American Scene

ARIZONA

New law old hat for ’Sheriff Joe’

PHOENIX | Want to know what Arizona’s new immigration law will look like in practice? Just ask Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. He and his deputies have been stopping people and asking for evidence of their immigration status for years.

“It’s not that big of a deal,” he told the Associated Press in an interview. “I’ve been doing it all this time. I didn’t see anyone boycotting the state.”

Arizona’s sweeping new law mirrors many of the policies Sheriff Arpaio has put into place in the Greater Phoenix area, where he set up a hot line for the public to report immigration violations, conducts crime and immigration sweeps in heavily Hispanic neighborhoods and frequently raids workplaces of people in the U.S. illegally.

Although Sheriff Arpaio has long come under fire for policies that many see as racist, he was surprised at the national outrage over Arizona’s new law, which makes it a state crime to be in the U.S. illegally and directs police to question people about their immigration status if there is reason to suspect they’re illegal immigrants.

MICHIGAN

Court blocks release of militia members

DETROIT | A federal appeals court on Thursday intervened to block the release of nine members of a Michigan militia accused of plotting to overthrow the government, dealing a setback to the defendants as they gathered in a courtroom hoping to rejoin their families.

A three-judge panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati issued a temporary stay about 12 hours after a federal judge in Detroit said she would no longer freeze her Monday decision releasing the nine with electronic monitors and other restrictions.

With some already in street clothes, the militia members were transported to court to be processed for release Thursday. But they were returned to jail after a magistrate judge announced the appeals court decision.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Bomb threat stops N.Y.-bound bus

PORTSMOUTH | A passenger on a Maine-to-New York Greyhound bus surrendered to authorities Thursday night after a nine-hour standoff sparked by a bomb scare.

The man walked off the bus with his hands up and got to his knees. He then walked away from the bus, apparently following orders from police.

The 16 other passengers and driver on the bus, which was surrounded by a bomb squad and sharpshooters, including one in an armored vehicle, had been removed hours earlier.

The ordeal began Thursday morning, when one of the passengers called 911 to report an explosive device on board.

The 911 call came after the bus arrived in the seaside city of Portsmouth around 11:30 a.m. and was “based on someone’s observations,” police Capt. Mike Schwartz said. It was unclear which passenger made the call.

Greyhound spokeswoman Maureen Richmond said the driver properly parked and secured the bus and got out. Police surrounded the bus and evacuated nearby buildings and streets.

NEW YORK

Ex-NFL star charged with raping teen

SUFFERN | Pro Football Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor on Thursday was arraigned on rape and prostitution charges in an assault on a 16-year-old runaway who police said was brought to his New York hotel room against her will.

A Rockland County judge set bail at $75,000.

The former New York Giants linebacker was arrested early Thursday at a Holiday Inn in Suffern,. He was charged with third-degree rape and third-degree patronizing a prostitute.

Authorities said the victim was 16, one year below the legal age of consent in New York.

Mr. Taylor’s attorney, Arthur Aidala, said the player denies the charges.

TENNESSEE

Storm toll rises; more still missing

NASHVILLE | Officials on Thursday reported the state’s 20th death from record-breaking rainfall that forced thousands to evacuate.

The deaths of at least 30 people in Tennessee, Mississippi and Kentucky were blamed on weekend flooding and tornadoes.

The latest death was in Memphis, where police reported that Terrance Williams, 32, disappeared Saturday after his car was disabled in rising floodwaters. Police found a body Wednesday but hadn’t released the identity.

Two other people were missing in Nashville, and searches were under way for two in Kentucky.

The flooding was caused by rains of more than 13 inches and affected both rich and poor in this metropolitan area of about 1 million.

Mayor Karl Dean estimated the damage from weekend flooding could easily top $1 billion in Nashville alone.

VIRGINIA

SEAL acquitted of hitting suspect

NORFOLK | A military jury in Virginia found a Navy SEAL not guilty Thursday on charges of punching a suspected Iraqi terrorist.

Jurors deliberated about an hour and 40 minutes before returning their verdict in the court-martial of Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew McCabe.

The 24-year-old Perrysburg, Ohio, man was tried at Naval Station Norfolk on accusations of assaulting Ahmed Hashim Abed, who is suspected of plotting the 2004 slayings of four U.S. contractors in Fallujah.

The prosecution’s key witness had testified he saw Petty Officer McCabe deliver a right cross to Abed’s midsection. However, several defense witnesses contradicted portions of that testimony.