Band manager makes plea deal
The former manager of the heavy metal rock group Great White has agreed to plead guilty to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter for his role in a 2003 nightclub fire that killed 100 people.
Daniel Biechele, 29, will enter the plea next Tuesday and serve no more than 10 years in state prison under a deal with prosecutors, sparing him the possibility of many more years behind bars, Superior Court Judge Francis Darigan said.
Biechele had been charged with 200 counts of involuntary manslaughter for starting the blaze when he ignited pyrotechnics during a Great White performance at The Station nightclub in West Warwick.
Sparks from the pyrotechnics ignited highly flammable foam lining the club’s walls and ceiling, creating a fast-moving blaze that killed 100 people and injured more than 200.
Darigan did not say whether Biechele will cooperate with prosecutors in the case against club owners Jeffrey and Michael Derderian, who each are charged with 200 counts of involuntary manslaughter for allegedly installing the flammable foam in violation of the state fire code.
Goleta, Calif.
Five fatally shot by ex-postal worker
A former postal worker who had been put on medical leave for psychological problems shot five people to death at a huge mail-processing center and then killed herself in what was believed to be the nation’s deadliest workplace shooting ever carried out by a woman.
The attack Monday night was also the biggest bloodbath at a U.S. postal installation since a massacre 20 years ago helped give rise to the term “going postal.”
The 44-year-old woman, identified as Jennifer Sanmarco of Grants, N.M., had not worked at the plant for more than two years but still managed to get inside the fenced and guarded Santa Barbara Processing and Distribution Center.
She drove through a gate by following closely behind another car, then got in the front door by taking an employee’s electronic identification badge at gunpoint, authorities said. She opened fire with a 9 mm handgun, reloading at least once during the rampage.
Washington
Clinton war chest over $17 million
Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton raised $21.4 million last year for her re-election campaign in New York and has $17 million in cash on hand, totals driven in part by her front-runner reputation if she decides to pursue the presidency in 2008.
The former first lady collected $6 million from 56,899 donors in the final three months of 2005, bringing her total to more than $21 million for the year, according to reports filed Tuesday with the Federal Election Commission.
She spent about $9.3 million, leaving her with $17,101,626 and no major opposition in her bid for a second Senate term.
New York Republicans have struggled to mount a serious challenge to Clinton, and recent polls show her more than 25 points ahead of her nearest GOP rival. Then-Westchester County District Attorney Jeanine Pirro abandoned her bid after several stumbles; Edward Cox, son-in-law of President Nixon, said he would pass on the race despite GOP appeals.
Louisville, Ky.
Kentucky diocese settles abuse case
A judge approved a settlement of up to $85 million Tuesday between sexual abuse victims and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington, one of the largest deals the church has reached with U.S. parishioners who were molested by clergy.
The settlement covers 361 victims who claim they were abused over a period of 50 years by priests in a diocese that once included 57 counties across a large swath of Kentucky. Special Judge John Potter said a desire by the Covington Diocese to make reparations to the victims contributed to the settlement.