SACRAMENTO - Firefighters were racing to beat high winds predicted for Saturday that could drive a wildfire near the Oregon border into the major transmission lines that carry power between California and the Pacific Northwest.

The fire, around 70 miles northwest of Redding in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, is burning between three transmission lines located about 1.5 miles apart. The fire is paralleling the lines, which together carry about 4,200 megawatts between Washington's Bonneville Power Administration and California.

Firefighters working through the night Thursday took advantage of cool temperatures and calm winds to contain half the fire burning in the remote area, officials said Friday.

The fire was a quarter-mile from the nearest power line, but firefighters feared winds predicted to gust to 30 mph beginning Saturday could drive the fire out of control and blow embers into the lines.

The California Independent System Operator, which manages the state's power grid, has contingency plans to reroute electricity around the transmission lines if one or more fail or have to be shut down because of the fire, said Jim Detmers, the system's vice president for operations.

Six air tankers, three helicopters, eight bulldozers, 15 fire engines and six hand crews were fighting the blaze Friday, with more on the way, said national forest spokesman Mike Odle.

The fire was one of numerous relatively small Northern California blazes, many sparked by lightening this week.

A fire that threatened 50 homes near Shasta Lake was nearing containment Friday.

A 1,200-acre fire southwest of Lake Shastina was contained after briefly forcing the evacuation of more than 100 residents Wednesday night. No homes were damaged.

In Southern California, cooler weather brought wildfires to a standstill.

The seven-square-mile Bald fire and the 736-acre Scott fire in Los Padres National Forest were expected to be contained by Sunday evening. The Bald fire was 30 percent contained and the Scott fire was 85 percent corralled.

"The weather's cooperating … things are calming down quite a bit," said Maeton Freel of the U.S. Forest Service. "We had two weeks of triple-digit daylight temperatures and now its the high 80s and low 90s."

The forest sprawls northwest of Los Angeles to near Monterey Bay. About 375 acres of forest land in Kern and Santa Barbara counties remained closed to the public.

At the south end of the state, a wildfire in the Cleveland National Forest was 65 percent surrounded and full containment was expected by Sunday evening. The fire about 50 miles east of San Diego was at 16,601 acres, or about 27 square miles.

"We actually got some rain yesterday on the fire, just in a couple of sections but that's helped. The fire's actually just creeping and smoldering," said Anabele Cornejo of the U.S. Forest Service.

The fire was sparked by a campfire last weekend. Firefighting costs topped $5 million, Cornejo said.

Two fires in Death Valley National Park posed no danger to buildings. They had burned 4,800 acres of land, or seven-and-a-half square miles.

The remnant of a three-week-old, 37-square-mile fire in the San Bernardino Mountains also was burning but did not threaten any communities.

On the Net:

National Interagency Fire Center: http://www.nifc.gov

- Associated Press writer Robert Jablon contributed to this story from Los Angeles.

Jury convicts 4 in Aryan Brotherhood murder, racketeering case

SANTA ANA (AP) - A jury convicted four leaders of a white-supremacist prison gang Friday on charges they used murder and intimidation to protect their drug-dealing operations behind bars. - Barry "The Baron" Mills, Tyler "The Hulk" Bingham, Edgar "The Snail" Hevle and Christopher Overton Gibson were the first defendants to stand trial in the federal racketeering case aimed at dismantling the feared Aryan Brotherhood.

They all were convicted under Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations law, and offenses known as Violent Crime In Aid of Racketeering. Mills and Bingham are eligible for the death penalty.

Mills, Bingham and Hevle also were convicted of a murder count for the killing of Arva Lee Ray, a prisoner slain at the Lompoc, Calif., penitentiary in 1989.

Mills and Bingham were acquitted of a murder count in the death of another inmate, William McKinney.

The defendants were charged in an indictment detailing 32 murders and attempted murders involving members of the Aryan Brotherhood over three decades.

During the four-month trial, the jury heard testimony from convicted killers, former gang members and jailhouse informants. Some testified they had been involved in murder plots hatched by the gang to kill those who violated its rules.

Defense attorneys countered that prosecutors built their case on a "parade of perjurers" who were promised money and reduced prison sentences for their testimony.

They said the defendants had to seek membership in the gang as a way to survive in the violent world of prison.

It is one of the largest death penalty cases in U.S. history. Of the 40 people originally arrested, more than a dozen could get the death penalty if convicted. Nineteen defendants struck plea bargains and one died. Two more trials are scheduled for this fall in Los Angeles.

Colorado killer's claims a virtual tour of murder, mayhem

DENVER (AP) - Robert Charles Browne says he shot some of his victims and strangled others, in one case with a pair of leather shoelaces. He knocked out one woman with ether, then used an ice pick on her. He put a rag soaked in ant killer over another victim's face and stabbed her nearly 30 times with a screwdriver. - If Browne is telling the truth about killing 49 people across the country, his crimes practically constitute a manual on the many ways in which to kill.

In fact, it may have been the variety in his methods that kept authorities from connecting the crimes until Browne sent a taunting letter to prosecutors six years ago.

"Sometimes killers do not replicate things from one crime to the next," said criminologist Robert Keppel, a professor at Sam Houston State University and author of the 1997 book "Signature Killers." "That makes it hard on police."

Colorado authorities announced Thursday that Browne, 53, claimed to have committed scores of killings between 1970 and his arrest in 1995. He has pleaded guilty to two slayings and is serving a life sentence for murdering a Colorado girl in 1991.

Investigators so far have been able to corroborate Browne's claims in six slayings - three in Louisiana, two in Texas and one in Arkansas, El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa said.

In some cases, however, investigators have been unable to confirm some of his claims to have dumped bodies in certain places. And in other cases, he cannot remember enough details for investigators to check out what he is telling them.

Court papers paint a picture of a predator who loathed women and thought he was justified in killing them because they were cheating on their husbands and boyfriends - in many cases, with him.

Browne, who has been married six times, said he has been disappointed with women his whole life. "Women are unfaithful, they screw around a lot, they cheat and they are not of the highest moral value," he told investigators. "They cheat and they are users."

Vicki Woods, a lifelong friend of Browne in his hometown of Coushatta, La., said she was stunned to hear of the allegations. "This is not a side of Robert I ever imagined," she said.

Woods said she had complete trust in Browne, who baby-sat her preteen son and daughter in the 1980s. Her children also went to Browne's Easter egg hunts and spent weekends at a trailer he owned near the small rural town in northern Louisiana.

"I am so confused. I have no idea what's going on, except that I feel like I have lost a friend," she said.

After one of the killings in Coushatta - a killing now linked to Browne - he often insisted that women and children in the neighborhood stay indoors after dark, she said.

"He was so protective of us," Woods said.

Browne told investigators he rarely if ever planned a killing, choosing his prey at random. He met his victims in everyday settings - a motel bar, a convenience store where he worked. In one case, he was familiar with a victim's apartment because he had changed the locks there as a maintenance man.

He said he used different types of guns and sometimes beat his victims. One died after he put a rag soaked in ant killer over her face while she was asleep, he said.

An Army veteran who served in South Korea during the 1970s, Browne described killings committed with unspeakable cruelty. He said he dismembered Rocio Sperry, whose remains have never been found, in a bathtub, "just popping" her joints and taking the body apart, investigators said. He said he was worried about being spotted carrying the body outside.

The remains of Nidia Mendoza, 17, were found dumped along a Houston interstate, her legs and head cut from the body. Browne told authorities he used a dull butcher knife that was in his motel kitchenette.

He told investigators in prison interviews that he never just went "looking for someone." When the opportunity was there, Browne said he took it - "it was just disgust with the person and some of it just confrontation."

"No plan?" an investigator asked.

"No," Browne replied.

Maketa said Browne probably got away with his crimes because he never spent much time with his victims before killing them and was adept at disposing of their bodies.

If Browne's claims prove true, he would be one of the most prolific killers in U.S. history. Gary Ridgway, Seattle's Green River Killer, became the nation's deadliest convicted serial killer in 2003. He admitted to 48 murders but once said he killed as many as 71 women.

It was Browne who spurred investigators to take another look at his past when he sent a letter in 2000. It read: "Seven sacred virgins entombed side by side, those less worthy are scattered wide. The score is you 1, the other team 48."

Colorado Attorney General John Suthers, who was once El Paso County district attorney, said he believes Browne's claim to multiple slayings. He described the killer as intelligent.

"The combination of moving around a lot, picking random victims and being pretty clean about it, if he's telling the truth about how he disposed of the bodies - that would show some pretty calculated methods to avoid detection," Suthers said.

But Keppel was skeptical of Browne's claim that he killed close to 50 people.

"Probably no doubt the guy's murdered a lot of people, but numbers are just for media purposes," Keppel said. "This guy has lied, cheated and stolen his whole life and there's no indication he's going to tell you the whole truth about all his victims."

Browne's public defender, Bill Schoewe, did not return calls seeking comment.

Highlights from Colorado killer affidavit:

Excerpts from the El Paso County (Colo.) sheriff's affidavit detailing prison interviews with convicted killer Robert Charles Browne:

- On the 1987 slaying of Rocio Sperry, about 15, of Colorado Springs, whose remains have not been found: Mr. Browne said he dismembered the victim the next evening after he returned home from work. He placed the body into the bathtub and dismembered her. Mr. Browne said he reached "in and did (his) thing." He described how he severed her at the joints, "just popping them" and taking the body apart. Mr. Browne said there was only a small amount of blood, but it stayed in the bathtub. Mr. Browne said he placed the body parts, piece by piece, into trash bags and then took them out to the dumpster behind the apartment. Mr. Browne said the tub itself was the only thing that needed to be cleaned. Mr. Browne advised he took a ring from the victim. He described it as a "big cluster ring with a lot of small diamonds."

- Detailing the 1984 slaying of Melody Bush near Flatonia, Texas: He said he took her back to his motel room where they had sex. He said after "then I used ether on her. Put her out. And then I used a ice pick on her." Mr. Hess (investigator) asked Mr. Browne how much time he had spent with Ms. Bush. Mr. Browne replied "Before I killed her? Twenty minutes maybe. If that. Wasn't long. She was just actin' like a slutty, low-life woman, wantin' to (have sex)." Mr. Browne said the woman was, "slobbering drunk, behavin' like the slut she was." Mr. Browne said "and so what the hell. Opportunity arose again."

- On the prevalence of female victims, told in a February 2005 interview: Mr. Hess (detective) noted there appeared to be more female victims than male victims. Mr. Browne stated there were more opportunities with females. He said he has been disappointed with women his whole life. He accused women of being "users," and "not loyal." He said women will attach themselves to men whom they believe they can get the most from.

- On the 1983 slaying of Wanda Hudson in Coushatta, La.: Mr. Browne said as he opened the door to Wanda Hudson's apartment, he noticed there was a security chain in place. He reached in with a screwdriver and removed two screws from the bracket holding the chain. Mr. Browne said when he went to Wanda Hudson's residence, he took a can of red ant killer with him. The ant killer contained chloroform. Mr. Browne said when he entered Ms. Hudson's apartment, she was asleep and he put a chloroformed soaked rag on her face to "put her out." Then a short time later, she started to wake up again. He said he "chloroformed" her a second time. …Mr. Browne said while Ms. Hudson was still on the bed, he stabbed her multiple times with a screwdriver. He said the screwdriver did not penetrate very well.

- On revealing information to authorities from a May 2005 interview: Regarding the homicides listed on (a hand-drawn) map, Mr. Browne said he recalled them by the events which occurred. Mr. Hess asked Mr. Browne why he sent the map to the El Paso County Sheriff's Office. Mr. Browne said he is not sure why, and that he did not recall what he was thinking about at the time he drew the map. Mr. Hess asked Mr. Browne if he was attempting to tease the Sheriff's Office. Mr. Browne replied, "Might have."

Priest may have misspent $1.4 million, probe finds

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) - A priest who resigned from a church in an affluent Connecticut community misspent up to $1.4 million in parishioner donations to lead a life of luxury with another man, according to a church-directed investigation. - The Rev. Michael Jude Fay spent church money on limousines, stays at top hotels, jewelry, Italian clothing and a Florida condominium shared with the other man, auditors hired by the diocese found. About half the money he spent was kept in a secret bank account, according to their report, which was mailed Friday to 1,700 parishioners of the Darien church and obtained in advance by The Associated Press.

Bridgeport Bishop William Lori, who ordered the investigation by Deloitte Financial Advisory Services, said he was shocked and angered by the findings. The report also was sent to federal authorities.

"The amount of money that was misused is tremendous," Lori said. "I think this report and other things we found out shows a real betrayal of trust and abuse of power."

Messages seeking comment were left Friday with Fay's attorney, James Wade. Fay, 55, has not commented since he resigned in May from St. John Roman Catholic Church amid accusations by a private investigator that he had misspent church money.

Federal authorities are investigating Fay, who has not been charged. They declined to comment.

The report describes a parish finance council that did not meet regularly in recent years, largely because of Fay's health and absences from the parish. Fay was diagnosed with cancer in 2001 and frequently cited his health when asked about church finances, the report states.

Lori has faced criticism for his handling of the scandal, especially when it emerged that another priest and the church bookkeeper hired a private investigator to look into Fay. The pair said they hired the investigator in May after they met with Lori and Fay was not removed, according to the report.

Lori said after he was made aware of potential financial misconduct in late April he took swift action to stop Fay from using church credit cards and then to force his resignation.

"As your bishop, I accept responsibility in this matter and pledge to do everything possible to restore your confidence and trust," Lori wrote in a letter to parishioners.

The report, which was limited to the past six years, calculated the "potential financial loss" at $1.4 million. The review also identified an additional $350,000 deposited in Fay's personal account, but could not determine the source of the money.

Fay, pastor since 1991, told church officials that the money was used to help needy parishioners and for other legitimate church-related expenses. The report acknowledges some of the money may have been used for legitimate expenses, but said Fay failed to document his claims.

Fay also said he received money from parishioners, his family and the other man, Cliff Fantini. Fantini has described himself as a "very good friend," but denied that he and Fay were involved in a relationship.

Fay also charged $500 fees when he gave lectures.

The report paints a picture of a priest who felt entitled to a lifestyle that more closely resembled those of some of his wealthy parishioners.

"Father Fay stated that he believed he was entitled to dine at any restaurant of his choosing and as frequently as he desired, regardless of cost," the report states.

Fay shopped at Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom, drove a Jaguar, attended a sports club, bought jewelry from Cartier, spent $130,000 for limo rides for himself and his mother and stayed at hotels such as the Ritz Carlton, Hotel De Paris and the Four Seasons Hotel, the auditors found. He spent tens of thousands of dollars on home furnishings and meals and more than $20,000 to mark the 25th anniversary of his ordination, according to the report.

Fay paid Fantini and his production firm $10,000, claiming the money was for video filming and decorations for the church. No invoices were supplied to verify the claim, the report said.

Fay also invested in a Philadelphia condo with Fantini and said some of the furniture he bought was used in Fantini's residence.

The report also cites $257,00 for the purchase of the Florida property and $87,000 to rent an apartment in New York. Fay said he rented the apartment while he was treated for cancer there, but later admitted he began renting the apartment before he was diagnosed with cancer, the report said.

The bishop said the church would try to recover as much of the money as possible and was enacting reforms to tighten control of church finances.

Car mystery baffles owner until police charge teens with joyriding

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) - One day, Matthew Gaine went out to his car and noticed that the driver's seat was in the wrong position. The next day the mirrors were moved. On the third day, the car was missing.

Police say muggers who had stolen Gaine's keys were taking the 1998 Volvo on joyrides at night, even filling up the tank so he wouldn't notice.

"It was like it took him a while to come to grips with this," said Daniel Jackson, deputy police commissioner in White Plains.

Gaine was beaten and robbed by teenagers as he staggered home from a bender early July 16, Jackson said Friday.

"He goes home and he changes the locks on his house, but he's embarrassed, so he doesn't call us," Jackson said.

Several days later, Gaine, who did not return a call seeking comment, noticed a dent in his car, parked in its normal spot in his apartment building's garage.

"He wasn't happy about it, but he figured a neighbor did it or something," Jackson said.

Then he started to notice other oddities inside the car, including the repositioned driver's seat and the closed sunroof. Another day, the mirrors were out of position, but he still thought a friend had used the car, Jackson said.

On Monday, the car was gone.

"Then he calls," Jackson said.

Police figured that whoever took the car would return it again, so they staked out the garage and arrested 17-year-old Marcus Franklin as he steered the car into its parking place early Tuesday.

A 15-year-old boy, his name not released because of his age, was arrested Wednesday, and a third arrest is possible, Jackson said.

The boys were charged with robbery. Franklin was also charged with burglary for using the keys to get to the car and the unauthorized use of a car, police said.

The lesson, Jackson said, is that when a crime is committed, "at least let us know."

"American Idol" finalists meet with White House

WASHINGTON (AP) - It's not clear if President Bush has ever actually watched "American Idol," but the TV show's finalists got to hang out with him Friday at the White House.

They got a group photo and a tour from the president. He got a harmonica engraved with "American Idol 2006."

The 10 finalists dropped into the Oval Office to see Bush in between his meeting with British Prime Minister Tony Blair and another photo session with top high school students.

The president gave the performers a quick tour of the Oval Office and talked about his job. Bush posed for a group photo in front of his desk, and then individual photos with each finalist. He urged them to stick to their beliefs, even if their celebrity status grows.

Taylor Hicks of Birmingham, Ala., the most recent winner on the show, also gave Bush a black T-shirt emblazoned with "Soul Patrol" - the name of Hicks' fan club. Hicks has a personal connection inside the White House: Susan Whitson, Laura Bush's press secretary, taught him ninth grade English at Hoover High School in Birmingham.

Besides Hicks, the finalists from last season who met with Bush were: Katharine McPhee of Los Angeles, Calif.; Chris Daughtry of McLeansville, N.C.; Paris Bennett of Fayetteville, Ga.; Kellie Pickler of Albemarle, N.C.; Ace Young of Denver, Colo.; Bucky Covington of Rockingham, N.C.; Mandisa Hundley of Antioch, Tenn.; Lisa Tucker of Anaheim, Calif.; and Elliott Yamin of Richmond, Va., who arrived a bit late for the meeting.

Their tour and photo opportunity with Bush - with still cameras only, no reporters allowed - came during their one-day visit to Washington for their "American Idols Live" tour.

It's unclear how familiar Bush is with their talents. Asked whether he had ever seen the show, the White House responded that he was "aware" of it.

On the Net:

American Idol: http://www.idolonfox.com

White House: http://www.whitehouse.gov

CBS appeals fine for Super Bowl 'wardrobe malfunction'

WASHINGTON (AP) - CBS asked a federal appeals court on Friday to set aside the $550,000 fine by the Federal Communications Commission against the broadcaster for airing Janet Jackson's breast-baring performance during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show.

The television network argued the fine was "unconstitutional, contrary to the Communications Act and FCC rules and generally arbitrary, capricious and contrary to law."

The petition for review was filed in the 3rd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Philadelphia. CBS agreed to turn over the fine money, a prerequisite for filing the appeal.

CBS noted in a statement that it had apologized for "the inappropriate and unexpected" episode and had put in place safeguards to prevent a recurrence. "However, we disagree strongly with the FCC's conclusions and will continue to pursue all remedies necessary to affirm our legal rights," the network said.

The FCC said it would fight to uphold the fine.

"CBS' continued insistence that the halftime show was not indecent demonstrates that it is out of touch with the American people," said FCC spokeswoman Tamara Lipper. "Millions of parents, as well as Congress, understand what CBS does not: Janet Jackson's 'wardrobe malfunction' was indeed indecent."

The halftime show aired on Feb. 1, 2004, to an estimated audience of 90 million. During a musical number, singer Justin Timberlake pulled off part of Jackson's bustier, briefly exposing one of her breasts.

After a flood of complaints, the FCC issued a fine against the network and each of 20 network-owned stations that aired the show, totaling $550,000.

The breast-baring episode kicked off a record year for indecency fines imposed by the agency and led to Congress passing a tenfold increase in the maximum fines for indecent broadcasting.

Poisoned pigeons created a hazardous materials incident at hospital

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (AP) - An attempt to control pigeons at a hospital went awry when sick and dying birds falling from the sky disrupted emergency room operations.

"Birds were coming down like dive bombers," said Fire Chief Robert Farstad.

Ellis Hospital said its emergency room continued to treat patients during the incident Thursday evening but had to divert ambulances to other hospitals.

The hospital had brought in an exterminator to use a pesticide to get rid of pigeons on the roof. The chemical was designed to poison a few birds, whose distress calls would then drive off other members of the flock. Instead, more than two dozen pigeons were stricken.

Emergency workers spent hours searching the hospital grounds and putting dead birds in red hazardous-waste bags.

County health officials said they will investigate whether the pesticide was improperly mixed or applied.

Woman gets probation in Colorado virtual slavery case

DENVER (AP) - A Saudi woman accused with her husband of keeping an Indonesian maid as a virtual slave was sentenced Friday to five years' probation and ordered confined to her home until she leaves the country. - Sarah Khonaizan, 35, pleaded guilty in May to harboring an illegal immigrant. In exchange, prosecutors dropped charges of forced labor and document servitude.

Authorities said that Khonaizan and her husband, Homaidan Al-Turki, hid the 24-year-old woman's passport and forced her to cook, clean and care for their five children in their suburban Denver home, and that Al-Turki repeatedly sexually assaulted her.

The woman slept on a mattress on the basement floor and was paid less than $2 a day, the FBI said.

Khonaizan's attorney, Forrest Lewis, said she plans to return to Saudi Arabia after she serves her time.

Last month, a Colorado jury convicted Al-Turki on charges that included false imprisonment and unlawful sexual contact by use of force or intimidation. He is awaiting sentencing Aug. 31.

Al-Turki, a linguist, worked at a Denver publishing and translating company and was a doctoral candidate at the University of Colorado.

Archaeologists unearth slave tomb, looking for clues about the 'black Paul Bunyan'

EAST HADDAM, Conn. (AP) - Archaeologists have begun digging up the 200-year-old graves of a slave family in hopes of separating fact from fiction in the legend of "the black Paul Bunyan."

The dig has the blessing of more than a dozen descendants of Venture Smith who believe science can finally lend credence to the tales they have heard all their lives about the fabulous feats of strength that helped the lumberjack slave win his freedom.

Standing 6-foot-1 by his own account and weighing more than 300 pounds according to local lore, Smith is said to have carried a nine-pound ax and split seven cords of wood each day. His biography describes him carrying a barrel of molasses on his shoulders for two miles and hauling hundreds of pounds of salt.

Smith's story became one of the nation's first slave narratives in 1798 and is regarded by scholars as one of the most important such works. But slave biographies - particularly those told to writers, as Smith's story was - were sometimes embellished.

Scientists say a look at Smith's remains could indicate his height and weight, his diet and any injuries he suffered during a life of labor. And DNA taken from him, his wife, his son and his granddaughter could help pinpoint where in Africa he was born and corroborate the account of his early life there.

"It could substantiate that these are not fables, stories," said Frank Warmsley Sr., who at 85 is believed to be Smith's oldest living descendent. "They're truths. He was a great man."

Historians and literary scholars say the dig represents a remarkable opportunity - one that could help yield one of the most complete reconstructions of American slave life.

"Of all the early black writers, his is the only grave that we can identify. He is the only one we could try this on," said Vincent Carretta, an English professor at the University of Maryland who studies slave narratives and was the first to compare Smith to Paul Bunyan. "This is extraordinary. There's nothing to compare it to."

Moreover, scholars will have the rare advantage of being able to draw on documentary evidence, too. Unlike most other slaves, who left behind no records and were buried in unmarked graves, Smith died a free man and landowner with local records to supplement his biography.

"It's absolutely an extraordinarily rare opportunity to have such documentation about one man and his family," said Nicholas F. Bellantoni, Connecticut's state archaeologist. "We can look at the biology and match it up with that history."

Family members and historians believe Smith was born in or around modern-day Ghana. Smith's owner allowed him to work side jobs until, in 1765, he bought his freedom for seventy-one pounds and two shillings, according to his biography, which was based on the story he told to a local teacher. He then saved up to buy freedom for his wife, Meg, and their sons.

He was buried beneath a marked headstone in a small, well-kept cemetery in this riverside Connecticut town.

Archaeologists working beneath a white tent slowly began digging this week. By midweek they had gone about three feet deep, and Bellantoni said it could be next week before they locate the remains.

The remains will not be exhumed. Rather, scientists will take small samples of bone, teeth and genetic material to study. It will take months for genetic results to come back.

The process hit a snag Tuesday when Nancy Burton, a disbarred Connecticut lawyer who no connection to the Smith family, challenged the dig in court. She said it was disrespectful to Smith's legacy. A judge denied her request for an injunction and said digging could continue at least until she heard arguments on Friday.

Warmsley said family members were consulted and all agreed that Smith would have wanted them to know their history.

David Richardson of the Wilberforce Institute for the Study of Slavery and Emancipation, a British group helping support the dig, concurred.

"He wanted the world to know his story. It was a story of optimism and hope, of someone who was brought from Africa as a slave but nevertheless freed himself and built a new life," Richardson said. "In a way, we're carrying on what Venture himself wanted to accomplish."

Judge refuses to reduce bail for police officer charged in rapes

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (AP) - A judge refused to reduce bail Friday for a police sergeant charged with four rapes, saying he does not have enough information to determine if the officer would be a danger to the community if released. - Defense attorneys wanted 41-year-old Jeff Pelo's bail reduced from $2 million to $500,000, saying the officer's family cannot raise the higher amount.

Attorneys said during a hearing before McLean County Judge Ronald Dozier that Pelo is a 17-year department veteran with long-standing ties to the community.

Dozier said that since Pelo hasn't been indicted he does not have enough information about his character to rule on the request.

Pelo was charged July 14 with four counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault in a four-year string of rapes. Prosecutors said three accusers identified him from photo lineups and two identified him by voice.

Prosecutors said Pelo would pose a danger to the public if released because the accusers had also been stalked.

Police said they found a mask, pry bar and other items in Pelo's home that appeared to have been used in at least one of the assaults. Defense attorney Steve Skelton has called the state's case flimsy.

Pelo was to have been arraigned Friday, but Dozier postponed that hearing until Aug. 11 to allow the case to go before a grand jury.

The rape charges came about a month after Pelo was charged with attempting to break into another woman's home. Prosecutors later added a charge of aggravated stalking. Pelo has pleaded not guilty to both charges.

Pelo, on administrative leave, is still collecting his $81,000 annual salary. City officials said they opted to continue paying Pelo to spare his accusers from testifying in a disciplinary hearing.

Pair accused of laundering millions out of their New York apartments

NEW YORK (AP) - Two men were indicted on charges of operating a multimillion-dollar money laundering scheme from their apartments, sometimes charging six figures per transaction, prosecutors said.

Arthur Budovsky, 32, and Vladimir Kats, 33, illegally transmitted at least $30 million by letting customers deposit money with limited documentation, then using the cash to buy E-Gold - digital currency backed up by gold bullion, authorities said. Customers then withdrew their money through wire transfers or checks to international accounts or people overseas, they said.

The two were arraigned Thursday on charges of illegally transmitting $4 million over the first half of this year, and each pleaded not guilty.

The defendants' company, GOLDAGE, charged for both ends of each transaction, authorities said.

Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau said the six-figure fees were a red flag.

"When it is that high, there is a presumption that something is wrong," Morgenthau said.

The men, both of Brooklyn, were charged with engaging in the business of transmitting money without a license, a felony violation of state banking law. Each was being held on $500,000 bail.

Igor Niman, who represents both men, had no immediate comment.

Morgenthau said the six-month investigation began in January, when undercover agents set up three accounts at GOLDAGE and moved money through the defendants' companies.

Computers, business records and financial statements were seized from the defendants' apartments on Wednesday.

Suburban teen thought she was being followed just before slaying, law officer says

NEW YORK (AP) - Just before she was kidnapped and killed, a suburban teenager called her boyfriend to say she was lost in Manhattan and someone was following her, a law enforcement official said Friday.

Eighteen-year-old Jennifer Moore's cell phone was later used by Draymond Coleman, the drifter charged with her slaying Thursday, said the official, who asked not to be named because the investigation was ongoing.

Coleman, 35, did not speak Friday during a brief appearance in Manhattan Criminal Court, and no plea was entered. Coleman, who has prior arrests for robbery and assault, was ordered held without bail until an Aug. 25 hearing.

"He's not guilty as far as I'm concerned," his attorney, Sidney Luster, said later.

Witnesses said Moore was last seen early Tuesday as she walked alone along a major roadway along Manhattan's west side, wearing a black halter top and white miniskirt. Her body was found Thursday in a trash bin in West New York, N.J.

New York police think Moore was lured or forced into a taxi, taken to a New Jersey motel and strangled, the law enforcement official told the AP. Officials said surveillance video from the motel in Weehawken, N.J., showed Coleman entering the building with Moore early Tuesday, according to reports published Friday.

Coleman, who has no permanent address, was arrested Thursday at a cheap hotel in Manhattan. He is fighting extradition to New Jersey.

A woman believed to be Coleman's girlfriend was charged Friday with hindering his arrest, evidence tampering and prostitution in Hudson County, N.J. Krystal Riordan, 20, of Orange, Conn., was being held on $1 million bail.

Moore's death followed a night of partying with a friend that ended at the Guest House, a nightclub complex in Manhattan's trendy Chelsea neighborhood. Police describe the complex as a magnet for trouble, with reports of drug dealing, robbery and assault.

After discovering that their car had been towed, Moore accompanied a friend to the city tow pound, but Moore's friend passed out and had to be taken by ambulance to a hospital. Moore stayed behind.

Moore called her boyfriend on her cell phone about 5 a.m. and said someone was following her, the law enforcement official told the AP. He reportedly told her to call a taxi, and when he tried to call her back a short time later, there was no answer.

Later, the suspect used the same cell phone to call a woman staying at the hotel to come down and pay for the taxi when they arrived, the official said. Authorities described the woman as a prostitute who worked for Coleman.

A woman who answered the phone at the Riordan home in Connecticut said Krystal Riordan "wouldn't do something like this." The woman identified herself only as Riordan's adopted sister and said she had been instructed not to talk about the case.

Hugh Moore described his daughter as "smart and bright and funny."

"Wrong place, wrong time. It could happen to anybody," he said outside the family home in Harrington Park, N.J.

Moore graduated from high school in May and was enrolled at the University of Hartford for the fall, her father said.

- Associated Press writers Jeffrey Gold and Wayne Parry in Newark, N.J., contributed to this report.

Nebraska high court rejects challenge to electric chair

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - The state Supreme Court on Friday rejected an inmate's appeal that the electric chair amounts to cruel and unusual punishment, leaving Nebraska as still the only state with electrocution as its sole means of execution.

No American court has ever ruled that electrocution amounts to cruel and unusual punishment. But as legal challenges were mounted against its use, others states adopted alternative methods of execution, primarily lethal injection.

"Nebraska … now is alone in the United States, actually in the whole world, in still requiring electrocution," Carey Dean Moore's lawyer, Alan Peterson, argued to the court. "Nebraska is the last holdout for this universally rejected and condemned sole means of capital punishment."

In its ruling, the court noted that Moore was previously rejected in his bid to have the electric chair deemed cruel and unusual punishment. The court said it "need not entertain a second or successive motions for similar relief on behalf of the same prisoner."

Under state law, Moore also had to persuade justices to throw out his death sentence in order to win his appeal. He was sentenced to death for the 1979 murders of two Omaha cab drivers.

Peterson did not immediately respond to a request to comment.

According to the Death Penalty Information Center, nine states allow some or all condemned inmates to choose between lethal injection and another execution method. Ten states have the electric chair but only Nebraska uses it exclusively.

Some inmates choose execution of lethal injection, which has recently spurred several legal challenges over whether the drugs used actually prevent pain. Last week in Virginia, Brandon Hedrick, 27, chose to become the first person in the U.S. to die in the electric chair in more than two years.

Moore's appeal was based on a change in execution protocol made by the state in 2004. Prison officials used one continuous jolt of electricity for 15 seconds instead of four separate jolts after a judge said the practice appeared to cause undue suffering.

Three people have been put to death in Nebraska since executions were resumed in 1994.

Billionaire once named among NYC's most eligible bachelors charged in prostitution sting

PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - A billionaire named one of New York's most eligible bachelors has been charged with solicitation of prostitution after authorities alleged he paid women to have sex with him in his Florida mansion.

Jeffrey Epstein, 53, was booked into the Palm Beach County jail on Sunday and later released on $3,000 bond.

His attorney, Jack Goldberger, said Thursday that Epstein "would never knowingly break the law."

The billionaire money manager is alleged to have solicited sex three or more times between Aug. 1 and Oct. 31 of last year, according to an indictment unsealed this week charging him with one felony count of solicitation of prostitution.

The case was presented to a grand jury.

While declining to comment on the Epstein case, Mike Edmondson, spokesman for the state attorney, said his office presents cases other than murders to a grand jury when there are questions about witness credibility.

According to the indictment, authorities had been investigating Epstein for several months, sifting through his trash and watching his waterfront home and Palm Beach International Airport to keep tabs on his private jet.

Epstein was named one of New York's most eligible bachelors in 2003 by the New York Post. He has lavish homes in Manhattan, New Mexico, Florida and the Virgin Islands.

No beauty pageant swimsuit posing in Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) - The winner of a planned Miss Cambodia beauty pageant may have to take a crash course in swimsuit posing if she competes abroad.

The government has ruled out skimpy attire in contests at home, organizers said Friday.

The country will hold its first Miss Cambodia competition in more than a decade starting in September, with the final to be held three months later, said Kem Tola, marketing manager for Planet Communication Ltd., a Cambodian events management company.

As a condition of holding the event, the government said, contestants cannot take to the stage in swimsuits.

Contestants must be properly attired at all times "to preserve Cambodian culture," said Sim Sarak, a director-general of Cambodia's Culture Ministry.

The winner will receive a $969 prize and likely be nominated to take part in next year's Miss Universe contest, Kem Tola said. Because of the swimsuit ban at home, Miss Cambodia may need to learn how to pose in a swimsuit before going abroad, he said.

Miss Cambodia competitions were held in 1993 and 1995, but not in the intervening period, because the government thought it was a waste of money, Sim Sarak said. Swimsuits were also banned from the earlier contests, he added.

Strippers plan to go river tubing

NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas (AP) - As officials attempt to crack down on rowdy behavior during traditional summertime tubing river trips through the city, a San Antonio topless club is planning a tubing excursion featuring strippers.

Trey Maddox, a manager at Palace Men's Club, said Sunday's excursion - during which men can pay $25 to join the strippers - isn't meant to fly in the face of the city's new rules.

"We're not hookers, dope dealers or Mafia thugs," he said, noting that the strippers will be appropriately dressed. "We're just coming to have a good time."

City Councilman Ken Valentine isn't so sure.

"I'm really disappointed that this is going to occur on Sunday, when people should be in church," he said. "I hope they behave themselves and keep their clothes on, but I'm not sure they will because strippers are trained to take off their clothes."

The New Braunfels City Council has been cracking down on rowdy behavior on the Comal and Guadalupe rivers in recent months, banning drinking devices known as beer bongs, increasing the maximum fine for noise ordinance violations and prohibiting sound amplification between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m.

A new ordinance banning containers with a liquid volume of 5 ounces or less - an attempt to ban Jell-O shots - will take effect after the next city council meeting.

Wichita City Hall security guards find pot in potted plants

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - Some interesting items have been showing up in the potted plants at Wichita City Hall.

Since April, when the city installed a security checkpoint at the hall's front doors, guards have found several bags of marijuana and crack and other illegal goods in the potted plants, Capt. Joe Dessenberger said.

And it doesn't end at the plants. Police have found drugs, alcohol and other items stowed throughout City Hall, according to a report police gave to the city council Tuesday.

Among things found on both sides of the checkpoint: crack rocks, marijuana pipes and a bag of marijuana, an open bottle of whiskey in a man's bag and a woman carrying brass knuckles.

In the first 39 days of screening, City Hall security officers seized 3,457 prohibited items and detained 15 people, according to the police.

"We expected to be busy," Dessenberger said. "But not as busy as we've been."

FedEx plane catches fire at Memphis airport, second plane emergency in 2 days

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - A FedEx plane caught fire Friday after landing at Memphis International Airport, the cargo company's second airplane emergency in two days.

None of the crew members was hurt in either incident.

Larry Cox, spokesman for the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority, said the plane's left landing gear appeared to have collapsed Friday as it was landing.

A spokeswoman for Memphis-based FedEx Corp. confirmed that the FedEx Express MD-10 airplane had an "emergency situation" upon landing and that the three people safely evacuated. FedEx Express is one of several independent companies operating under the FedEx umbrella, according to the company Web site.

On Thursday, a FedEx 727 cargo plane went off an airport runway in Louisville, Ky., after the pilot aborted takeoff.

FedEx changed its training regimen for flight crews after a 2003 incident when a FedEx jet caught fire after landing at the Memphis airport and the National Transportation Safety Board faulted the pilot and flight captain. A FedEx crew also was blamed by the NTSB for a 2002 accident in Florida.

On the Net:

http://www.fedex.com/

Bank executive sentenced to life for killing twin 5-year-old daughters

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - A bank executive who said he had battled depression for years was sentenced Friday to life in prison for killing his 5-year-old twin daughters.

David Crespi, 45, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder to spare his family the trauma of a trial and possible death penalty. He has a wife, Kim, and three surviving children.

In court, Crespi apologized to his family and his late daughters, Samantha and Tessara, saying the girls "deserved to grow up" and be loved.

Crespi told police that in his periods of depression, he thought of killing his children, wife and parents or running over strangers with his car, but he had always been able to stop himself. The day he killed the twins, he said, "the thoughts weren't stopping."

He also confessed that he believed he had not taken care of his family well and was about to lose his job as a senior vice president in the audit division for Wachovia Corp. In fact, defense lawyers said, Wachovia had already approved Crespi for his biggest bonus ever.

In court, police detective Valerie Gordon testified that Crespi told her he planned to kill the girls together during a game of hide-and-seek.

Crespi stabbed Samantha in the kitchen and Tessara ran away from him and hid upstairs, Gordon recounted from her interview. Crespi found the girl hiding in a closet, and stabbed her as she yelled "No daddy no," the detective testified.

Both girls were stabbed more than a dozen times.

In court, Crespi thanked his prison doctors for finding the right medication to treat his depression.

"For the first time in my life I have been diagnosed correctly," he said. "It made me appreciate the horror of what I have done."

Man dies of apparent heart attack after riding roller coaster at Ga. amusement park

AUSTELL, Ga. (AP) - A 45-year-old man died of an apparent heart attack after riding the newest roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia amusement park, officials said.

The man was alert while riding the Goliath roller coaster Thursday, but he was unconscious by the end of the ride, Six Flags spokeswoman Christy Poore said.

When firefighters arrived, he wasn't breathing, said Cobb County Fire Lt. Dan Dupree. He said the man was pronounced dead at a hospital.

An autopsy showed Michael Corry of Birmingham, Ala., had a congenital heart problem, according to the Medical Examiner's Office.

The roller coaster soars 200 feet over the park, lasting just over three minutes and reaching speeds of 70 mph. Poore said the ride was reopened after workers found it was operating properly.

On Monday, a 52-year-old man died after riding the Gwazi roller coaster at Busch Gardens in Tampa, Fla. A medical examiner said the man had high blood pressure and hardening of the arteries.

A 12-year-old boy who died after riding Disney-MGM's Rock 'n' Roller Coaster at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., last month was also found to have heart problems. An autopsy showed the boy had a congenital heart defect, the medical examiner said.

Two wounded in shooting at downtown Seattle Jewish center

SEATTLE (AP) - Two people were wounded in a shooting Friday at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle and one person was arrested, police said.

The extent of the victims' injuries was not immediately known. A SWAT team was searching the downtown building for any other possible victims or shooters, police spokesman Rich Pruitt said.

"People got shot, some of our co-workers," Patti Simon said in a phone interview, her voice shaking. "I just got back from Israel and made it out of there a half hour before the rockets started."

Simon, who sells advertising for the federation's newspaper, was working on the first floor when she heard screaming, shots and what sounded like furniture crashing on the floor above.

"We heard this horrible screaming on the floor above us and shots," the 52-year-old said. "We didn't know what was happening."

Simon called up to her co-workers on the second floor, but got no answer, so she called the police and fled the building.

One person shot in the abdomen and another shot in the arm were being taken to Harborview Medical Center, KING-TV reported.

Police blocked off several city blocks to investigate.

Simon said the federation building has security.

"Somebody must have lied their way in," she said.

U.S. airman jailed for 12 years in Britain for raping teenage girls

LONDON (AP) - A U.S. airman convicted of raping three teenage British girls was sentenced Friday to 12 years in prison. - Prosecutors said Staff Sgt. James Gardner took advantage of vulnerable girls who lived in a children's home near the U.S. base at Menwith Hill in northern England, where he was stationed.

Gardner, 34, had said the girls had consented to sex. But a jury convicted him last month of five counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault and another of attempted rape. The victims were three girls aged 14, 15 and 17.

Passing sentence at York Crown Court, Judge Peter Hoffman told Gardner: "You took advantage of these young girls."

Hoffman said Gardner's exemplary service record made him "a credit" to the U.S. Air Force, but he added: "You have lost all that, I'm afraid, by these convictions."

He also ordered that Gardner should be deported once he had served his sentence.

Gardner, an information technology and logistics specialist, began his career in Little Rock, Ark. His hometown was not immediately available, and it was not immediately clear if he would appeal.

Africans found dead on boat intercepted near Spain's Canary Islands

MADRID, Spain (AP) - Police found the bodies of four Africans on a boat packed with would-be immigrants that was intercepted off Spain's Canary Islands, an official said Friday.

The deaths bring to nine the number of destitute travelers who have died in a week in the latest wave of migrants seeking a better life in Europe.

The four dead men were found Thursday on a fishing boat carrying 26 other migrants, said maritime rescue services spokesman Anibal Carillo. Police escorted the boat to the Canary Island of Tenerife.

Three other boats carrying a total of 270 migrants were intercepted by police in the past 24 hours, Carillo said.

Three people were found dead aboard a boat July 21, and two more on Monday.

Thousands of migrants try to reach Spain's Canary Island archipelago in the Atlantic each year, an increasing number of them setting off in boats from Mauritania and Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara. Many die during the long and dangerous crossings.

Spain says more than 11,000 Africans from some of the continent's poorest countries have made the perilous trip so far this year, double the total for all of 2005. More than 1,000 are reported to have died attempting the voyage since late last year.

Most who make it are intercepted and taken to holding centers. Authorities then have 40 days to send them home or release them.

Those who can be identified are sent back to their country of origin, or to the country from which they set sail if Spain has a repatriation agreement with it.

The European Union plans to launch maritime patrols around the islands and along Africa's west coast in the coming weeks to try to stem the flow.

Thousands evacuated after volcano on Indonesia's Sulawesi island spews lava

MANADO, Indonesia - A volcano on an eastern Indonesian island started spewing lava and hot clouds, forcing the evacuation of thousands of villagers, officials said Friday.

Lava and hot ash rumbled 750 yards down Mount Karangetang's slopes Thursday, its second eruption since July 17, said Saut Simatupang, chief researcher at the government's volcanology agency.

Nearly 4,000 people were evacuated from five villages, said Iskandar Gobel, a North Sulawesi provincial official, and police said more would likely leave in coming days. Nobody was hurt.

Mount Karangetang, one of the country's most active mountains, has been rumbling for weeks. Six villagers were killed when Karangetang erupted in 1992.

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

The 5,850-foot Karangetang is on Siau, part of the Sulawesi island chain, which has not been affected by a recent string of natural disasters.

An earthquake off Java island triggered a tsunami earlier this month that left 600 people dead, and a temblor on the same island in May killed 5,800. Mount Merapi, also on Java, has seen heightened activity in recent months.

Man gets 7 years in prison for neighborhood feud shooting

ELYRIA, Ohio (AP) - An 84-year-old man was sentenced to seven years in prison Friday for shooting a neighbor in a feud over the construction of a garage. - A jury Wednesday acquitted Paul Hashman of attempted murder but found him guilty of felonious assault and using a handgun in a crime.

Prosecutors said Hashman became enraged after Darrell Oskins, 54, built a garage in 1998 to accommodate his hobby of working on antique cars. Hashman complained that it was too big and too close to the property line and that it blocked his view.

Years of bickering followed, with Hashman shooting and wounding Oskins as the man used his snowblower in 2004.

Hashman testified that he shot Oskins because he feared his neighbor would grind his feet off with the snowblower.

Oskins testified the shooting was unprovoked. He was shot six or seven times, spent almost five months in the hospital, and lost a kidney, his appendix and part of his colon.

Mistrial declared in cell phone assault case

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (AP) - A judge declared a mistrial Friday after a jury was unable to reach a verdict in the case of a man accused of shoving a cell phone down his girlfriend's throat.

After a half-day of deliberations, the jury said it was hopelessly deadlocked.

Marlon Brando Gill, 24, was charged with assaulting Melinda Abell, 25, during an argument in December. He denied the charge, claiming instead that she tried to swallow the phone to prevent him from finding out whom she had been calling.

Abell testified that she had been drinking that evening and did not remember how the phone ended up lodged in her throat. An emergency room doctor had to remove it.

Prosecutors had no immediate comment on whether they would retry the case.

Singer, pianist Floyd Dixon dies

North County Times wire services -

ORANGE - Floyd Dixon, a singer and jump-blues pianist who became an influential figure in the R&B scene of 1950s Southern California and who is credited with influencing Ray Charles, has died of cancer. He was 77.

Dixon, an entertainer who dubbed himself "Mr. Magnificent" and whose best-known song was "Hey Bartender," which was made popular by the Blues Brothers, died Wednesday at Chapman Hospital in Orange, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Other notable recordings by Dixon included "Wine, Wine, Wine," "Call Operator 210," "Telephone Blues" and the early Jerry Lieber-Mike Stoller song "Too Much Jelly Roll," according to The Times.

Dixon, who never married, is survived by two first cousins, Marie Banks of Los Angeles and Mary Dixon of Marshall, Texas, The times reported.

There will be a public memorial service from 1 to 3 p.m. Monday at Grace Chapel on the grounds of Inglewood Park Cemetery at 720 E. Florence Ave.

WWII fighter pilot ace Besby Holmes dies at 88

GREENBRAE - Lt. Col. Besby Frank Holmes, a World War II fighter pilot who took part in the successful 1943 mission to kill the Japanese admiral who planned the Pearl Harbor attack, died of a stroke at 88. - Holmes, who lived in San Rafael, died July 23 at Marin General Hospital, according to the Marin County coroner's office.

Holmes was born in San Francisco on Dec. 5, 1917. His career included service in the U.S. Army Air Corps and the U.S. Air Force from 1941 to 1968. His assignments included Japan, Panama, New Zealand and South America.

Homes was a member of the 67th Pursuit Squadron, which flew fighter planes against the Japanese during the Guadalcanal campaign. In October 1942, Holmes blew up a beached Japanese ammunition ship.

His most famous mission came after American cryptographers cracked a Japanese naval code in early 1943 and retrieved a message revealing the itinerary of Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto.

His was among the 16 fighter planes that ambushed Yamamoto.

"Granted, it was a wild gamble with many odds against success," Holmes said in the 1996 book "Aces Against Japan II." "But most of us were pretty good gamblers by then, having gambled our lives on the early days of the invasion of Guadalcanal."

Homes served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam and earned the Navy Cross, three Distinguished Flying Crosses, the Legion of Merit and the Air Medal.

Holmes is survived by his wife of 62 years, Lavina Holmes; two daughters, Katherine Roehm of Fairfax, Va., and Diana Movey of Fresno; and two sons, Frank of Petaluma and Robert of St. Petersburg, Fla.

Disabled ship, listing on its side, drifting toward the Aleutians

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - A disabled, crewless ship loaded with nearly 5,000 autos has crossed into U.S. waters, drifting Friday toward Alaska's Aleutian Islands. - The Cougar Ace was still listing sideways as it floated in choppy seas about 150 miles south of Atka Island, the Coast Guard said. The 654-foot car carrier had zigzagged 120 miles since it tilted sharply Sunday night, its crew rescued 24 hours later, said Petty Officer Richard Reichenbach.

The Coast Guard cutter Rush was tracking the ship as it slowly moved northeast.

"There's always concern, but we do have an asset on scene," Coast Guard Lt. Heather Neely said. "We're doing all we can and it's not drifting very fast."

The ship's owner, Tokyo-based Mitsui O.S.K Lines, sent out a tug Friday morning with a salvage engineer on board from Dutch Harbor on Unalaska Island about 400 miles away. The goal is to secure the vessel's cargo of mostly Mazda vehicles as soon as possible, said company spokesman Greg Beuerman. The cars are stacked 14 stories high.

A salvage tow from Seattle is expected to reach the Cougar Ace no earlier than Wednesday, while the Dutch Harbor tug is expected to arrive Saturday morning.

The engineer en route Friday will work on a plan to regain stability for the ship for towing it to a yet undetermined port, Beuerman said.

The Singapore-flagged ship began listing Sunday night in international waters about 230 miles south of Adak Island, also in the Aleutians.

The Cougar Ace likely had discharged too much water from ballast tanks at the bottom of the vessel, causing it to suddenly list in the space of 10 minutes, according to Beuerman. He said company officials believe the ship rolled on the swell of the sea while the crew was adjusting the ballast tank, which regulates the ship's weight and balance.

The 23 crew members were hoisted to safety Monday night, many bruised and cut up from the abrupt tilting of the ship. The worst injury was a broken ankle. The ship has been drifting, and shifting winds late Wednesday began pushing it toward land. Unknown is the fate of the cargo - mostly Mazda vehicles - secured inside.

The cutter Rush hoped to hook a line to the Cougar Ace Saturday morning to slow its drift, Neely said. The Honolulu-based cutter, however, is not equipped to tow the ship.

Mitsui issued a statement apologizing for "any inconvenience this incident has caused" and thanking the Coast Guard and Alaska Air National Guard for their efforts.

On the Net:

http://www.uscgalaska.com/external/index.cfm?cid

State trial to follow federal trial in 2002 Nevada biker brawl

LAS VEGAS (AP) - A Nevada judge pushed back the long-delayed date of a state murder trial for eight Hells Angels motorcycle gang members to follow a pending federal trial stemming from a deadly brawl inside a southern Nevada hotel-casino. - Lawyers for the eight men charged in a revised indictment with murder, attempted murder, conspiracy and other counts relating to promotion of a criminal gang said they were not opposed to the delay.

"All the defendants are looking forward to a fair and successful conclusion," said lawyer David Chesnoff, who represents Calvin Schaefer of Chandler, Ariz., the first person charged in 2002 with murder and conspiracy in the Nevada state case.

Schaefer and seven other Hells Angels charged in state court are among 42 club members from five Western states awaiting trial on federal racketeering, violence and weapons charges that could carry the possibility of life in prison.

The first 11 defendants in that case go on trial in September before U.S. District Court Judge James Mahan. Forty-four Hells Angels were originally charged. One remains a fugitive. One died.

Clark County District Court Judge Michael Cherry set trial March 12 in the state case, which was refiled in May after the state Supreme Court dismissed a conspiracy count and ordered major revisions to the first indictment.

The case against six members of the Mongols motorcycle gang who had been named in the original state indictment has been severed from the Hells Angels case. They face similar charges, but no trial date has been set.

Two Hells Angels and one Mongols member died in the melee which was captured on casino surveillance cameras inside Harrah's Laughlin resort during the 2002 Laughlin River Run motorcycle rally.

Authorities said the battle - involving fists, guns, knives and chairs - was sparked by longtime friction between the two rival gangs. Laughlin is a Colorado River resort town about 100 miles southeast of Las Vegas.

Legendary hot-rodder Big John Mazmanian dead at 80

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Big John Mazmanian, a legendary racer and car builder who towered over the "gasser wars" era of Southern California drag racing, has died at age 80, his family reported Friday.

Mazmanian died July 21 at a Mission Viejo hospital, his granddaughter Jackie Sukiasian, told The Associated Press. The cause of death was complications from leukemia.

In the 1960s and '70s, Mazmanian's name was practically a household word throughout Southern California, thanks to what seemed like nonstop radio advertising promoting the "gasser" and "funny car" competitions that were a fixture every weekend at the region's drag strips.

In "Billy The Mountain," a song filled with in-joke references to Southern California, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention refer to a Mazmanian funny car competition at the Irwindale Speedway.

Although best known in Southern California, Mazmanian also raced throughout the country. He was inducted into the National Hot Road Association's Hall of Fame in 1989.

The racer, who at 6-feet-5 towered over most of his fellow drivers, got his start building cars before he was old enough to drive them, rebuilding a 1932 Ford into a "highboy roadster" for an auto shop class when he was 14.

"It just got into his blood after that," said his son, Vic Mazmanian. "He just loved building cars and he loved racing."

Soon he was building or customizing other cars, painting them his trademark candy apple red and racing them at tracks around the country.

He started with "gassers," customized versions of street-legal cars that were powered by gasoline. In the 1960s, he moved up to "funny cars," more powerful automobiles powered by a potent mixture that includes nitroglycerine and whose large back tires emit a huge cloud of burned rubber smoke at the beginning of a drag race.

"We were breaking the 200 mile per hour barrier back then, and under 6 seconds, which was very fast for that time," his son recalled.

Mazmanian retired from racing in 1972, but remained a popular figure on the funny car circuit, signing autographs and letting people see his vintage cars.

In addition to his granddaughter and son, Mazmanian is survived by his wife, Alice, a daughter, Cathy Sukiasian, another granddaughter and three grandsons.

Services were held Thursday.