NATION IN BRIEF
Friday, January 13, 2006; Page A22
Padilla Pleads Not Guilty To Terrorist Cell Charges
MIAMI -- Jose Padilla, a U.S. citizen who was held for more than three years as an "enemy combatant," pleaded not guilty Thursday to criminal charges alleging he was part of a secret network that supported Muslim terrorists.
The plea, followed by a judge's refusal to set bail for Padilla, was made one week after he was transferred from military to civilian custody. His trial was set for early September.
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"Absolutely not guilty," said Michael Caruso, one of Padilla's lawyers. Padilla did not speak during the hearing, other than to confirm the pronunciation of his name (puh-DIL-uh).
In denying bail, U.S. Magistrate Judge Barry Garber sided with prosecutors who said Padilla likely would flee and that the charges -- including allegations that he attended an al Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan -- made him dangerous.
Ga. House Eases Rules For Poor to Get Photo ID
ATLANTA -- After four hours of racially charged debate, the Georgia House approved changes aimed at making it easier for poor people to obtain the photo ID cards needed to vote.
Under a law passed last year -- but blocked from taking effect by a federal judge in October -- voters must show photo identification at the polls. Those who do not have a driver's license can use a state-issued photo ID. But they cost as much as $35 and were not made widely available.
To answer the judge's concerns that the law amounted to an unconstitutional poll tax, the state House voted 110 to 64 to make the photo IDs free to those who need them and give each of Georgia's 159 counties equipment to issue the cards. The bill now goes to the Republican-led Senate.
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· BUCKHANNON, W.Va. -- The Sago Mine, where a dozen men died, should be sufficiently vented of toxic gases in four to seven days, allowing investigators to enter for the first time since the disaster, company officials said. The sole survivor, Randal McCloy Jr., 26, remained in critical condition.
· HOUSTON -- Houston became the largest school district in the country to adopt a merit pay plan for teachers that focuses on students' tests scores. By 9 to 0, the Houston school board approved a plan that offers teachers as much as $3,000 in extra pay if their students improve on state and national tests.
· NORWALK, Conn. -- The Connecticut Supreme Court has upheld Michael Skakel's murder conviction, according to the victim's mother, who said she was notified by prosecutors. Skakel, a nephew of Ethel Kennedy, was convicted in 2002 of bludgeoning his neighbor, Martha Moxley, to death with a golf club in 1975 in Greenwich. Skakel, who along with the victim was 15 at the time, is serving 20 years to life in prison.
· LAFAYETTE, Ga. -- A Navy investigative team arrived at the site where a jet crashed during a training mission. The four crew members killed were identified as Navy Lt. Jason E. Manse, 30, of Canton, Ohio; Ensign Elizabeth Bonn, 23, of Wilkes-Barre, Pa.; Air Force 1st Lt. Jason W. Davis, 28, of Vista, Calif.; and retired Navy Cmdr. Dave Roark, 68, a contract pilot from Pensacola, Fla.
-- From News Services
