Around the Nation

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Woman Pleads Guilty In Spitzer Probe

NEW YORK -- The last of four defendants charged in the prostitution scandal that brought down former New York governor Eliot L. Spitzer (D) pleaded guilty to a charge related to arranging trysts between high-priced escorts and clients.

Tanya Robin Hollander, 36, of Rhinebeck, N.Y., admitted that she conspired to violate the travel act, which prohibits crossing state lines to further an illegal business. Hollander worked as a booker for the Emperors Club VIP.

She said she began working for the service in June 2007, arranging dates between prostitutes and customers at various locations in the United States and Europe.

Prosecutors have not revealed whether Spitzer will be charged in the investigation. He resigned March 12 after he was identified as a client of the service. His meeting with a prostitute known as "Kristen" in a Washington hotel was outlined in an affidavit filed in the case.

Border Tightened Over Drug War Threat

EL PASO -- Security is being heightened along the southern U.S. border because of a threat that warring Mexican cartels may send hit men into the United States, authorities said.

Law enforcement officials would not discuss specific security measures being taken at the ports of entry, along the border or in the city of El Paso.

"We received credible information that drug cartels in Mexico have given permission to hit targets on the U.S. side of the border," El Paso police spokesman Officer Chris Mears said.

Authorities learned of the threat last week.

Hundreds Held After Raid

LAUREL, Miss. -- Federal immigration agents raided a Mississippi electrical equipment plant Monday and said later that they uncovered 350 suspected undocumented workers. People leaving the Howard Industries Inc. plant told the Hattiesburg American newspaper that so many workers were stopped that operations were shut down. It was not clear how many workers the plant, which produces electrical transformers, medical supplies and other items, employed.

Vaccine Shows Promise

CHICAGO -- A vaccine helped mice fight off a life-threatening type of yeast infection, U.S. researchers said, a finding that holds promise for preventing this severe condition as well as pesky vaginal infections. An estimated 70,000 to 100,000 people die in the United States yearly from invasive candidiasis, caused by the yeast Candida albicans disseminated through the body, said Jim Cutler of the Research Institute for Children at Children's Hospital in New Orleans, who worked on the vaccine.

Arkansas Sets Adoption Vote

LITTLE ROCK -- A proposal aimed at effectively banning same-sex couples from becoming foster or adoptive parents was cleared to appear on this fall's ballot in Arkansas. The measure would prohibit unmarried couples living together from fostering or adopting children. The proposal, promoted by the Arkansas Family Council Action Committee, is a response to a 2006 Arkansas Supreme Court decision striking down a state policy that specifically banned gay men and lesbians from becoming foster parents.

8 Inmates Flee N.M. Jail

CLOVIS, N.M. -- Eight inmates, including a convicted murderer and another man charged with murder, escaped from a county jail by cutting a hole in the roof, authorities said Monday. Two of the men were captured, but the other six remained at large and were considered dangerous, the Curry County sheriff said. One of the missing inmates was identified as Edward Salas, who was sentenced to life in prison last month for the murder of a 10-year-old boy. Salas was awaiting transfer to state custody, authorities said.

Man Sentenced in Pa. Death

READING, Pa. -- A man who admitted he took part in the fatal beating of a university student in Pennsylvania Dutch country was sentenced to 20 to 40 years in prison. Timothy Gearhart, 24, of Allentown, was one of three men charged with murder in the death of 19-year-old Kyle Quinn, a Kutztown University sophomore. Quinn was attacked at random last September after the three men left a bar looking for someone to beat up, police said. It was Kutztown's first homicide since 1982 and only the third since 1968, officials said.

Postal Service Fears Big Loss

ST. LOUIS -- The U.S. Postal Service could lose about $2 billion this year because of tough economic times, and it needs to change to meet the demands of the public, Postmaster General John Potter said. Potter told the National Association of Postmasters of the United States that more needs to be done to reduce bureaucracy, cut costs and embrace technology.

-- From News Services