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In other news ...
October 7, 1996Web posted at: 9:30 p.m. EDT
Court: Military gay case is moot
SAN FRANCISCO (CNN) -- A federal appeals court Monday said it would not rule on whether or not the military's former ban on homosexuals was valid, because the policy has been repealed, making the case moot.
The validity of the ban was an issue in the case of a lesbian colonel, Margarethe Cammermeyer, who was discharged and later won her reinstatement to the Washington State National Guard.
Cammermeyer, a decorated Vietnam War veteran, was the highest-ranking officer to be discharged under the military ban on homosexuals. Her case was the last remaining under the former policy, a government lawyer said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Related stories:
- Court orders ruling on U.S. military policy on gays - July 1, 1996
- Military still asking, telling, paper says - February 27, 1996
Related site:
'Hollywood Madam' to stand trial again
LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- Heidi Fleiss, the so-called "Hollywood Madam," was ordered Monday to stand trial on pandering charges for a second time.
She had been sentenced to three years in jail for her 1994 conviction of three counts of pandering in a connection with a high-priced prostitution ring she ran in Hollywood. The conviction was reversed by a state appeals court because of improper jury conduct.
If convicted, Fleiss will again face a mandatory three-year prison sentence on the pandering charges. She also awaits sentencing on federal charges of tax evasion and money laundering.
Her sentencing on those charges was postponed after she admitted last week to using illegal drugs, which violated the terms of her bail. A judge ordered her to enter a residential drug rehabilitation clinic.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Related stories:
- 'Hollywood Madam' jailed for alleged drug use - September 28, 1996
- Appeals court overturns 'Hollywood Madam' conviction - May 29, 1996
Related site:
Senator says mayor diverted airport funds
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, charged on Monday that Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan diverted more than $31 million in federal airport funds to pay city police and firefighters, as well as other city bills. McCain said the action occurred only hours before Congress voted to bar such actions.
McCain, the chairman of the aviation subpanel of the Senate Commerce Committee, said if Los Angeles did not return the $31 million, he would push to have the city's federal airport funding slashed by that amount.
John Driscoll, executive director of the Los Angeles Department of Airports, defended the fund transfer, saying that the city's attorney found it to be a legal transfer. He said the Los Angeles City Council could still refuse to accept the funds. Riordan's office had no immediate response.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Related stories:
- Report: Reform at LAPD slow, painful - June 1, 1996
Related sites:
Midol supplier sues district
DAYTON, Ohio (CNN) -- A 14-year-old girl thrown out of school until February for giving a Midol tablet to a classmate sued the school district today, claiming discrimination because she is black.
Kimberly Smartt was suspended from her junior high school for giving the over-the-counter painkiller to classmate Erica Taylor. The school district's anti-drug policy does not distinguish between legal and illegal, or prescription and non-prescription drugs.
Taylor was allowed to return to school after nine days when she agreed to take part in a drug counseling and education program. Smartt's lawsuit contends that she was never offered the opportunity to reduce her suspension through similar means.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Related story:
- 'Midol suspension' ends: Honor student returns to class - October 3, 1996
Rising oil prices may bring higher heating bills
NEW YORK (CNN) -- You may have to pay premium prices to keep your house warm this winter. U.S. oil companies still haven't made up the heating oil shortfall they saw during the 1995-96 winter -- inventories are now running about a third below the supply available at this time last year.
To make the shortage even worse, a number of refineries have temporarily stopped producing heating oil to do maintenance. As a result, heating oil prices have risen more than 30 percent in the last three months.
Crude oil prices are the highest they have been during the past five years, nearly climbing to the price reached during Operation Desert Storm in January 1991, when the United States attacked Iraqi forces occupying Kuwait.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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