Saturday, November 25, 2006
Documents show Gates'role in Iran-Contra affair
WASHINGTON -- The Iran-Contra affair exploded 20 years ago today, a scandal that crippled the last two years of Ronald Reagan's presidency and temporarily damaged the career prospects of Robert Gates, President Bush's nominee to replace Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. On Nov. 25, 1986, Attorney General Edwin Meese announced the diversion of millions of dollars in proceeds from the Reagan administration's secret arms sales to Iran to Central America, where the money was used to help bankroll a war secretly run out of the White House. At the time, Congress had cut off military aid to the rebel force known as the Contras fighting the communist government of Nicaragua. The National Security Archive, a private group, is posting on its Internet site some of the hundreds of thousands of government documents it has collected on the scandal, including some about Gates. His nomination to become CIA director was derailed in 1987, but Gates stayed on in government, survived the political bloodletting, was renominated by President George H.W. Bush four years later and confirmed by the Senate. Now Senate Democrats are expected to gauge Gates' willingness to change the administration's war policies, but they probably won't stand in his way to becoming the next defense secretary.
Cat found in pan with food
OGDEN, Utah -- A car dealer found a charred cat in a pan of rice and vegetables outside of his business, authorities said. The cat was found Wednesday outside Roy's Cars and RVs in Ogden, about 31 miles north of Salt Lake City. "There were green bell peppers and sliced onions all on a bed of rice," said Ogden Police Lt. David Tarran. "It looked just like the cat had been cooked." Police did not know whether it was a prank or directed at someone at the car dealership. Police are also trying to determine whether the cat was alive or dead before the mutilation. That will determine if charges can be pursued.
DNA tests prompt reviewof 1992 rape conviction
CHICAGO -- A man imprisoned for a 1992 rape was one step closer to freedom Friday after DNA tests appeared to clear him in the attack, his attorney said. Marlon Pendleton, 49, was released on a bond until a hearing scheduled for Thursday, when a judge is expected to consider a motion filed by his attorneys to vacate the rape conviction. But Pendleton may have to spend at least several days at Dixon Correctional Center. As a sex offender, Pendleton is required to make living arrangements and work out details for his release, his attorney, Karen Daniel said. Pendleton demanded DNA testing after his rape arrest, but police lab analyst Pamela Fish said there wasn't enough genetic material to test the evidence. Pendleton was convicted based on the victim's identification. The expert who conducted the new tests, Brian Wraxall of Serological Research Institute, said Wednesday there was "a reasonable amount of DNA."
NASA fails to regaincontact with Mars rover
PASADENA, Calif. -- Two more attempts to regain contact with NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft failed this week. The 10-year-old probe last had radio communication with Earth on Nov. 2, and NASA said earlier this week that the spacecraft's mission to map the surface of the Red Planet was likely at an end. But efforts to find out if the orbiting spacecraft was still working continued, including transmitting commands for Mars Global Surveyor to send signals to the NASA rover Opportunity operating on the surface of Mars. The rover did not detect any signals from MGS during attempts Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the Web site for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which manages the mission. MGS has been the longest and most productive mission to Mars, sending more than 240,000 images back to Earth, according to the space agency.
Ski areas get off to goodstart after snowstorms
SEATTLE -- A series of snowstorms that blanketed the Cascade Range lightened up Friday, drawing skiers to the slopes earlier than usual and prompting the state to briefly close a mountain highway east of the city because of avalanche concerns. Depending on the location, anywhere from one to two feet of snow had fallen in the Cascades from early Thursday through Friday afternoon, said Gary Schneider, a meteorologist in the National Weather Service's Seattle office. Snowfall throughout the region started to lighten up Friday morning and was expected to fall periodically throughout the weekend, though not as heavily, he said. The storms brought deeper November snow than ski areas have seen in years. Officials at Mount Baker ski area in northwest Washington said Friday it had gotten 70 inches in four days, boosting its base depth to 94 inches.
Associated Press