Nation in brief

TV newsman's ranch is site of a homicide

HONDO, N.M. - The 14-year-old son of the manager of ABC newsman Sam Donaldson's New Mexico ranch was arrested Wednesday on charges of murdering his father, stepmother and stepsister, authorities said.

Cody Posey was arrested at a friend's home in the Hondo area about 5 p.m., Sheriff Tom Sullivan said.

The bodies were found at the ranch after Donaldson went to the manager's house Tuesday and discovered an "obvious crime scene," Sullivan said earlier. Deputies searched the area and found three bodies in a shallow grave.

"My wife, Jan, and I are shocked by the apparent triple homicide that took place on our ranch sometime over the Fourth of July weekend while we were away in Santa Fe," Donaldson said in a statement.

The Lincoln County ranch is in rolling pastureland about 125 miles northeast of Las Cruces.

Donaldson, a journalist with ABC since 1967, owns three ranches in south-central New Mexico, where he grew up.

DENVER - The U.S. Forest Service on Wednesday proposed restricting many off-road vehicles to designated roads and trails in federal forests and grasslands as part of efforts to curb environmental damage and ease conflict between visitors.

Under the proposal, each forest and grasslands district would work with the public to identify routes, trails and other areas suitable for off-road vehicles.

An environmental analysis would also be required on each site, Rocky Mountain regional forester Rick Cables said.

Environmentalists and hunting and recreation groups said the proposal is a good start, but should include more effective enforcement and money to pay for it.

RICHMOND, Va. - Workers across Virginia have been telling their bosses that they want Sundays off after learning of a legislative mistake that resurrected a "day-of-rest" law.

Soon after hearing about the new benefit, housekeeping and front-office staff at eight Virginia Beach hotels operated by Professional Hospitality Resources began handing in requests, said Ken Taylor, the company's executive vice president.

"They found the Lord quickly, when it worked," Taylor said wryly.

Supermarkets, manufacturers, restaurants and home improvement stores have reported similar requests from employees in the past week.

The "day-of-rest" law was brought to life in the last session of the General Assembly when lawmakers mistakenly deleted exemptions that let most of the state's private businesses assign people to work on their Sabbath. State officials say the error occurred in a bill that repealed obsolete blue laws banning business on Sunday, and no one noticed that it had other results.

NEWARK, N.J. - A husband and wife have been indicted on charges they tried to pass off a filing cabinet as a security device that could protect people against chemical and biological attacks in the wake of the 2001 terrorist attacks.

Federal authorities say the filing cabinet, which was painted yellow and had a siren and flashing red light attached, was promoted by Stewart Kaiser and Nancy C. Vitolo in a press release that helped them sell their company's stock at inflated prices.

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