![]() This 8-foot alligator wandered into a home in Oldsmar, Fla., just north of Tampa, on Monday. The owner said the gator must have pushed through a screen door. It then apparently strolled through the living room and down a hall and into the kitchen. A trapper removed the gator from the home. the associated press
Pioneer Landscaping Diesel Fleet Mechanics Health Care Project Insight Asst Program Coordinator General Dismas Charities Security Monitor Administrative & Professional Oracle Controls Office Assistant General Border States Electric Warehouse Associates Office and Clerical Tucson Residence Foundation Receptionist Health Care Old Pueblo Practice Management Surgical/Medical Biller/Coder NationAround the nationTucson, Arizona | Published: 04.23.2008
CALIFORNIA
700-pound grizzly kills his trainer
BIG BEAR LAKE — A grizzly bear killed a trainer Tuesday at a private facility for exotic animals used in movies and television, authorities said.
Three experienced handlers were working with the bear at Randy Miller's Predators in Action facility when the bear bit Stephan Miller, 39, on the neck, said San Bernardino County sheriff's spokeswoman Cindy Beavers. Stephan Miller was Randy's cousin, she said.
The center's staff used pepper spray to subdue the bear, and there were no other injuries, she said.
A county Fire Department traumatic-injury response unit responded about 3 p.m. but could not revive Stephan Miller.
The Predators in Action Web site says Rocky is 7 1/2 feet tall, weighs 700 pounds and appeared in a scene in "Semi-Pro" in which Will Ferrell's character wrestles a bear to promote his basketball team.
Ship's pilot charged again in oil spill
SAN FRANCISCO — The pilot of the container ship that spilled 53,000 gallons of oil into San Francisco Bay was charged Tuesday with two felony counts of lying to Coast Guard officials about his prescription drug use.
Capt. John Cota, 60, previously was charged with two misdemeanor environmental crimes for his role in the Nov. 7 accident that fouled the bay, killed or injured thousands of birds and forced the closure of Bay Area beaches.
The new, more serious charges accuse Cota of lying on 2006 and 2007 annual medical reports that are required by the U.S. Coast Guard.
The indictment alleges that Cota "knew that the information he provided was neither complete nor true, including the information . . . regarding current medications, the dosage, possible side effects and medical conditions for which the medications were taken," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office."
INDIANA
Teller is shot; she, twin fetuses are OK
INDIANAPOLIS — A bank teller pregnant with twins was shot in the abdomen during a robbery Tuesday morning, but both the teller and the fetuses survived, authorities said.
The masked gunman came into the Huntington Bank branch about 9:30 a.m., jumped over the counter screaming, shot the teller and grabbed cash from her drawer, police said. He fired another shot as he ran out of the bank.
The bullet entered the abdomen of Katherin Shuffield, 30, who is five months pregnant, but missed both fetuses, Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard said.
Shuffield was hospitalized in critical but stable condition, police spokesman Sgt. Paul Thompson said.
Police arrested two teenagers who were trying to enter a nearby high school about two hours after the attack, but both were released to their parents and were no longer considered suspects, Thompson said.
LOUISIANA
Bush criticizes Dems over trade legislation
NEW ORLEANS — President Bush chastised lawmakers Tuesday for letting international trade deals falter in Congress and criticized Democratic presidential contenders for wanting to scrap or amend the vast North American free-trade zone.
At the close of a two-day summit, Bush, along with Mexican President Felipe Calderón and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, stood solidly behind the North American Free Trade Agreement. Under NAFTA, trade between the U.S., Canada and Mexico has swelled from $290 billion in 1994 to an estimated $1 trillion by the end of this year.
"Now is not the time to renegotiate NAFTA or walk away from NAFTA," Bush said. "Now is the time to make it work better for all our people. And now is the time to reduce trade barriers worldwide."
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Protection sought for student loans
The Bush administration is proposing that Congress authorize it to buy billions of dollars in federal student loans to make sure the nation's credit crunch does not block borrowing for higher education.
The proposal, outlined in a letter to be sent to members of Congress from the Education and Treasury departments and the Office of Management and Budget, endorses a provision in a bill passed by the House this month.
It is the latest sign of deepening concern that the combination of tougher standards for borrowers, lender withdrawals from federal student-loan programs and falling housing prices poses a threat to families struggling to cope with rising tuition. By buying loans, the government would provide capital to lenders to make new loans.
"I want to make double-dog sure that we have the tools necessary" to make sure federal loans continue to be available, Education Secretary Margaret Spellings said in an interview Tuesday. "If we don't need to use them, so be it."
NEW YORK
Eateries seeking to block calorie law
NEW YORK — An organization of state restaurants asked a federal appeals court Tuesday to stop the city from immediately implementing a requirement that some chain restaurants post calories on menus.
The New York State Restaurant Association said in court papers submitted to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan that implementation should be blocked because the case raises legal issues that the courts have yet to address.
The widely expected request came after U.S. District Judge Richard Holwell ruled last week that the city requirement was constitutional and might help the city achieve its goal of reducing obesity.
He held off enforcement of the requirement until Friday so the restaurant association could appeal. Restaurants breaking the rule will not be fined until at least June 6.
FLORIDA
Girl awaits surgery for huge face tumor
MIAMI — A Vietnamese girl with a 16-pound facial tumor is in Miami awaiting surgery to restore her ability to eat and speak.
Lai Thi Dao, 15, suffers from a tumor that has been growing since she was 3. The tumor has severely disfigured her face and kept her from attending school.
Doctors at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center say the tumor threatens to suffocate Lai. They will remove it in a 10-hour surgery on April 29.
Such tumors are usually benign. Lai's doctors say the size of her tumor is extremely rare and that it likely won't return.
The International Kids Fund is seeking donations to fund Lai's surgery.
Wire reports
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