The nation in brief

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“We owe it to the American people to exhaust every possible nonmilitary option to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability.”

U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill. Article, 2A

Troopers charged in speedy escort

TRENTON, N.J. - Two state troopers charged Friday with record tampering turned a state highway into a “virtual speedway” when they gave a caravan of luxury cars a high-speed escort, taping over their own license plates to conceal their involvement, the attorney general said.

“No one is above the law,” Attorney General Jeff Chiesa said. “We will not tolerate officers who endanger the public they are sworn to protect.”

Administrative charges also were brought against four other members of the state police in connection with a high-speed escort in 2010, and a fifth trooper for his handling of a ticket issued to the driver of a Lamborghini clocked at 116 mph, also in 2010.

Sgt. 1st Class Nadir Nassry and Trooper Joseph Ventrella sought to conceal their involvement in the March escort, which reached speeds exceeding 100 mph, by using black electrical tape to alter their plates, the attorney general said.

Nassry also is accused of instructing other drivers in the caravan of high-performance vehicles to conceal or partly conceal their license plates using tape or other means.

Popular pie shop goes up in flames

NEW ORLEANS - A bakery that pleased New Orleans’ tastes for generations with its locally iconic line of fried snack pies was gutted by fire early Friday.

New Orleans Fire Department spokesman Capt.

Edwin Holmes says the Simon Hubig Pie Co. in the Marigny neighborhood was a total loss Friday morning. He says houses next to the structure suffered some exterior damage, but no one was injured.

Hubig had operated there since 1922. Its sugarcoated, hand-size fried pies, most with fruit filling, were familiar sights in grocery stores around the New Orleans area.

Customers went into a buying frenzy to snatch up pies already on store shelves. Earl Dellavalle, manager of Zara’s supermarket in the Uptown area, said people called while the market was still closed and reserved all 40 of the pies in stock.

Hubig co-owner Andrew Ramsey said the fire began in the fry room at the building’s center while a gas-powered cooker was being cleaned.

He vowed that the company will come back.

Tests show trader died by cyanide

PHOENIX - A former Wall Street trader who collapsed in court after being found guilty of arson and later died committed suicide by taking cyanide, according to an autopsy released Friday.

The Maricopa County medical examiner’s office toxicology tests showed Michael Marin, 53, had the poison in his system. The report also noted an apparent suicide note e-mailed by Martin shortly before his death and cyanide found in his car afterward.

After he was found guilty of arson in June, Marin put his head in his hands and appeared to put something in his mouth. He then drank from a sports bottle.

Front Section, Pages 4 on 07/28/2012

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