SOUTH

FALWELL HOSPITALIZED IN CRITICAL CONDITION

LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Reverend Jerry Falwell was hospitalized in critical condition yesterday, battling his second case of viral pneumonia in just five weeks, hospital and church officials said. Rev. Falwell, 71, was admitted to Lynchburg General Hospital shortly before midnight Monday suffering from “respiratory arrest,” the hospital said in a statement, meaning his breathing had slowed or stopped. “His cardiac status is stable and there is no evidence of a heart attack,” said hospital spokesman Tom Urtz, reading from a statement. “He is alert and responding to questions. “Rev. Falwell is clinically stable, but is still critically ill,” he said. Rev. Falwell’s executive assistant, Ron Godwin, said Rev. Falwell was “on a respirator and he’s resting comfortably.” Doctors said they expected to have a clearer prognosis today. Rev. Falwell, the founder of the Moral Majority and Liberty University, had left the hospital March 4 after 13 days, spending part of the time on a ventilator. In a recent interview with the Associated Press, Rev. Falwell said he was feeling much better but still recovering from his hospital stay.

– Associated Press

BOY SCOUTS OFFICIAL CHARGED WITH CHILD PORN POSSESSION

DALLAS – A longtime Boy Scouts of America official who directed a national task force to protect children from sexual abuse has been charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.

Douglas Sovereign Smith Jr., 61, was accused of receiving images over the Internet in February of children engaging in oral sex, intercourse and other sexually explicit conduct. The charges were filed by federal prosecutors March 21.

“We’re shocked and dismayed to learn of this,” said a national spokesman for the Boy Scouts, Gregg Shields. “Smith was employed by the Boy Scouts for 39 years and we had no indication of prior criminal activity.”

Mr. Smith was a national program director and staff adviser of the Boy Scout’s renowned Youth Protection Task Force. Mr. Shields said Mr. Smith took over the task force a couple of years ago when another employee retired. Mr. Smith managed the distribution of literature, video tapes, a Web site, and other resources that teach children and adults at schools, churches, and Boy Scout troops how to detect and prevent child abuse. Law enforcement officials indicated the pictures did not show boys who were with the Boy Scouts organization, Mr. Shields said.

– Associated Press

WEST

CLUB OWNER TESTIFIES IN JACKSON TRIAL

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – The organizer of a comedy camp for underprivileged youth, who introduced Michael Jackson’s accuser to the entertainer, testified yesterday about his efforts to help the boy through his recovery from cancer.

The owner of the Laugh Factory in Hollywood, Jamie Masada, said the boy attended the camp with his brother and sister in 1999 and worked on a stand-up act. He also described going to see the boy in a hospital while the youngster was struggling through chemotherapy for cancer. “Oh God, don’t bring that memory back,” Mr. Masada said of the boy’s illness. Mr. Masada, taking the stand a day after the judge ruled that evidence also may be introduced about earlier allegations against Mr. Jackson, said he gave the boy gifts to encourage him. “I would say, ‘If you eat I’ll give you 50 bucks.’ I would give him every week, maybe some money,” he said.

Prosecutors say the boy met Mr. Jackson through Mr. Masada when the club owner introduced him to celebrities to cheer him up, and Mr. Masada said he also took comedians to the hospital. Mr. Jackson appeared upbeat as he arrived at court, waving to screaming fans and raising a fist.

– Associated Press

WASHINGTON

SCHOOL-RATING WEB SITE LAUNCHED

WASHINGTON – A group of education and business leaders yesterday launched a large and unusually detailed Web site showing how schools and school districts compare to each other in student performance and other factors in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

A statement by the SchoolMatters.com Web site called it “the largest easily searchable collection of education performance data ever assembled.” Washington-area parents and educators who watch schools closely said their initial impression was that the site would provide a great deal of authoritative data for people trying to identify which schools and districts are not doing a good job and which ones are succeeding. The site not only shows how schools’ and districts’ test scores compare to their neighbors, but it gives results for particular minority groups and illustrates the different ways that districts spend tax dollars. One part of the Web site allows residents concerned about how money is spent to see which portion of new revenue coming into each district is spent on instruction, and which portion is not.

Officials of Standard & Poor’s School Evaluation Services, who first tried out the data collection and presentation system in Michigan and Pennsylvania, said some school district leaders were not happy being identified as spending more per pupil with less impressive results than their neighbors. But they said educators have come to see the information can help them focus their resources where they are most needed.

– The Washington Post