mugMineta resigns as transportation secretary

Mineta resigns astransportation secretary
WASHINGTON -- Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, who helped rebuild confidence in U.S. airports and flying after the Sept. 11 attacks, said Friday he's leaving the Bush administration. "It is time for me to move on to other challenges," Mineta said in a letter to President Bush. White House press secretary Tony Snow announced the July 7 resignation. Asked why Mineta, 74, decided to leave, Snow said: "Because he wanted to." "He was not being pushed out," Snow said. "As a matter of fact, the president and the vice president and others were happy with him. He put in 51/2 years -- that's enough time."
Federal judge refusesto block smoking ban
DENVER -- A federal judge refused Friday to block a statewide smoking ban from taking effect July 1 despite pleas from bar owners that it will irreparably hurt their businesses. Attorneys for bar owners and others had asked U.S. District Judge Lewis Babcock to issue a temporary restraining order to delay the ban while they press their lawsuit seeking to overturn the measure. Babcock refused, saying the bar owners were unlikely to win their argument that the ban violates their constitutional rights. His ruling did not affect the lawsuit itself, which can still proceed even if the ban takes effect next week. A law approved by the Legislature in March bans smoking in most public places but exempts casinos, cigar bars, the Denver International Airport smoking lounge and private workplaces with three or fewer employees.
TV mogul Aaron Spellingdies of stroke at age 83
LOS ANGELES -- Aaron Spelling, a onetime movie bit player who turned to television production and created a massive number of hit series, from the vintage "Charlie's Angels" and "Dynasty" to "Beverly Hills 90210" and "Melrose Place," died Friday, his publicist said. He was 83. Spelling died at his home in Los Angeles after suffering a stroke Sunday, according to publicist Kevin Sasaki. Spelling's other hit series included "Love Boat," "Fantasy Island," "Burke's Law," "The Mod Squad," "Starsky and Hutch," "T.J. Hooker," "Matt Houston," "Hart to Hart" and "Hotel." He kept his hand in 21st-century TV with series including "7th Heaven" and "Summerland." He also produced more than 140 television movies. Among the most notable: "Death Sentence" (1974), Nick Nolte's first starring role; "The Boy in the Plastic Bubble" (1976), John Travolta's first dramatic role; "The Best Little Girl in the World" (1981), which starred Jennifer Jason Leigh. During the 1970s and 1980s, Spelling provided series and movies exclusively for ABC and is credited for the network's rise to major status.
U.N.'s Annan concernedabout Congo election
UNITED NATIONS -- U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Friday he is concerned that allegations of media intimidation, political detentions and endemic corruption in Congo will taint the country's upcoming election, its first in 45 years. In a report to the U.N. Security Council, Annan said the election's credibility will depend on the electoral commission's ability to remain impartial. Authorities must also address restrictions on civil liberties and "arbitrary detention of political party members," he said. "Any attempt to manipulate the process ... cannot be tolerated and should be strongly condemned," Annan said. Annan said the election will be the "largest and most challenging" that the United Nations has ever supported. It features 33 presidential candidates, some 19,000 legislative candidates and 50,000 polling stations in a country the size of Europe -- with few roads and little infrastructure.
Schwarzenneger won'tsend more border troops
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger rejected this week a request from the Bush administration to send an additional 1,500 National Guard troops to the Mexican border, the governor's office confirmed Friday. The National Guard Bureau, an arm of the Pentagon, asked for the troops to help with the border-patrol mission in New Mexico and Arizona, but Schwarzenegger said the request would stretch the California Guard too thin in case of an emergency or natural disaster. Schwarzenegger spokesman Adam Mendelsohn confirmed the governor's decision Friday after two California National Guard officials revealed it to The Associated Press. Mendelsohn said the governor believed sending more troops would create an inappropriate burden on the state and disrupt the Guard's training schedule. The overall deployment for the border mission will remain at 6,000 soldiers.
Associated Press