Around the Nation

CALIFORNIA

Four subpoenaed by Cunningham jury

SAN DIEGO — Two members and two employees of a Washington yacht club where a California congressman lived aboard a defense contractor’s boat have been subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury in San Diego, a source with knowledge of the subpoena said.

The four, who fly to San Diego to testify Monday, are the first witnesses known to be appearing before the panel investigating eight-term Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham, California Republican, and his dealings with defense contractor MZM Inc.

Dockmaster Kelvin Lee is among the witnesses from the Capital Yacht Club, according to the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to the Associated Press.

Mr. Cunningham lived at the club aboard a 42-foot yacht owned by MZM founder Mitchell Wade. The congressman has said that, in lieu of rent, he has paid at least $13,000 to cover dock fees and other expenses at the club since April 2004. Living on Mr. Wade’s boat for free would violate congressional ethics rules.

FLORIDA

Disney ride reopens; teen still hospitalized

ORLANDO — Disney World yesterday reopened a thrill ride that was closed when a 16-year-old British girl almost died of cardiac arrest after riding it.

Disney had invited an official from the state Bureau of Fair Rides and Exhibitions to monitor a Tuesday night inspection of the “Twilight Zone Tower of Terror” — a move the park typically doesn’t make.

Florida’s major theme parks are not directly regulated by the state — they have their own inspectors.

Leanne Deacon of Kibworth, England, remained in critical condition yesterday after suffering cardiac arrest Tuesday minutes after exiting the attraction, which depicts a haunted elevator ride that plunges more than 100 feet.

GEORGIA

Deputies may be fired after fatal shootings

ATLANTA — The sheriff responsible for protecting the courthouse where a deadly shooting spree occurred in March wants to fire at least four deputies because of security lapses, a union official said yesterday.

The deputies received letters from Sheriff Myron Freeman earlier this week stating that he planned to fire them. However, he offered them a chance to respond before taking final action, said Sgt. Charles Rambo, president of Local 453 of the International Brotherhood of Police Officers.

Sheriff Freeman and his department have been under pressure since the March 11 shootings at the Fulton County Courthouse. Rape defendant Brian Nichols is accused of grabbing a deputy’s gun and killing a judge, court reporter and sheriff’s deputy. He also is accused of killing a federal agent a few miles away before surrendering the next day in an Atlanta suburb.

NORTH CAROLINA

Graham declines London crusade

CHARLOTTE — Evangelist Billy Graham, citing his own health and that of his wife, said yesterday that he has declined an invitation to hold a crusade in London.

“After much prayerful consideration, I determined I should not be that far from home,” Mr. Graham, 86, said in a letter notifying those who invited him. He said he had decided last week before bombings that killed at least 52 persons.

The evangelist is afflicted with fluid on the brain, prostate cancer and Parkinson’s disease. He had said a three-day revival last month in New York might be his last.

NORTH DAKOTA

Pelican chicks’ deaths investigated

BISMARCK — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is investigating the deaths of thousands of young white pelicans at a wildlife refuge in central North Dakota, a year after thousands of adult birds abruptly left the location.

At least 8,000 chicks might have died in the past two months, said Ken Torkelson, a spokesman for the Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge.

Severe storms or a disease outbreak might have caused the mass deaths, said Marsha Sovada, a biologist at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center in Jamestown.

TEXAS

IRS inquiry targets evangelist Benny Hinn

DALLAS — The Internal Revenue Service is investigating TV evangelist Benny Hinn’s organization.

The IRS would not comment to the Dallas Morning News, but a representative for Benny Hinn Ministries told the paper that an inquiry is under way. The spokesman said the ministry is cooperating fully and that the inquiry is routine, not an audit.

Critics have said that Mr. Hinn improperly profits from a ministry that doesn’t meet the IRS definition of a church. His organization is estimated to raise more than $100 million a year.

VERMONT

Pipe bomb destroys five cars, police say

BARRE — A pipe bomb explosion destroyed five vehicles and damaged a sixth parked at an apartment complex, police said Tuesday.

“It’s one of the most serious things that has happened in Barre in a long time,” Police Chief Trevor Whipple said.

Police said they did not know of a motive or have any suspects. No one was injured.

Detective Jonathan Keith, a member of the Vermont State Police arson investigation unit who is heading up the probe, said the initial explosion early Monday ripped a hole in the gas tank of one car and set the fuel afire, setting off a series of smaller blast.

WISCONSIN

Court rules accuser can’t sue archdiocese

MADISON — A man who says he was abused by a priest in the 1960s cannot sue the Archdiocese of Milwaukee because there is no proof that the church leaders knew the priest was a child molester at the time, the state Supreme Court ruled yesterday.

The plaintiff, identified in court papers only as John Doe 67F, had accused the Roman Catholic archdiocese of negligence in its supervision of the Rev. George Nuedling, who died in 1994. The accuser said church leaders moved the priest from parish to parish even though they knew he had abused children.

However, the court ruled there was no proof that church leaders had reason to think the priest was abusing children from 1960 to 1962, when the accuser said he was abused.

WYOMING

Commission approves grizzly boundaries

RAWLINS — The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission set boundaries Tuesday for where grizzly bears can roam in the state in hopes of ending special federal protections and giving Wyoming, Montana and Idaho more control over the bears.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering removing grizzlies from Endangered Species Act protection, citing steadily growing populations and adequate protections for the bear and its habitat in the Yellowstone National Park area.

Each of the three states had to develop a federally approved management plan to keep the bear population stable once the federal protection is removed.

Under the plan, the primary habitat for grizzlies would lie in Yellowstone and the surrounding national forests and wilderness areas.

From wire dispatches and staff reports