Around the Nation

ILLINOIS

Mob trial focuses on murders

CHICAGO — It seemed like a good idea at the time. A gang of burglars decided in December 1977 to break into the home of Tony Accardo, one of the most powerful men in organized-crime history, and rob his basement vault.

Mr. Accardo was not amused. The six men whom Mr. Accardo blamed for the heist were swiftly hunted down and killed, according to papers filed by federal prosecutors in preparation for Chicago’s biggest mob trial in years, scheduled to begin tomorrow.

And that’s only one of the grisly tales that jurors are likely to hear at the trial stemming from the FBI’s “Operation Family Secrets” investigation of 18 long-unsolved mob murders reportedly tied to the Outfit, Chicago’s organized-crime family.

Reputed top mob bosses head the list of defendants. All have pleaded not guilty.

Mr. Accardo died in 1992 at 86.

TENNESSEE

Rare turtle hatches at aquarium

CHATTANOOGA — A rare turtle has hatched at the Tennessee Aquarium, one of only three places in the United States that display the endangered species, aquarium officials announced.

A Beal’s four-eyed turtle, named for two white spots on the back of its head that look like a pair of eyes, hatched from a clutch of three eggs, officials said Friday. The turtle weighed 0.21 ounces and was 1.52 inches long when it hatched June 9.

There are only 18 known Beal’s four-eyed turtles in the United States and Europe. The Dallas Zoo and the Charles Paddock Zoo in Atascadero, Calif., also have the turtles, officials at the Chattanooga aquarium said.

A male Beal’s four-eyed turtle is on display at the aquarium, but the baby will not be exhibited until it is older.

FLORIDA

Masked men open fire at party

Story Continues →