In brief: Jury convicts environmentalist

Salt Lake City – A federal jury in Salt Lake City on Thursday convicted a 29-year-old environmental activist of two felonies for bidding for public lands being auctioned off to energy companies by the Bush administration.

Tim DeChristopher won bids totaling $1.79 million for more than 22,000 acres of land near Arches and Canyonlands National Parks that the Bush administration was offering to lease for oil and gas exploration.

DeChristopher did not have the money. Prosecutors charged him with making false statements and violating the Federal Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Reform Act. He could face up to 10 years in prison.

“I’m as prepared as I can be” for prison, DeChristopher said after the verdict.

Heart Attack Grill promoter dies

Phoenix – A 575-pound man who gained a measure of fame as spokesman for the Heart Attack Grill – a Phoenix-area restaurant that unabashedly touts its unhealthy, high-calorie menu – has died.

Friends of 29-year-old Blair River say he died Tuesday, possibly from contracting pneumonia after a bout with the flu.

Restaurant founder Jon Basso told the Arizona Republic newspaper that River was more than the larger-than-life caricature he portrayed in promoting the restaurant in Chandler, which includes huge hamburgers, milkshakes and fries cooked in lard on its menu.

Basso said River was a creative genius who had been planning to take part in the shooting of a promotional spot called, “Heart Attack Grill: The Musical.”

Life sexuality lessons cause stir

Chicago – Northwestern University found itself at the center of a furor Thursday after a sexuality professor known for racy lessons allowed students to stay after a lecture to witness a couple using a mechanized sex toy.

The school’s president promised an investigation after news of the demonstration appeared in local media reports and set off a blizzard of comments on social networking sites.

“I am troubled and disappointed by what occurred,” President Morton Schapiro said. “I feel it represented extremely poor judgment on the part of our faculty member.”