LITTLE ROCK — QUOTE OF THE DAY "I'm not going to be railroaded out of this office by political opponents or folks who were never fans of mine in the first place." Mark Sanford, the governor of South Carolina Article, 2A
6th admits to peeking at passport data
WASHINGTON - A sixth person who worked at the State Department has pleaded guilty to sneaking a peek at celebrity passport files.
Former State Department employee Karal Busch, 28, admitted Wednesday that she illegally looked at more than 64 passport applications submitted by famous Americans.
The files contain a photo of the applicant and personal information protected by federal privacy laws. State Department employees are supposed to access them only for official government reasons.
An investigation began in March 2008 after officials discovered unauthorized access of the files for then-presidential candidates Barack Obama, John McCain and Hillary Rodham Clinton.
VA cancels war-illness study contract
WASHINGTON - The Department of Veterans Affairs has canceled a $75 million, five-year research contract with a Texas medical center studying illnesses suffered by veterans of the first Persian Gulf War.
The VA says research on the illnesses, however, remains a priority.
Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Daniel Akaka, DHawaii, had been pushing to end the sole-source contract with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
Money for the contract was added to a 2005 spending bill by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, when the GOP had the majority in Congress.
Troops returned from the first Persian Gulf War with chronic illnesses including fatigue and Lou Gehrig's disease. Some have questioned whether soldiers' illnesses resulted from battle stress or exposures to toxic substances.
Teen faces charges in California attack
SAN MATEO, Calif. - A 17-year-old boy accused of detonating two pipe bombs at a Northern California high school while armed with a chain saw, sword and explosives appeared in court Wednesday on accusations that he tried to murder two faculty members.
Alexander Robert Youshock, a former student at Hillsdale High School in San Mateo, did not enter a plea to charges that included exploding or attempting to explode bombs in a school to terrorize others and possession of dangerous weapons - the sword and chain saw.
No one was injured in the attack, which quickly ended when faculty members wrestled the attacker to the ground. Prosecutors said they would try Youshock as an adult in Monday's attack.
"He planned this elaborately," said Deputy District Attorney Karen Guidotti, adding that Youshock could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted on the attempted murder charges.
The prosecutor declined to discuss why Youshock purportedly wanted to kill security aide Jana Torres and chemistry teacher Meghan Spalding.
Police Chief Susan Manheimer has said investigators believe Youshock planned to carry out a "coldblooded plot of execution" on students and teachers because he was angry with the school administration.
Principal Jeff Gilbert said Youshock hadn't been a student at the school for more than a year.
Students mourn jogger killed by awning
BRIDGEPORT, Texas - Friends left flowers, pictures, teddy bears and messages at a makeshift memorial Wednesday inside a Texas high school after one teenager died and another was injured when a storefront awning fell on them.
Counselors were available at the 600-student high school, where classes had started for the year just a day before Tuesday's accident.
Leslie Denison and Rebekah Logan, both 17 and seniors, were jogging on the sidewalk in downtown Bridgeport after school when they were hit by a falling 40-foot section of aluminum awning and some concrete and bricks from the building to which it was attached.
Denison died at the scene. Logan, who had severe cuts to her face, was airlifted to a hospital about 45 miles away in Fort Worth and was released early Wednesday.
Authorities suspect that the age of the building, which was built in the 1960s, and structural fatigue may have contributed to the collapse, said city spokesman Amber Fogelman. A city engineer inspected the site and was expected to release a preliminary report by today, she said.
Officials were still trying to determine when the awning was built and researching the business's building permits and inspection records, but "at this point it appears to be a freak accident," Fogelman said.
Front Section, Pages 3 on 08/27/2009