U.S. News Briefs

August 18, 1995

Sweat shop

Grand jury indicts sweatshop operators

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- A federal grand jury indicted six men and three women on charges they ran an El Monte sweatshop using Thai workers. The charges allege that all nine defendants conspired to violate federal laws including immigration violations and laws governing the hiring of illegal aliens.

The indictment alleges that after the defendants fraudulently recruited laborers from Thailand, they transported them directly to an apartment complex in El Monte, California, which served as a labor camp.

The indictment further charges that the defendants confined the laborers against their will, and subjected them to oppressive work schedules and low wages, censored their mail, and monitored their telephone calls. The defendants also used threats and physical coercion to force the Thai laborers to remain in the sweatshop, according to the indictment.

Howard Koch

'War of the Worlds' screenwriter dies of pneumonia

KINGSTON, NY (CNN) -- Veteran screenwriter Howard Koch died Thursday at age 93. He won an Oscar for "Casablanca" in the spring of 1944.

The Oscar was shared by the three screenwriters. He also wrote Orson Welles infamous "War of the Worlds" radio script, and was later blacklisted.

Koch's granddaughter, Elizabeth Trainer, confirmed that he died at approximately 4 a.m. Thursday at Kingston Hospital in Kingston, New York, of pneumonia.

Koch was a 37-year resident of the town of Woodstock, N.Y. Other prominent screenwriting credits are the Bette Davis film "The Letter", the Errol Flynn film "The Sea Hawk", and the Joan Fontaine film "Letter From an Unknown Woman".

Tabloid

Agents deny Jackson-Presley disbanding

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- The king of pop and the daughter of Elvis are not getting a divorce, according to Lisa Marie Presley's publicist Paul Bloch.

Contrary to tabloid headlines of the rumored split, Bloch told CNN that "Lisa is happy and has not filed divorce papers."

Bloch said Presley was surprised at hearing of the rumored divorce. Jackson's publicist, Lee Solters, also told CNN he knew nothing about the couple possibly divorcing. Jackson and Presley were married 15 months ago in the Dominican Republic.

Trolley

Trolley cars collide in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO (CNN) -- Seven people were injured Thursday when an unattended cable car slipped off its tracks and rolled into a tourist-filled car's path.

A Canadian tourist was trapped between the two cars while rescue workers labored to free him. Using saws and a forklift, the rescuers freed the man after an hour and a half. The man, whose name has not been released, suffered severe injuries to both ankles requiring surgery.

A California woman suffered a broken arm and toe. The other five injured were treated and released from local hospitals.

Convicted murderer executed

COLUMBIA, S.C.(CNN) -- Sylvester Adams was executed early Friday morning by lethal injection in South Carolina. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected his final appeal without comment yesterday.

Adams strangled his 16-year old neighbor in 1979 after trying to rob him. His attorneys, who also represented Susan Smith, say the jury was never told Adams was mildly retarded and suffered from a mental illness.

Adams was the first person executed by lethal injection in South Carolina.