WASHINGTON

SUIT DROPPED OVER FEDERAL FUNDING FOR CALIFORNIA MISSIONS

A group that advocates strict church-state separation, Americans United, has dropped a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a federal program to refurbish more than 20 historic California missions. The group said it withdrew the suit because Congress never provided funds to repair the missions, some of which are still used for Roman Catholic worship services.

The director of the California Missions Foundation, Knox Mellon, said the pending lawsuit made Congress gun-shy about funding the $10 million program, which was authorized in 2004. He said lawmakers have now promised to go “full speed ahead” with an appropriation. Last year, Congress did allocate $300,000 to a single earthquake-damaged mission in San Robles, Calif.

– Staff Reporter of the Sun

DEMOCRATS COUNTER GOP ON CONGRESSIONAL LOBBYING ETHICS

WASHINGTON – Congressional Democrats urged a ban on all gifts and travel paid for by lobbyists yesterday, aiming to seize an issue for the fall elections and taking a shot at Republicans they say have sullied Congress’ reputation. The Democratic proposal, which also would end the “dead of night” insertion of special interest provisions into legislation, came a day after Republicans outlined their own lobbying ethics legislation

– Associated Press

TRIBAL LEADERS REJECT DONATION OF ABRAMOFF MONEY

WASHINGTON – Senator Burns, a Republican of Montana is redirecting a $111,000 donation he had given to the Montana-Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council after members said the money was tainted because it originally came from lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his clients. The council’s vice chairman, James Steele Jr., said the organization voted not to accept the donation, which was made up of contributions from Abramoff, his associates and his tribal clients.

– Associated Press

SOUTH

JUDGE REFUSES TO DISMISS CHARGES AGAINST PROFESSOR

A federal judge in Florida yesterday refused to dismiss the remaining charges against a college professor accused of being a leader of a terrorist group, Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Last month, a federal jury acquitted the former University of South Florida professor, Sami Al-Arian, of eight charges, but deadlocked on nine others.

Lawyers for Mr. Al-Arian asked Judge James Moody Jr. to dismiss the counts on which the jury failed to agree, but he issued an order yesterday denying the motion without comment. A similar motion from one of Mr. Al-Arian’s co-defendants, Hatim Fariz, was also denied by the judge. Two other men, Ghassan Ballut and Sameeh Hammoudeh, were acquitted entirely following the six-month trial.

The Justice Department is still deciding whether or not to retry Messrs. Al-Arian and Fariz. Prosecutors have promised to streamline the case if it is retried. Defense lawyers have said they are trying to reach an agreement that would avert another trial.

– Staff Reporter of the Sun

EVIDENCE OF DVD PIRACY FOUND IN MAKESHIFT STUDIO IN W.VA. CAPITOL

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Tucked away in the basement of West Virginia’s gold domed Capitol, state officials say, an office was secretly transformed into a taxpayer-funded studio that may have been used to pirate DVD videos and music CDs. Administration Secretary Robert Ferguson said his staff stumbled across the office after finding evidence that government purchase cards were used to buy $88,000 worth of computers and related equipment over three years.

– Associated Press

DOCTOR: MINE SURVIVOR APPEARS TO BE AWAKENING; IN ‘LIGHT COMA’

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Sago Mine survivor Randal McCloy Jr. appears to be awakening from his coma, and his improving condition may allow him to be transferred to a rehabilitation center within a few weeks, doctors said yesterday. Mr. McCloy, 26, has been breathing on his own for days and is opening his eyes, Dr. Julian Bailes of West Virginia University’s Ruby Memorial Hospital, said, adding that he “has purposeful movement” and “is responding to his family in slight ways.”

– Associated Press

WEST

NEVADA COUPLE SENTENCED TO PRISON IN CHILI FINGER CASE

SAN JOSE, Calif. – A couple who planted a severed finger in a bowl of Wendy’s chili in a scheme to extort money from the fast-food chain were sentenced yesterday to at least nine years in prison. Anna Ayala, 40, who said she bit into the digit, was sentenced to nine years. Her husband, Jaime Plascencia, 44, who obtained the finger from a co-worker who lost it in a workplace accident, was sentenced to more than 12 years.

– Associated Press

DEFENSE CALLS FOR MISTRIAL IN SOLDIER’S SUFFOCATION TRIAL

FORT CARSON, Colo. – Attorneys for an Army officer accused of killing an Iraqi general during an interrogation called for a mistrial yesterday after a witness said the defendant told him he had been advised by an attorney not to talk about the death. The judge immediately halted the court-martial of Chief Warrant Officer Lewis Welshofer Jr. after the testimony from a special agent of the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division, William Hughes.

– Associated Press