Peterson's mom defends son on the witness stand

Peterson's mom defendsson on the witness stand
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- Prosecutors have suggested that Scott Peterson was preparing to flee after he was arrested with nearly $15,000 in cash, but Peterson's mother tried to explain the wad of money while testifying in her son's defense.
Jackie Peterson, who suffers from a lung ailment, spoke softly during Monday's murder trial -- explaining to defense lawyers that another son was going to buy Scott Peterson's pickup truck and that she was loaning him the money.
She said she withdrew $10,000 from a bank account to pay Scott but later realized the bank withdrew the money from Scott Peterson's own account, one on which her name also appeared.
Jackie Peterson said that on April 17, a day before Peterson's arrest near his parents' home in San Diego, she gave him back the $10,000 she accidentally withdrew from his account, and that was why Scott was carrying so much cash when he was arrested, defense lawyer Mark Geragos suggested.
Maryland's first bear huntbegins and ends in 1 day
OAKLAND, Md. -- Maryland's first bear hunt in 51 years started -- and surprisingly ended -- in a day.
As of 8 p.m. Monday, 20 dead bears had been registered at Department of Natural Resources checking stations, according to the DNR kill tally hot line. Officials then called a halt to any more killing.
Calling the one-day harvest rate "overwhelming," and expressing concern that allowing the bear hunt to continue a second day would exceed the 30-bear limit, the DNR refused to allow the hunt to continue.
Leader tours quake zone
NAGAOKA, Japan -- Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi headed to northern Japan today to survey the damage wrought by the deadliest earthquakes to hit the country in nearly a decade, while the death toll from the quakes rose to 31.
A chilly downpour hobbled relief efforts as did a 4.1-magnitude aftershock that rocked the area just before dawn. The quake shook buildings and forced nearly 102,000 worried residents to stay inside shelters at local school gymnasiums and public halls, where many have lived since Saturday evening's 6.8-magnitude tremor.
The weekend quakes in rural Niigata, about 160 miles northwest of Tokyo, toppled houses, cracked roads and bridges, and derailed a high speed train. Today, five more people, mostly elderly, died from strokes or cerebral hemorrhages attributed to their ordeals.
At least 78 die after riot
TAKBAI, Thailand -- At least 78 people have died following a riot in southern Thailand, many of them crushed and suffocated after they were arrested and packed tightly into trucks, officials said today.
Dr. Pornthip Rojanasunan, a well-known pathologist in Thailand, told a news conference that she and a team of doctors conducted autopsies on 78 bodies at an army camp in Pattani province and found that most of the dead had perished from suffocation.
The dead were among some 1,300 people arrested Monday following a riot in Thailand's Muslim-dominated southern provinces, which have been struck by unrest this year.
Urged to rejoin talks
SEOUL, South Korea -- Secretary of State Colin Powell urged North Korea today to rejoin nuclear disarmament talks if it wants international aid, while South Korea went on high alert after holes cut in a border fence raised fears of infiltration by the North's agents.
South Korea, meanwhile, called on Washington and other participants in six-nation talks to show more flexibility in resolving the nuclear standoff -- comments that appeared to distance Seoul from U.S. proposals.
Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon urged "all participating countries in the six-nation talks to make more creative and realistic proposals to help bring North Korea to the talks as soon as possible."
Blake jury selection
LOS ANGELES -- Robert Blake and his lawyer were not present, but the former "Baretta" star was on everyone's mind as prospective jurors were screened for a panel that will decide whether the actor murdered his wife.
"Oh, geez!" exclaimed one woman when it was announced that the group was called for the high-profile Blake trial, which could last five months. Many of the panelists sighed and shook their heads.
Judge Darlene Schempp has said she wants a pool of 150 to 200 prescreened jurors ready to be quizzed Nov. 15 when lawyers take over. That could involve the screening of as many as 1,800 prospective jurors during three weeks.
Associated Press