Briefly
Kerry lauds Reagan, cancels some events
Toledo, Ohio Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry lauded Ronald Reagan’s legacy of bipartisanship Sunday and canceled five days of campaign events in honor of the former president’s death.
“Yesterday, we lost one of our great optimists,” Kerry told graduating seniors at Bedford High School. “President Reagan’s belief in America was infectious. And because of the way he led, he taught us that there was a difference between strong beliefs and bitter partisanship.”
Kerry was canceling all events through Friday, including fund-raising concerts today in Los Angeles and Thursday in New York.
California fire neared the Reagans’ property
Gaviota, Calif. Hundreds of residents in Southern California returned home late Sunday after being evacuated amid a wildfire that burned about 7,500 acres, authorities said.
The fire was about two miles west of the ranch that served as President Ronald Reagan’s western White House during the 1980s, fire officials said.
The Santa Barbara County fire was about 20 percent contained and could be slowed down by a moist low-pressure system , said a spokesman for Los Padres National Forest.
There were no reports of injury. The cause was under investigation.
Study: Night intensive care boosts kids’ risks
Chicago Sick children admitted to pediatric intensive-care units during the evening rather than during the day are slightly more likely to die in the first 48 hours of care, a study found.
Researchers did not determine why the difference exists, but fatigue, lighter staffing and less experienced doctors and nurses working night shifts could be factors, said one of the study’s authors.
The study, which analyzed 20,547 admissions to 15 pediatric ICUs from 1995 to 2001, appears in the June edition of Pediatrics issued today.
Amtrak train searched amid suspicious activity
Cumberland, Md. An Amtrak train on its way to Washington, D.C., was stopped and searched Sunday in western Maryland after passengers reported suspicious activity by two men on board, officials said.
An FBI spokesman said the agency was investigating but found no cause for alarm.
A fire official said someone on the train reported “suspicious activity” by two men, saying one of them appeared to have an object concealed beneath his clothing.
About 200 people were ordered off the train, and police detained the two men. Authorities said no explosives were found and no charges were filed.
Jury selection begins in 1st Enron criminal trial
Houston The first Enron criminal trial, over an alleged sham sale of barges, opens today with expected rapid jury selection and defense questions about a last-minute revelation of information from the prosecution.
The jury will decide if four former Merrill Lynch & Co. executives and two former Enron executives conspired to help manipulate the energy company’s books in December 1999.
The six are charged with conspiracy for allegedly taking part in pushing through a sham sale of Nigerian barges to Merrill to help the energy company appear to have met earnings targets.
Loss of one more juror may affect Nichols trial
McAlester, Okla. The penalty phase of Terry Nichols’ state murder trial was pushed to the brink of mistrial last week when Judge Steven Taylor dismissed two jurors after they had improper conversations with each other about the case. Legal experts say the loss of one more juror could endanger prosecution efforts to seek the death penalty.
Defense lawyers will begin arguing their case to try to spare Nichols’ life when his trial resumes today. Prosecutors rested their sentencing case last week. Nichols, 49, is already serving life in prison on federal convictions for the deaths of eight federal law enforcement officers in the April 19, 1995, bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building.