NOE PLEADS GUILTY TO FEDERAL CHARGES

Noe pleads guiltyto federal charges
TOLEDO -- A coin dealer and prominent GOP fundraiser at the center of an Ohio political scandal pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal charges he illegally funneled about $45,000 to President Bush's re-election campaign. Tom Noe, once a powerful political figure who also raised money for Ohio Republicans, still is charged with embezzlement in an ill-fated $50 million coin investment that he managed for the state workers' compensation fund. The investment scandal has been a major embarrassment for Ohio's ruling Republicans and given Democrats a better shot at winning state offices this year, including the governor's office, which has been under GOP control since 1991. Investigators do not know whether Noe used money from the state coin fund for campaign contributions.
Lawsuit filed in data theft
CINCINNATI -- A federal lawsuit filed on behalf of 26.5 million veterans whose personal information was on a stolen computer disk asks the Department of Veterans Affairs to compensate the veterans and pay for their credit monitoring. The suit was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in nearby Covington, Ky., by Cincinnati attorney Paul Hackett, a Marine reservist who served in Iraq. Hackett, a Democrat, ran unsuccessfully against Rep. Jean Schmidt, R-Ohio, in a special election in Ohio's 2nd District last year. The suit asks the VA to pay damages of at least $1,000 per veteran. "We're not looking for big emotional distress damages," said attorney Chris Jenkins, a co-counsel in the filing. "We're looking for these people to be made whole." VA officials said Wednesday that the disk stolen from a data analyst's home in early May included Social Security numbers and birth dates, and in many cases phone numbers and addresses.
Indonesian earthquake
BANTUL, Indonesia -- Medicines, rice, water and tarps were delivered to Indonesia's earthquake disaster zone Wednesday to help about 650,000 displaced people, but many said the international aid was taking too long to get there. Thousands of women and children lined roads clogged with relief vehicles and curious onlookers, asking motorists for money so they could buy food. Some stood next to a banner that read: "Don't just look. Help." Saturday's 6.3-magnitude quake on Java island killed 6,234 people and injured more than 30,000, the Social Affairs Ministry said. The main hospital in hardest-hit Bantul district remained overwhelmed, with patients cramming corridors or sleeping on pieces of cardboard in the parking lot, and doctors complained about a lack of supplies.
Sex offenders file lawsuitagainst city over ordinance
INDIANAPOLIS -- Six sex offenders sued the city Wednesday to block a new ordinance that bars them from venturing within 1,000 feet of parks, pools and playgrounds when children are present. The plaintiffs went to federal court to argue that the law is unconstitutionally vague, violates their rights to vote and attend church, and prevents them from freely traveling on roads that may pass within 1,000 feet of the affected sites. The ordinance was approved May 15 and took effect immediately. It carries fines of up to $2,500. The law includes an exception that permits sex offenders to visit those sites as long as they are with another adult who is not a convicted sexual offender. The six, who include convicted child molesters and rapists, are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana. Tenley Drescher, an attorney for the city, said officials planned to defend the ordinance. "The important part is protecting kids," she said.
NASA plans July launchof space shuttle Discovery
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- All systems are "go" for a July launch of space shuttle Discovery, NASA officials said Wednesday after a two-day review of the dangers posed by foam falling off the vehicle's external tank. NASA managers and engineers have concluded that the risk from falling foam is acceptable and that any foam fragments would be significantly smaller than the 1-pound piece that fell off Discovery last year, said Wayne Hale, shuttle program manager. An even larger piece of foam fell off the tank during Columbia's liftoff in 2003, causing a breach in a wing that allowed fiery gases to shatter the spacecraft during re-entry. All seven astronauts were killed. Discovery's launch, sometime between July 1 and July 19, will be only the second shuttle flight since the Columbia disaster. "We have found no show stoppers," Hale said after the first-of-its kind meeting involving 100 engineers and managers. "We believe we have made significant improvements since last year in the elimination of many of the hazards from foam."
Associated Press