CNN - US - News Briefs - July 1, 1996

News Briefs

July 1, 1996
Web posted at: 9:30 p.m. EDT

Court orders ruling on U.S. military policy on gays

NEW YORK (CNN) -- A U.S. appeals court threw out a Brooklyn judge's decision that invalidated the U.S. military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

The court said that the judge's reasoning was flawed, and that he must rule if the policy is unconstitutional, this time by deciding whether banning homosexual acts was illegal. He previously based his decision on the policy's infringement on free speech.

The "don't ask, don't tell" policy lifted the ban keeping gays and lesbians from serving in the military, but it still requires them to keep their sexual orientation private, and continues the ban on homosexual acts. Declaring one's homosexuality is considered evidence of an intent to commit homosexual acts and is therefore grounds for a discharge, according to the military policy.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Related stories:

Military still asking, telling, paper says - February 27, 1996
Court looking at 'don't ask, don't tell' policy - January 18, 1996

Sentencing begins in Klaas killer's trial

SAN JOSE, California (CNN) -- Should Richard Davis, convicted of the murder of Polly Klaas, be sentenced to death or life in prison? Lawyers began arguing both sides Monday before the jury for Davis' sentencing hearing. Davis, a career criminal, abducted 12-year-old Polly at knifepoint from a slumber party at her Petaluma, California home in October 1993.

The San Jose jury found Davis guilty last month of murdering Klaas, with four special circumstances -- kidnapping, robbery, burglary, false imprisonment, and attempted lewd conduct with a minor. Guilt of any one of the special circumstances makes Davis eligible for the death penalty.

Her father, Marc Klaas, who founded the Klaas Foundation to help search for other abducted children, will give testimony on the impact his daughter's death had on his life. Davis' defense will argue mitigating circumstances, saying that Davis was abused and neglected as a child.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Related stories:

CNN - Guilty verdict in Klaas murder - June 18, 1996
No verdict in Polly Klaas case this week - June 15, 1996
Defense rests in Klaas case - May 29, 1996

Homes, buildings damaged by California wildfires

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- Firefighters are struggling to get the upper hand on a series of wildfires in southern California. In the San Bernardino National Forest, 7,600 acres of grass, mixed brush and timber have burned since Saturday in a fire believed sparked by a ricocheting bullet during target practice. (508K QuickTime movie)

Another pair of fires in the Angeles National Forest have burned 1,700 acres there, and forced the evacuation of about 500 hikers from a campground.

Related stories:

Wildfires scorch Western states - June 24, 1996
Hikers airlifted from Grand Canyon - June 23, 1996

Kansas fire ruled arson

BONNER SPRINGS, Kansas (CNN) -- Investigators say they have determined that a fire that severely damaged the interior of a Catholic church in a Kansas City suburb early Sunday was intentionally set.

The predominantly white congregation at Sacred Heart Catholic Church moved its Sunday services to a nearby school while federal investigators continued to search the charred building for evidence.

Related stories:

Arson suspected in another fire at a black church - June 30, 1996
Insurer drops coverage for 2 fire-damaged black churches - June 30, 1996
Relief organization sends prefabs to replace burned out black churches - June 27, 1996
Fire damages abandoned church in Shreveport - June 24, 1996

Medicare costs for outpatient care rising

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Medicare patients are paying more out of their own pockets for outpatient care because of a quirk in the Federal Medicaid law that requires them to pay 20 percent of whatever the hospital charges, The New York Times reported Monday.

Many people are paying nearly half of the cost of services, and that cost could rise to 68 percent by the year 2000, according to the report.

The Times also reported that a new Medicare handbook released in May corrects the formula used to calculate payments. Previous versions of the handbook inaccurately said Medicare recipients were required to pay 20 percent of a set Medicare-approved fee.

Related stories:

Trustees: Medicare could be broke in 5 years - June 5, 1996
What's the best prescription for Medicare ills? - June 4, 1996

Jewish group counters Christian conversion efforts

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Dismayed by a recent vote at the Southern Baptist Convention aimed at trying to convert Jews to Christianity, a New York Jewish organization kicked off a campaign Monday to counter the efforts of the Baptists and other Evangelical Christian groups.

The Jewish Community Relations Council of New York said the Christian group appeared to be stepping up its campaign to convert Jews. In response, the organization is putting up posters in local businesses and subways, handing out literature and manning a hotline to emphasize what the group calls "information on authentic Judaism."

A spokesman for the campaign, called "Judaism: the Religion for Jews," said it will emphasize "that Judaism and Christianity do not overlap in a way that a person can practice these religions simultaneously."

Quinn hospitalized with chest pains

PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island (CNN) -- Complaining of chest pains, actor Anthony Quinn, 81, was hospitalized Sunday near his vacation home in Bristol, Rhode Island.

Quinn, a two-time Academy Award winner most noted for his roles in "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Zorba the Greek," was listed in satisfactory condition Monday morning.

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