NATION IN BRIEF

Craig Will Ask Court To Drop Guilty Plea

Sen. Larry E. Craig (R-Idaho) will file court documents today in Minnesota, asking to withdraw his guilty plea in a sex sting, his lawyer said last night.

Craig pleaded guilty last month to disorderly conduct following a sting operation in a men's bathroom at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. He said subsequently that he made that decision hastily and without talking to an attorney. He said he was under stress and pleaded guilty only to put the matter behind him.

Craig's lawyer Billy Martin said that a request to withdraw that plea will be filed today. Martin would not discuss the argument he plans to make in court.

Martin said he is not involved in discussions about Craig's future in the Senate.

"My job is to get him back to where he was before his rights were taken away," Martin said.

Craig's congressional spokesman has said the only way that Craig is likely to remain in the Senate is if a court moves quickly to overturn the conviction.

* * *

? JENA, La. -- The Rev. Al Sharpton said that he, Martin Luther King III and "thousands of others" would march in this northern Louisiana town on Sept. 20, the day that a black teenager is to be sentenced for aggravated second-degree battery, a charge stemming from a high school fight. Sharpton also called for an investigation into the district attorney who has spearheaded the prosecution of Mychal Bell and five other black teenagers in connection with the fight.

? RENO, Nev. -- Rescue crews searching for adventurer Steve Fossett found another lead when they discovered what they thought was a downed airplane, but a closer examination revealed it was not the plane of the missing aviator. Rescuers did not say what the sighting turned out to be.

? PROVO, Utah -- The body of a Brigham Young University student missing for more than a week was found in a canyon, authorities said, and investigators were trying to determine how she fell to her death. The body of Camille Cleverley, 22, was found at the base of a 200-foot cliff, said Utah County Sheriff James O. Tracy.

? HUNTINGTON, Utah -- About 1,000 people came to say a public goodbye to six miners entombed after an Aug. 6 collapse. Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman (R) said he hoped the memorial service would allow the missing men's families to begin the process of healing.

-- From News Services