News Briefs
May 10, 1996
Web posted at: 11 p.m. EDTHouse overwhelmingly passes adoption tax credit
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The House Friday voted 393-15 to approve a bill to ease barriers to adoption and give parents a $5,000 tax credit when they adopt children.
The measure is aimed at offsetting the high cost of adoption and helping minority children find homes. The bill bans agencies that receive federal funding from keeping a person from adopting based on race, color or national origin. About 500,000 children are in foster care in the United States, half of them minorities.
Much of Friday's debate centered around changing existing legislation on American Indian children. In the end, the Indian Child Welfare Act, which gives tribal courts oversight in cases involving American Indian children, was not changed. The legislation will now go to the Senate for consideration.
Simpson departs Friday for England
LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- O.J. Simpson was heading to England Friday, a source close to the former football star told CNN. Simpson is not seeking to improve his overseas reputation or testing the waters for possible commercial endorsements, as was reported by The Associated Press, the source said.
According to the source, Simpson's visit will include an appearance on a TV show Monday and a speech before the centuries-old Oxford Union debating society Tuesday. His expenses and those of his traveling party are being paid by the groups he will be visiting, the source said.
Simpson was also considering a tour of Japan, the source said.
Waldholtz pleads not guilty to bank fraud charges
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Joe Waldholtz, estranged husband of Congresswoman Enid Greene, R-Utah, pleaded not guilty to 27 counts of bank fraud in federal court Friday.
Waldholtz is accused of writing $3 million worth of fraudulent checks and is blamed with financial irregularities in his estranged wife's 1992 and 1994 campaigns for Congress. Waldholtz also pleaded not guilty to a single count of forfeiture. He faces up to 30 years in prison on the bank fraud charges.
His wife, who has resumed using her maiden name, also accuses Waldholtz of committing 858 campaign finance violations. She filed for divorce November 14, and said that although she knew nothing of his financial actions, in order to help clear her name, she will not seek a second term.
Dozens hospitalized after ingesting potent heroin
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- Nearly 100 drug users were hospitalized overnight Friday after ingesting a lethal form of heroin known as "Super Buick" or "Homicide." At least 10 Philadelphia emergency rooms were inundated with patients when police started bringing them in from the streets and vacant drug houses around 4:30 a.m.
"They weren't in pain, but they were thrashing out and becoming violent," Dr. Stanley Kolman said. "It took a minimum of four people to control each one of these patients. That's from a girl who weighed 115 pounds to someone who weighed up to 200 pounds."
It was Philadelphia's second wave of heroin-related illnesses since February, when more than 40 people had adverse reactions to a heroin mix known as "Polo" or "Death Shot." Later February, four people died of apparent heroin overdoses.
Latest Webster's highlights new words
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Looking for something new? Check the latest edition of the Random House Webster's College Dictionary for the first "new-words" section.
Look a gazillion times in old dictionaries and you aren't likely to find fartleks, ecotourism spots, phone sex, or drive-by shootings. Or gazillion, for that matter.
The 600 new-word entries may not necessarily be new words, but are words that for some reason never made it into the main body of the text, mostly for lack of space.
The revision was made, Random House said, to keep the dictionary current with the words used to reflect society's concerns.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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