WASHINGTON – The Pentagon has determined that four more prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, no longer pose much of a threat and plans to release them, a senior official said Friday. The State Department is making arrangements to send them to their home countries, he said. A three-officer board decides whether the prisoners are enough of a threat to justify keeping them at Guantanamo. About 520 prisoners remain there; another 234 have been released or transferred to the custody of their home governments through various processes. Of those, 12 have returned to terrorism, officials have said.
Montana: Bison hunt rescheduled
Six months after canceling a planned bison hunt because of concerns about bad publicity, Montana’s wildlife commission has approved a revised hunt of bison that leave Yellowstone National Park. The hunt, beginning this fall, will allow up to 50 bison to be killed over a three-month period, a spokesman for the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks said Friday. A department spokesman said the commission gave tentative approval Thursday to selling 25 bison licenses for use between Nov. 15 and Jan. 15, 2006, and another 25 licenses for use from Jan. 16 to Feb. 15.
Texas: Ruling on abuse suspect
In a setback for the prosecution, a military judge at Fort Hood ruled Friday that Pfc. Lynndie England’s statements to Army investigators about her actions at Abu Ghraib prison cannot be used as evidence at her upcoming trial. The judge, Col. James Pohl, said during a pretrial hearing that he believed England did not fully understand the consequences when she waived her rights against self-incrimination before speaking to investigators in January 2004. England, 22, is charged with conspiracy, maltreating detainees and committing an indecent act.
Florida: Graham’s daughter arrested
Evangelist Billy Graham’s daughter was arrested and charged with domestic abuse after witnesses told New Smyrna Beach police she choked her husband in a parking lot, authorities said. Virginia Graham Foreman, 59, spent a night in jail after the July 1 confrontation outside a shopping center, police said. She was charged with misdemeanor domestic abuse and released the following day. Three witnesses told police Foreman pushed her husband and grabbed him by the throat, authorities said.
Michigan: Fair ride malfunctions
A county fair ride malfunctioned, spinning out of control for 10 minutes and injuring five children before operators were able to shut it down. The children were treated at a Greenville hospital after the incident Thursday night and released. A co-owner of Skerbeck Brothers Shows Inc. said the High Flyer ride would be closed until an investigation of the failure was performed and the state and manufacturer had authorized the ride to operate again.
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