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Stories and photos from wire services
N O V E M B E R 2 1 , 2 0 0 9
Man will stand trial on
animal cruelty charges
PA ALLENTOWN-- A for-
mer eastern Pennsylva-
nia dog breeder is scheduled to go
on trial on animal cruelty charges
after withdrawing his guilty plea.
Lehigh County Judge Robert
L. Steinberg granted Derbe Eck-
hart's request to withdraw his
plea. Steinberg set Eckhart's bail
at $25,000 and ordered him jailed.
He also ordered Eckhart to quit
working with animals.
AuthoritieswhoraidedEckhart's
Almost Heaven kennel in Octo-
ber 2008 said they found 189 dogs
crowded in filthy conditions. They
said they also discovered dozens of
animal corpses in a freezer. The
kennel was shut down in June.
Candidate questions
wording of marriage law
TX AUSTIN -- Texans: Are
you really married?
Maybe not.
Barbara Ann Radnofsky, a Hous-
ton lawyer and Democratic candi-
date for state attorney general, said
a 22-word clause in a 2005 consti-
tutional amendment designed to
ban gay marriages erroneously en-
dangers the legal status of all mar-
riages in the state.
The amendment, approved by
the Legislature and overwhelming-
ly ratified by voters, declares that
"marriage in this state shall consist
only of the union of one man and
one woman." But the troublemak-
ing phrase, as Radnofsky sees it, is
Subsection B, which declares:
"This state or a political subdivi-
sion of this state may not create or
recognize any legal status identical
or similar to marriage."
Architects of the amendment in-
cluded the clause to ban same-sex
civil unions and domestic partner-
ships. But Radnofsky, who was a
member of the powerhouse Vinson
& Elkins law firm in Houston for 27
yearsuntilretiringin2006,said the
wording of Subsection B effectively
"eliminates marriage in Texas," in-
cluding common-law marriages.
Woman leaves rare coins
at shrine for safekeeping
MD EMMITSBURG -- Op-
erators of a Catho-
lic shrine in Maryland thought
they had been blessed with a big
donation when a worker found
$40,000 worth of rare coins on the
grounds.
But officials at Mount St. Mary's
University said the bags of money
had only been left at the National
Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of
Lourdes for safekeeping.
Shrine Director William Trono-
lone said the owner returned to re-
trieve them about a week later. He
said she told him she wanted the
Blessed Virgin Mary to watch over
her treasure while she was out of
town.
Navy locates aircraft
that crashed last month
TX CORPUS CHRISTI
-- The U.S. Navy said
wreckage of a training plane has
been found off the Texas coast
nearly three weeks after it went
missing.
But Lt. Brett Dawson said of-
ficials won't know whether the
body of 29-year-old Houston na-
tive Lt. John Joseph Houston is on
the aircraft until diving conditions
improve.
Poor conditions prevented of-
ficials from raising the wreckage
from 40 feet of water after it was
found about 1.5 miles off the coast
of Matagorda Island.
The plane went missing Oct. 28
during a routine training mission.
The body of a second pilot was re-
covered Oct. 30.
Boy Scouts announce
plans for new camp
WV GLEN JEAN -- The
Texas-based Boy Scouts
of America has unveiled plans to
turn a section of West Virginia into
the organization's fourth high-ad-
venture camp.
Scouts officials and Gov. Joe
Manchin announced plans for a
camp to be built on a 10,600-acre
tract in Fayette County between
Glen Jean, Prince and Mount
Hope. The camp also will become
the home of the Scouts' national
jamboree.
Man accused in death
of 14-year-old stepson
WI MILWAUKEE -- A Wis-
consin man strangled his
14-year-old stepson with a necktie
in a minivan in a Walmart parking
lot, telling investigators he wanted
to get revenge on his wife and her
relatives for interfering in his busi-
ness, prosecutors alleged.
Charles A. Avey Sr., 37, of Graf-
ton, was charged with first-degree
intentional homicide and felony
bail jumping in the death of Cody
A. Reetz. Around the same time
as the teen's death, Avey's wife
was filing a police report alleging
that he repeatedly struck her with
a hammer the previous week, the
criminal complaint said.
`Loud house' stickers
at center of lawsuit
RI BRISTOL -- A lawyer for
University of Rhode Is-
land students has asked a judge to
strike down a law allowing police
in a beach town to place stickers on
homes that host loud parties.
Students say the stickers are an
unfair stigma, and landlords say
the notices make it difficult to rent
out their apartments.
The first sticker is a warning.
A second noise violation carries a
$300 fine.
A lawyer for the students said
the stickers are humiliating.
But town lawyer Marc DeSisto
said noisy parties among students
and seasonal renters have been an
ongoing problem. He said any stig-
ma arising from the stickers isn't
great enough to render the law
unconstitutional.
`Geezer Bandit' sought
by FBI in bank heists
CA SAN DIEGO -- FBI of-
ficials said an elderly,
thin, gray-haired man nicknamed
the "Geezer Bandit" is responsible
for holding up five San Diego-area
banks since summer.
Investigators said the man ap-
pears to be in his 70s. Officials said
that in the most recent robbery, he
approached a Bank of America tell-
er in La Jolla, displayed a handgun
and asked for cash. He fled on foot.
FBI spokesman Darrell Fox-
worth said investigators believe
the man is also responsible for rob-
bing four other San Diego County
banks since Aug. 28.
Environmental activist Erin Brockovich plays with toddlers to promote a virtual Million
Baby Crawl in New York. The Million Baby Crawl is a grassroots effort to raise aware-
ness about the nation's outdated chemical laws. Advocates hope to encourage Con-
gress to pass stronger regulations against hazardous chemicals in household products.
A life-size statue of Johnny Mercer,
sculpted by artist Susie Chisholm,
is unveiled before a crowd of
Mercer family and fans at Ellis Square in Savannah, Ga. The
unveiling marked what would have been the 100th birthday of
the famed songwriter-singer.
The only snow for as far as the eye can see is a thin strip of the manmade stuff on
a ski trail leading down from the summit of Locke Mountain at the Sunday River
ski resort in Newry, Maine. Below-freezing temperatures at night have enabled the
resort to make enough snow to open four runs and one lift, giving die-hard skiers a little autumn fun.
Led by Jacob
Sayre, front, the
honor guard from
the 4th Brigade Combat Team takes
part in a 21-gun salute after a memorial
service at Fort Carson Army Post south
of Colorado Springs, Colo., for seven
soldiers who were killed in Afghanistan.
Ski pre-season
Herrre's Johnny!
Babies unite
21-gun salute

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