National briefs

Compiled from Times wires

© St. Petersburg Times, published March 23, 2001

Oscar scaffolding falls; five injured

LOS ANGELES -- Scaffolding along the red carpet for the Academy Awards ceremony collapsed Thursday, injuring five workers.

Most of the mangled metal fell just behind bleachers that will seat fans and reporters who gather to watch celebrities enter the Shrine Auditorium for Sunday's ceremony. A portion also tumbled onto a tent over the red carpet leading into the auditorium.

The structure had stood about 40 feet wide, 120 feet long and about 20 feet tall. Inspectors at the scene had not determined the cause of the accident.

The condition of the most severely injured person was upgraded from critical to serious, city fire spokesman Bob Collis said. The other four sustained only minor injuries, he said.

Calif. was overcharged $6.2-billion for power

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Electricity wholesalers have overcharged California $6.2-billion since May by manipulating the energy market, power grid managers said Thursday.

The Independent System Operator will file the findings with federal regulators and ask for a refund, ISO spokesman Patrick Dorinson said.

The auditor's report lays out what it calls "a complex combination" of deficiencies and misjudgments it says led to the state's power problems.

The companies have denied overcharging California and have said they expect the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will find their prices were justified.

Elsewhere . . .

ELDERLY POT GROWERS: An 80-year-old man pleaded guilty to felony charges that he ran one of Wisconsin's largest marijuana farms. His 74-year-old brother pleaded no contest.

Eugene Burmesch entered the guilty plea to manufacturing marijuana and maintaining a drug manufacturing operation. His younger brother, David, pleaded no contest to the same charges Wednesday. The charges carry a maximum of 17 years in prison.

David Burmesch told officers he had been growing marijuana for 20 to 25 years because he needed money to support a developmentally disabled son, according to a criminal complaint.

Agents found nearly 500 plants growing in a field surrounded by a 10-foot-high metal fence.

LOUIMA SETTLEMENT $9-MILLION: New York City has approved a $9-million settlement with a Haitian immigrant who was tortured in a police station. Under the tentative deal, Abner Louima would receive payment from the city and the Police Benevolent Association, but would drop his demand for reform in the way the New York Police Department deals with officers accused of abuse, according to published reports.

SECRET PRISONER: A suspect in a global conspiracy to kill Americans, believed to be linked to the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Africa, has been held secretly in New York for more than four months, the New York Times reported.

Mohamed Suleiman al Nalfi was arrested last fall in Kenya after being lured from his home in the Sudan, his lawyer said.

Although al Nalfi is not charged with any role in the embassy attacks, he has been indicted as an associate in Saudi billionaire Osama bin Laden's alleged terrorist network.

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright