American Scene

ALASKA

Congressman’s wife dies in Virginia

ANCHORAGE | Lu Young, the wife of Rep. Don Young, has died. She was 67.

A spokeswoman for the Alaska Republican said Mrs. Young died early Sunday at the couple’s home in Great Falls, Va. Meredith Kenny said the cause of death is unknown but is thought to have stemmed from natural causes.

The Youngs were married for 46 years.

ARIZONA

Rape case backlash

Ffeared by Liberians

PHOENIX | Leaders of Arizona’s Liberian community told their compatriots at a Sunday church service that they’re working to dispel any stereotypes about the West African nation that may arise in the aftermath of the suspected rape of an 8-year-old girl by four boys.

Robert Sherman, president of the Liberian Association of Arizona, told the congregation in west Phoenix that news reports of the attack have included inaccurate descriptions that rape and those who commit it are accepted in Liberia.

He said such reports are leading to negative views of Liberians, and he said it would lead to backlash against the community.

Police say four boys lured the girl to an empty storage shed July 16, promising her gum. Investigators say the boys took turns sexually assaulting her.

All of the children are Liberian refugees.

CALIFORNIA

Episcopalians nominate gay clergy

LOS ANGELES | An openly gay priest and an openly lesbian priest are among six nominees for assistant bishop positions in the Episcopal Church’s Diocese of Los Angeles.

The church announced Sunday that the Rev. John L. Kirkley of San Francisco and the Rev. Canon Mary Douglas Glasspool of Maryland, along with four others, will be up for election in December by lay members and clergy.

The vote will be a test of new church legislation passed at July’s general convention in Anaheim that repeals a de facto ban on consecrating openly gay bishops.

In 2003, the election of openly gay bishop, the Rev. V. Gene Robinson, prompted four dioceses and numerous parishes to leave the denomination, which claims 2.1 million members in the United States.

ILLINOIS

Six shot near church

CHICAGO | Chicago police say six people suffered gunshot wounds when someone fired into a crowd outside a church where mourners were gathered.

Police said none of the injuries from the Saturday morning shooting outside Gospel Truth Life Changing Ministries on the city’s West Side were considered life-threatening. Police think the shootings were gang related.

Chicago police Officer Kevin Kilmer said people were at the church for a funeral or wake. He said a gunman approached an “intended target” in a group outside the church and fired multiple shots. Officer Kilmer said the man then opened fire at the crowd as he left the scene.

One man was reported in serious condition. Three other men and two women were reported in good condition.

MINNESOTA

Northwest jet blows tires on landing

MINNEAPOLIS | A Northwest Airlines jet blew five tires as it landed at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, closing a runway for a few hours.

No injuries were reported in Sunday’s incident. Fifteen employees were on the plane, but there were no passengers. The plane landed without crashing or going off the runway, although one runway was blocked for the rest of the afternoon. It’s not clear why the tires blew.

Metropolitan Airports Commission spokesman Pat Hogan said the pilot reported his brakes were overheating. Ms. Hogan said airplanes have dual wheels like semitrailers that provide stability if tires blow. Ms. Hogan said the plane was arriving in Minnesota to prepare for future flights. It was being operated by Delta Air Lines.

MISSOURI

Five die in crash on rural highway

FARMINGTON | Five people were killed in a head-on collision on a two-lane highway.

St. Francois County Coroner Jim Coplin said authorities found no skid marks at the crash site in an area surrounded by wooded farmland about 70 miles south of St. Louis. He said there were no witnesses to the accident late Saturday night.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol said Bessie Barker, 59, her husband, Walter Barker, 57, and Norma Holloway, 60, were returning home from a high school reunion when their car crossed the center line. Their car struck that of Yvonne Fulton, 46, and Gregory Fulton, 48.

OHIO

Boy drowns at water park

SANDUSKY | A 3-year-old boy has drowned at a northern Ohio indoor water park that calls itself the nation’s largest.

The boy drowned Sunday in an outdoor pool at Kalahari Resorts water park in Sandusky on Lake Erie. Police and park officials said lifeguards were on duty at the time. The state has taken disciplinary action against Kalahari at least five times since the resort opened in 2005.

Inspectors with the Amusement Ride Safety Division told Kalahari management last May the park had fewer lifeguards than expected and “many water rides were operated in a careless and unsafe manner.” The 173,000-square-foot park features rides such as the Elephant Trunk and the Rippling Rhino.

OREGON

Camera catches camera thief

PORTLAND | Officials in Oregon say a man who stole a camera was doubly dumb because the camera was police equipment, and security cameras captured the theft.

Kenneth Brakebill, a 56-year-old transient, has admitted stealing the camera and lens that were part of a display of police equipment at Multnomah County Library, the Portland Oregonian reported.

James Huff, director of the Portland Police Bureau Museum, had one word to describe the thief: stupid. Mr. Brakebill was caught on video May 19 breaking into a display case and lifting a camera and a flash. Another surveillance camera got a shot of him holding the stolen goods in an elevator. Police arrested him after he came back to the library three days later, and a security officer recognized him from still photos produced from the surveillance video.

Police said when the arresting officer confronted him with the photo, Mr. Brakebill replied, “Yeah man, that’s me.”

WISCONSIN

Father convicted in daughter’s death

WAUSAU | A central Wisconsin man accused of killing his 11-year-old daughter by praying instead of seeking medical care was found guilty Saturday of second-degree reckless homicide.

Dale Neumann, 47, was convicted in the March 23, 2008, death of his daughter, Madeline, from undiagnosed diabetes. Prosecutors contended he should have rushed the girl to a hospital because she couldn’t walk, talk, eat or drink. Instead, Madeline died on the floor of the family’s rural Weston home as people surrounded her and prayed. Someone called 911 when she stopped breathing.

Sitting straight in his chair, Neumann stared at the jury as the verdict in a nearly empty courtroom was read. He declined comment as he left the courthouse.

Defense attorney Jay Kronenwetter said the verdict would be appealed. He declined to further comment. Prosecutors also declined to comment, citing a gag order.

From wire dispatches and staff reports