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Owner of Sept. 11 property wants $10-million

By TIMES WIRES
Published June 6, 2007

PITTSBURGH - A man who owns property at the site where Flight 93 crashed has demanded millions for his portion of land where a memorial is planned and has installed a donation box near a temporary memorial to help pay for security. The actions by Mike Svonavec have angered victims' families, who believe he is overcharging and disagree with the need for a donation box. Svonavec wants $10-million for his 273-acre property in Somerset County, far more than the per-acre amount paid for nearby land, Patrick White, vice president for Families of Flight 93, said Tuesday. Svonavec said he wants fair market value for the parcel and he would accept no money for the exact site where 40 passengers and crew members died when the hijacked United Airlines flight crashed on Sept. 11, 2001. He declined to comment on the $10-million figure.

Folic acid may increase polyp risk

CHICAGO - High doses of folic acid do not prevent precancerous colon polyps in people prone to them and may actually increase the risk of developing the growths, a surprising new study finds. Previous studies showed diets low in folic acid led to a higher risk of colon cancer. Now researchers speculate that some folic acid helps - as long as the colon is free of microscopic cancer cells. But once cancer starts, folic acid may feed its growth. The new findings, appearing in today's Journal of the American Medical Association, are based on data from 987 adults with a history of precancerous colon polyps. Folic acid is an artificial version of folate, a B vitamin found in leafy vegetables, citrus fruit and beans.

Grand jury indicts six in Fort Dix case

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. - A federal grand jury indicted six men Tuesday on charges of plotting to kill soldiers in a raid on Fort Dix. Prosecutors had charged the men last month with planning the attack, which was to use mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and guns. The assault never took place. The suspects, all foreign-born and in their 20s, have been held without bail since they were arrested May 7. They will be able to enter pleas this week or next.

Virginia Tech will use building again

BLACKSBURG, VA. - The building where a gunman killed 30 people and himself on the Virginia Tech campus will be reopened for offices and laboratories, but it will never again be used for classrooms, the university announced Tuesday. Norris Hall will open June 18 for the engineering science and mechanics and civil and environmental engineering departments. They had been the primary occupants of the building April 16, when Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 students and faculty members. Two victims were shot in a dormitory.

TB patient may leave isolation

DENVER - The Atlanta lawyer quarantined with a dangerous strain of tuberculosis has a relatively low chance of spreading the disease, possibly allowing him to leave his isolation room for a short time as soon as next week, one of his doctors said Tuesday. Andrew Speaker, 31, originally was found to have multidrug-resistant TB, which can withstand two mainline drugs used to treat tuberculosis. While he was in Europe last month, tests revealed he had extensive drug-resistant tuberculosis, or XDR-TB, which can withstand more drugs.

[Last modified June 6, 2007, 00:26:43]