Chicago Whistleblower Is Awarded $3.7 Million

CHICAGO — A federal jury awarded $3.7 million to a former suburban Chicago police officer who claimed his bosses retaliated against him after he discovered evidence of corruption in the village of Stickney. Under Monday’s ruling, Richard Hare Sr., 48, will receive $1.7 million in compensatory damages from the village and $1 million in punitive damages each from Mayor Donald Tabor and Police Chief John Zitek. The 15-year police veteran filed a suit in 2002 alleging that Messrs. Tabor and Zitek retaliated against him after he and five others brought evidence of corruption to the Cook County state’s attorney’s office. Mr. Hare claimed tactics included demoting him, taking away his car, and trying to revoke his gun license.

— Associated Press

Ford Checks Into Clinic For Testing

MINNEAPOLIS — President Ford has checked into the Mayo Clinic for a few days as he undergoes unspecified “testing and evaluation.” Mr. Ford’s office released a statement saying the 93-year-old former chief executive was admitted Tuesday but disclosed little else about the reason for his hospital stay.The clinic in Rochester, about 75 miles southeast of Minneapolis, offered no additional details. A California friend of the former president, Lee Simmons, said he heard in the last two days that Mr. Ford was planning to undergo a series of tests for various “medical problems.”He did not have details but said he believed the tests had been planned in advance. “He does have some medical problems,” Mr. Simmons, of Palm Desert, said. Mr. Simmons said he visited Mr. Ford last week at the former president’s vacation home in Beaver Creek. “I just saw him, and he was doing fine. He’s talking. His mind is sharp,” Mr. Simmons said.

— Associated Press

Former NBA Player Is Arrested for Shooting Near White House

WASHINGTON — A former NBA player, Lonny Baxter, was arrested by uniformed Secret Service agents yesterday after shots were fired from a vehicle about two blocks from the White House.

Mr. Baxter, who played with the Charlotte Bobcats last season, was taken into custody around 2:30 a.m. after a witness flagged down a Secret Service agent and reported shots fired from a white sport-utility vehicle, a Secret Service spokesman, Eric Zahren, said. Officers stopped the vehicle, which Mr. Baxter was driving, near the intersection of 17th and I streets in Northwest Washington. “There were spent shell casings in plain view inside the vehicle,” Mr. Zahren said. Officers also recovered a handgun. Both Mr. Baxter, 27, and the vehicle’s passenger, 35-year-old Irvin Martin, were charged with carrying a pistol without a license and other firearms charges. It was not immediately clear why they were allegedly firing the gun. The two suspects are being held by District of Columbia police. A Bobcats spokesman, Scott Leightman, said Mr. Baxter is no longer with the team.”His contract ran out, and we opted not to re-sign him,” Mr. Leightman said. Mr. Baxter signed a one-year deal earlier this month with the Italian team Montepaschi Siena.

— Associated Press

President Carter’s Son Wins Nevada Primary

WASHINGTON — Democrats heralded the creation of America’s latest political dynasty yesterday when they selected the son of President Carter to run for one of Nevada’s two seats in the U.S. Senate. After campaigning on an anti-war ticket, Jack Carter, a 59-year-old businessman, easily beat his opponent in the Democratic primary of the western desert state. Next, he faces a contest against the Republican incumbent, John Ensign, in November’s midterm elections. The eldest of four children, Jack was 30 when his father was elected president in 1976. An expert in hedge funds, he has lived quietly ever since he was forced to leave the U.S. Navy in 1970 after disclosing that he had smoked marijuana and taken LSD while serving during Vietnam. In Tuesday’s vote, he crushed his rival, Ruby Jee Tun, taking 76% of the vote to his opponent’s 9%. With his victory cheered by the Democrats’ anti-war wing, Mr. Carter accused the Republican incumbent of slavish adherence to the policies of President Bush. “You know, he’s voted for the Bush administration 96% of the time,” he said.

— The Daily Telegraph