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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Nation in brief: Marine Corps asks for investigation

The Spokesman-Review

The Marine Corps has asked the Pentagon’s inspector general to examine allegations that a nearly two-year delay in the fielding of blast-resistant vehicles led to hundreds of casualties in Iraq.

The system for rapidly shipping needed gear to troops on the front lines has been examined by auditors previously and continues to improve, Col. David Lapan, a Marine Corps spokesman, said Monday night. Because of the seriousness of the allegations, however, “the Marine Corps has taken the additional step” of requesting the IG investigation, Lapan said in an e-mailed statement.

In a Jan. 22 internal report, Franz Gayl, a civilian Marine Corps official, accused the service of “gross mismanagement” that delayed deliveries of the mine-resistant, ambush-protected trucks.

ROCHESTER, Wis.

Backhoe driver dies after ice gives way

Divers found the body of a backhoe operator whose machine fell through the ice Monday, leaving the cab under water in a quarry pond.

The 25- to 30-ton piece of equipment fell into the pond at the Park View Sand and Gravel Pit and settled at a sharp angle with the cab submerged, according to the Racine County Sheriff’s Department.

Firefighters and rescue workers arrived at the quarry five minutes after the emergency call came in at 10:19 a.m., said Deputy Matt Prochaska. Crews worked for at least three hours to right the machine and reach the cab.

But when workers finally tipped over the backhoe, the man was not inside, Kazmarcik said.

Divers found the body about 4 p.m. It was 4 to 6 feet from where the backhoe went under, said Jack Biermann, an assistant fire chief.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.

Austrian diver dies after shark attack

An Austrian tourist died Monday after being bitten by a shark while diving near the Bahamas in waters that had been baited with bloody fish parts to attract the predators.

Markus Groh, 49, a Vienna lawyer and diving enthusiast, was on a commercial dive trip Sunday when he was bitten about 50 miles off the coast of Fort Lauderdale, said Karlick Arthur, Austrian counsel general in Miami.

The crew aboard the Shear Water, of Riviera Beach-based Scuba Adventures, immediately called the U.S. Coast Guard, which received a mayday from the vessel, said Petty Officer 3rd Class Nick Ameen.

Groh, who was bitten on the leg, was airlifted to a hospital, where he died, Ameen said.

The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office declined to comment, citing an ongoing police investigation.

The company’s Web site says it offers the opportunity to get “face to face” with sharks.

To ensure “the best results we will be ‘chumming’ the water with fish and fish parts,” the Web site explains. “Consequently, there will be food in the water at the same time as the divers. Please be aware that these are not ‘cage’ dives, they are open water experiences.”