-old disciple of the cult murderer Manson when she aimed a semiautomatic .45- caliber pistol at Ford in September 1975 in Sacramento, Calif. Secret Service agents grabbed her and Ford was unhurt. Fromme, now 60, is scheduled to be released on parole from the Federal Medical Center Carswell in Fort Worth on Aug. 16.
California: The dream fades
The California dream has faded since the 1970s for many in the Golden State, according to a new Field Poll. Just 41 percent of registered voters agree the state is “one of the best places to live,” a sharp drop from the 76 percent who thought so 30 years ago when Field first asked that question. The survey, released Wednesday, found that Republicans were the most likely to have lost that lovin’ feeling about their state. Just 30 percent of GOP respondents said California remained a great place to live, compared with 80 percent in 1977.
Swine flu worries nurses
A union said some hospitals aren’t adequately protecting nurses from swine flu. The California Nurses Association plans to protest Wednesday in San Francisco in the wake of a Sacramento nurse’s swine flu death last month. The union wants hospitals to provide better masks, equipment and protocol to protect nurses from further sickness. The union said nurses are reporting difficulties getting the masks recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and having them properly fitted to be airtight.
Arkansas: Cockfighting ads
The U.S. Postal Service has proposed banning cockfighting advertising from being sent through the mail. Legal cockfighting ended in the United States last year when Louisiana outlawed it. But two magazines dedicated to the practice — The Gamecock and Grit and Steel — still are published. The Postal Service has proposed a change that would label publications with ads for fighting birds or accessories as “unmailable.” The Postal Service says it will take comment on the proposal through the first week of September.
New York: Amateur engineer
A Long Island Rail Road engineer and the passenger he allegedly let drive a train carrying almost 400 riders during rush hour at speeds of up to 80 mph are facing reckless endangerment charges. The engineer has also been charged with official misconduct. The Nassau County district attorney announced the charges Wednesday against William Kutsch and engineer Ronald Cabrera. The men’s actions created “a substantial risk of serious physical injury” to riders and people in the communities the train passed through, she said.
Wyoming: Park visitor record
Yellowstone National Park officials are crediting relatively low gas prices and the park’s affordability after an all-time record number of people visited in July. America’s first national park hosted more than 900,500 people last month, up more than 11 percent from July 2008 and up 6 percent from the previous all-time monthly record set in July 1995. The park is on pace to set a visitor record for the year. More than 1.9 million people have been to Yellowstone through July, up 100,000 from the previous seven-month high in 2007.
France: Airbus engine blaze
One engine of an Airbus 320 plane preparing to carry 165 passengers from Paris to Spain caught fire before takeoff Wednesday, and eight passengers received skin burns when they used the emergency exit slides, Vueling airline and French police said. The passengers were injured as they tried to exit the Airbus 320 plane at Paris’ Orly airport, police said. The aircraft went into reverse to disengage from the boarding ramp when the right engine caught fire for unknown reasons, the airline statement said. Firemen quickly put out the blaze.
Germany: WWII bomb found
Officials said Hamburg harbor was closed for several hours after workers doing dredging work unearthed a World War II bomb from the bed of the Elbe river. Fire officials said the 500-pound British bomb was found during work Wednesday morning. In addition to shutting down shipping traffic, many nearby offices were evacuated as the bomb was brought to shore and defused. Hamburg was one of the most bombed cities during the war.
From Herald news services
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