In brief: Convict alters story on L.A. airport plot

An Algerian convicted of plotting to bomb Los Angeles International Airport at the turn of the millennium has recanted his claim that a man detained by the U.S. at Guantanamo Bay helped him prepare for the thwarted attack.

In a letter to the judge who sentenced him to 22 years in prison, Ahmed Ressam said he falsely accused Ahcene Zemiri of providing money and other support for a plot aimed at creating havoc on the eve of Jan. 1, 2000.

Ressam, who was caught with explosives in his car trunk at the U.S.-Canada port of entry in Port Angeles, Wash., said he was suffering from “shock” and had a “severe psychological disorder” when he told authorities about Zemiri’s alleged participation in the plot.

He said he recovered later and wanted to “clarify” his statements about Zemiri.

The Guantanamo detainee is “innocent and has no relation or connection to the operation I was about to carry out,” Ressam wrote in a letter translated from Arabic and filed in U.S. federal court in Seattle. “He did not assist me in anything.”

Zemiri’s lawyer, Jim Dorsey, sent the letter to U.S. military officials in hopes it would help secure his release from the Guantanamo Bay detention center in southeastern Cuba where the U.S. holds about 395 men on suspicion of links to al-Qaida or the Taliban.

A U.S. military spokesman declined to comment on the letter.

HELENA

Paper towel rule has senator’s pull

For Sen. Don Ryan, some things are a matter of absolutes.

“I look at this simply,” the Great Falls Democrat said. “You’re either pro clean hands or pro dirty hands.”

Ryan urged members of the Senate’s Public Health, Welfare and Safety Committee on Friday to approve his measure that would require the Department of Public Health and Human Services to adopt rules requiring that paper towels be available in public restrooms.

In his opening remarks, Ryan told the committee of a recent trip to a public rest stop between Helena and Missoula.

“I went in, took care of things, went out, and I washed my hands, and that was just fine, there was soap there. And when I was done washing my hands, I turned to look,” Ryan said. “And there were no paper towels.”

Ryan said he used the available air dryer but to no avail.

“Honestly, the air was blowing harder outside,” he said.

No one testified against Ryan’s bill. The lone witness in support of it was Jason Todhunter of the Montana Logging Association. He assured committee members that if they passed the bill, “Montana loggers would do our part to try and provide the towels.”

“Bottom line,” Todhunter said, “we support the use of forest products.”

BOZEMAN

Divorce won’t affect ritzy club

The billionaire husband and wife who founded the exclusive Yellowstone Club near Big Sky and own almost all its shares are calling an end to their 25-year marriage.

Tim and Edra Blixseth say they both will retain ownership of the private, gated community, and their pending divorce will not affect its operations.

The divorce was first reported in a Wall Street Journal column titled “A Billionaire Divorce – And Not a Lawyer in Sight,” which explained how the Blixseths personally divided assets they valued between $1.5 billion and $2 billion.

Principal among those assets was the Yellowstone Club, a gated ski and golf community south of Big Sky, where lots sell for upward of $1 million an acre, and many homes are valued at more than $10 million. The exclusive enclave requires prospective members to show net worth in the millions.

Compiled from wire reports