Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Nation in brief

Hundreds mourn family killed in fire

By wire services
Published March 20, 2005

MARRERO, La. - Mourners filled a church Saturday to remember 11 family members, including eight children, who were killed in a fire after a candle ignited a mattress in their new apartment.

"I would like to thank all of those who made this home-going possible," state Rep. Derrick Shepherd told about 300 mourners at Greater Stephen Full Gospel Baptist Church. "This tragedy has brought the metropolitan city of New Orleans closer together."

The March 10 fire was started by candles the family was using for light because they had just moved into the second-floor apartment and the electricity had not been turned on yet. Investigators said one of the family members tried to push the burning mattress down the stairs, but the front door was locked and blocked by boxes.

Those killed were Sabrina Wilson, 35; her five children, Latoya, 16, Sylvain, 14, Sterling, 12, Chelsea, 10, and Stephanie, 9; Sabrina Wilson's brother, Curtis Wilson, 42; her sister, Tiffany Wilson, 32; Latoya Wilson's two children, Naryh, 1, and Hyran, 6 months; and Sabrina Wilson's godchild, Quastella Senette, 3.

Sabrina Wilson's daughter, Ireone Wilson, escaped along with her boyfriend, Amos Hardy; their 7-month-old baby, Samiron; and Sabrina Wilson's brother, George Wilson.

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. - Former mobster-turned-chef Henry Hill, whose gangland experiences inspired the movie Goodfellas, has been charged with felony drug possession.

Police said Hill's luggage was searched Aug. 15 at the North Platte Regional Airport, and methamphetamine and cocaine was found. On Friday, Lincoln County Judge Kent Florum sent him to district court on a felony charge of drug possession.

Hill, portrayed by Ray Liotta in Goodfellas, had sought refuge in the witness protection program after agreeing to testify against his former mob bosses from New York.

However, he left the witness protection program and now lives in North Platte with his wife. He has been working as a chef and helping establish an Italian restaurant. Hill also wrote The Wiseguy Cookbook, released in 2002.

MILWAUKEE - A snowstorm just before the start of spring dumped nearly 2 feet of snow on parts of Wisconsin by Saturday, providing enough powder to reopen a ski hill that had closed for the season.

The bulk of the snow fell in the western part of the state, but accumulations varied significantly. The town of Alma Center received 23 inches of snow, while Goodrich about 65 miles to the north got only 2 inches.

Parts of Minnesota received up to 2 feet of snow Friday, shutting down roads and causing more than 260 flights to be canceled out of the Twin Cities.

The snow caused the Mount LaCrosse Ski Area in Wisconsin to reopen for the weekend after it reported a record snowfall of 13.9 inches Friday. The resort had closed for the season on March 13.

"It's the best we've had in a long time here. We didn't have a choice but to open," said Darcie Breidel, the ski hill's marketing director.

SAN PABLO, Calif. - An American Indian tribe has shelved plans to build an expanded casino with 2,500 slot machines in the San Francisco Bay area after state lawmakers said it would be too big for the community.

The Lytton Band of Pomo Indians said in a letter to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that it did not think the Legislature would have approved the project.

Instead, the tribe will renovate and install hundreds of new games - but not slot machines - at its existing 70,000-square-foot card room called Casino San Pablo. Without slot machines, the state has no regulatory power over the facility and the tribe avoids sharing revenue.

[Last modified March 20, 2005, 01:09:07]