Nation in brief

Boston clergy won't face criminal charges

BOSTON - No criminal charges will be filed against any church officials in the Archdiocese of Boston's clergy sex abuse scandal, a spokesman for the state attorney general's office said Sunday.

Attorney General Thomas Reilly's report, based in part on an investigation by the state grand jury he convened, documents what happened in the archdiocese and suggests changes to prevent future abuse, according to WBZ-TV of Boston, which cited an unidentified source who has reviewed the document.

The attorney general's office would not release the document on Sunday but said the television report was accurate.

The grand jury investigated whether the former Boston archbishop, Cardinal Bernard Law, and his top aides could be held criminally responsible for moving priests among parishes when they knew of abuse allegations.

The archdiocese still faces about 500 civil suits from alleged victims of clergy sex abuse.

WASHINGTON - The Visitor Center under construction at the U.S. Capitol could be named after the late U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond, R-S.C.

But don't count on it.

A bill filed last week by U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett, R-S.C., aims to name the $350-million project after Thurmond, who died June 26. Thurmond served longer than any senator in history - 48 years. He was 100 years old when he retired, the oldest senator ever.

However, Thurmond's controversial career could discourage some members of Congress from endorsing a "J. Strom Thurmond Capitol Visitor Center."

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