Ex-President Ford gets pacemaker
Former President Ford received a cardiac pacemaker Monday at the Mayo Clinic, a top aide said.
Ford, 93, was resting comfortably after the operation, and his wife and children were with him, according to a statement issued Monday afternoon by Penny Circle, his chief of staff.
Ford is expected to continue to recuperate at the clinic for several days. The pacemaker is designed to enhance his heart’s performance.
TAMPA, Fla.
39 gang leaders arrested in raid
After a 14-month investigation, law enforcement officers raided a high-level meeting at a rented club and arrested every known leader of the violent Latin Kings gang in Florida, authorities said Monday.
The Sunday afternoon raid netted the arrests of 39 alleged gang leaders on charges of conspiracy to commit racketeering, Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee said.
The gang has been involved in major crimes ranging from drug dealing to attempted murder, Gee said. Prosecutors say additional charges could be filed.
Gee said the “extremely violent” gang has been active in the area for at least 20 years and may have ties to gangs in New York and Chicago. The Chicago Crime Commission estimates there are more than 20,000 Latin Kings in the Chicago area.
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Hinckley allowed to visit parents
Would-be assassin John W. Hinckley Jr. is not a threat to society and can continue leaving a Washington mental hospital to visit his parents, a federal judge says.
Hinckley, who said he shot President Reagan to impress actress Jodie Foster, was found not guilty by reason of insanity in 1982.
Last year, a federal judge approved Hinckley’s request to leave St. Elizabeths Hospital in Washington for seven extended visits with his parents in Virginia. Hinckley asked a federal judge on Aug. 1 to extend that order.
Prosecutors opposed the request, but in a ruling released Monday, U.S. District Judge Paul L. Friedman said Hinckley can continue the trips.
WARWICK, R.I.
Manatee shows up in northern waters
An endangered manatee made a rare appearance in Rhode Island waters during the weekend, a state marine biologist says.
The manatee was seen Sunday in Greenwich Bay off the coast of Warwick. The large marine mammals usually are found only in the warm waters of Florida and the Carolinas.
Water temperatures in Rhode Island have been unusually warm, said April Valliere, a state marine biologist, which probably allowed the manatee to follow food sources so far north.
The manatee needs to retreat to the south as water temperatures fall, she added, as manatees have died from prolonged exposure to cold.