Judge removed in DeLay case
Austin, Texas Republican Congressman Tom DeLay won his first court battle in a legal fight with a Democratic prosecutor in a town known for its liberal ways.
He got the judge booted off the case Tuesday. Now his lawyers want the trial moved.
DeLay, charged with money laundering and conspiracy, objected to Judge Bob Perkins hearing the case because Perkins contributed to Democrats in the past, including the group Moveon.org, which waged a “Fire DeLay” campaign after the then-House majority leader was admonished by the House ethics committee.
Although witnesses on both sides testified Tuesday to Perkins’ reputation as a fair, honest judge, DeLay’s lawyers successfully argued that his political activities created the appearance of bias.
Senior Judge C.W. “Bud” Duncan issued his ruling recusing Perkins without comment. An administrative judge will now assign a new judge to the case.
Perkins, who had declined to withdraw from the case, did not attend Tuesday’s hearing and did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.
Philadelphia strike could be lengthy
Philadelphia Resolute, angry transit workers vowed Tuesday to remain on strike for weeks or even months if they don’t get an acceptable contract, a grim prospect for hundreds of thousands of riders forced to find other ways to get around.
City buses, subways and trolleys were idle for a second day as employees of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority walked picket lines and settled in for what some predicted would be an extended work stoppage.
Contract talks between SEPTA and the Transport Workers Union were to resume Tuesday night. Talks had stopped Sunday night, and about 5,300 union members walked off the job for the first time since 1998.
Union and SEPTA representatives huddled separately with a mediator.
SEPTA said union leaders rejected a contract offer that would have required employees to pay 5 percent of their health insurance premiums. Veteran workers currently pay nothing. SEPTA’s offer also included a 9 percent pay increase over three years. The union contends that SEPTA is trying to renege on a deal made years ago in which workers would get modest pay raises in exchange for free health care.
Kansas museum head convicted of theft
Wichita, Kan. The former head of a Kansas space museum was found guilty Tuesday of stealing and selling spacesuit components and other artifacts that belonged to the institution and NASA.
Max Ary, former president and chief executive of the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center in Hutchinson, was convicted on 12 federal counts, including theft and fraud. The most serious charges carry up to 10 years in prison. He will be sentenced Jan. 19.
Ary, 55, was instrumental in transforming a small-town planetarium into the nationally recognized museum, which he led for 27 years.
Ary acknowledged he sold artifacts that belonged to NASA and the Cosmosphere but said they had been accidentally mingled with items in his own collection, which he said was made up of items he obtained as gifts or through trades.