Site to offer states’ sex offender data

Washington State-by-state information on sex offenders will be available on a new Internet site run by the federal government.

The Justice Department said it hoped to have the site up and running within two months. State participation is voluntary.

The announcement on Friday coincided with National Missing Children’s Day.

The site won’t provide data not already made available on the Internet by 49 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories. But it will allow someone to do a national search to determine if an individual convicted in one state has moved to another state.

Sixty illegal immigrants held as security threats

Beaumont, Texas Sixty illegal immigrants employed as contract workers at industrial plants – including refineries, power plants and an air cargo facility – were arrested as possible threats to U.S. security, officials said Friday.

The suspects “had access to sensitive critical infrastructure locations and therefore pose a serious homeland security threat,” said Michael Garcia, assistant secretary for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The arrests – made Thursday and Friday in Texas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas – came as part of efforts to protect key facilities in the nation. There was no evidence the suspects – from Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras – have terrorist ties.

Package closes down New Mexico’s Capitol

Santa Fe, N.M. The state Capitol was evacuated Friday after the governor’s office received a package containing an unknown white powder and a threatening letter.

The threat was aimed at Gov. Bill Richardson, said Public Safety Secretary John Denko.

Denko wouldn’t describe the letter other than to say, “It was a threat and it was a bit nasty.”

Anthrax hoaxes have increased around the nation since the un- solved mailings of tainted letters in 2001 that killed five people.

Man to spend holidays, victim’s birthday in jail

Dallas A man who admitted driving while drunk when he hit and killed a 10-year-old boy has been ordered by a judge to spend Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and the child’s birthday in jail for the next 10 years.

Rocky Anderson, 24, pleaded guilty in the death of Braden Hopkins, who was hit by a car and killed in 2003 in suburban Irving.

A judge on Wednesday sentenced Anderson to 180 days in jail over the next 10 years. Anderson must serve nine days in jail every June – including June 8, Braden’s birthday – and nine days every December and January, including Christmas and New Year’s.

The judge said it was unfair that Braden’s family would never get to spend another holiday or birthday with him, and he wanted to remind the defendant of it.