LITTLE ROCK — QUOTE OF THE DAY
“The constituents of the [2nd] District deserve a full-time legislator in Washington,
something I cannot be for the foreseeable future. My health issues and treatment regimen have become incompatible with the House of Representatives.”
Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr ., D-Ill.,
in a letter of resignation submitted to Republican House Speaker John Boehner Article,this pageIndianapolis to raze 29 blast-hit homes
INDIANAPOLIS - Officials in Indianapolis have ordered the demolition of 29 homes in a neighborhood hit by a deadly house explosion.
City code enforcement official Adam Collins said Wednesday that demolition orders have been issued for about a quarter of the 125 homes in the subdivision.
Collins said another four homes also will likely be razed, but no demolition orders have yet been issued for them because they remain part of the city’s investigation into the Nov. 10 explosion. Those four homes include the home that investigators believe exploded and an adjacent home where a young couple died.
Authorities are continuing to investigate the blast, which they’ve concluded was not an accident. Officials said they believe natural gas was involved.
Doctor acquitted of sex assault on wife
FARGO, N.D. - A jury on Wednesday acquitted a North Dakota surgeon accused of drugging his wife and sexually assaulting her while she was unconscious.
Dr. Jon Norberg lowered his head and exhaled as the verdict was read in the Fargo courtroom. His brother Doug Norberg, a lawyer who assisted the defense, started crying.
Norberg, 42, could have faced up to life in prison if convicted of gross sexual imposition and reckless endangerment. The jury, which could have convicted him on lesser charges, deliberated for about four hours before finding the orthopedic surgeon innocent.
“It has been surreal. It’s been surreal the whole time,” Norberg said outside the courtroom.
Norberg’s estranged wife, Dr. Alonna Norberg, who is a pediatrician, testified during the trial that her husband injected her with propofol on the night of June 16, 2011, and that she passed out. She said she awoke to him forcing her to perform oral sex.
Jon Norberg testified that he injected his wife with propofol regularly over an 18-month period to treat her chronic pain condition.
Baby sitter pleads innocent in sex case
RACINE, Wis. - A Wisconsin college student accused of molesting six young children and videotaping the assaults has pleaded innocent to 49 felony charges, including possession of child pornography and first-degree sexual assault of a child under 13.
Alexander Richter, 29, of Racine entered his plea Wednesday after waiving his preliminary hearing.
Prosecutors contend Richter volunteered to baby-sit his classmates’ children and then repeatedly assaulted the boys and girls on camera as they cried and begged him to stop.
Investigators said they’ve identified six children in videos and photographs recovered from Richter’s home.
They said they believe there are additional victims but aren’t saying how many.
Nudity ban advances in San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco lawmakers on Tuesday narrowly approved a citywide ban on public nudity.
Casting aside complaints that forcing people to cover up would undermine San Francisco’s reputation as a city without inhibitions, the Board of Supervisors voted 6-5 in favor of an ordinance that prohibits exposed genitals in most public places, including streets, sidewalks and public transit.
Exemptions would be made for participants at permitted street fairs and parades, such as the city’s annual gay pride event and the Bay-to-Breakers street run, which often draws participants in costumes or various states of undress.
Supervisor Scott Wiener introduced the ban in response to escalating complaints about a group of men whose bare bodies are on display almost daily in the city’s predominantly gay Castro District.
The law still must pass a final vote and secure Mayor Edwin Lee’s signature to take effect early next year. A federal lawsuit seeking to block the ban already has been filed.
Front Section, Pages 4 on 11/22/2012