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San
Antonio policeman found guilty of cocaine plot
SAN
ANTONIO (AP) — A former San Antonio policeman was found guilty
Tuesday on one count of taking part in a scheme to protect shipments
of cocaine that involved at least six of his fellow officers.
Arthur
Gutierrez Jr., 39, was convicted during retrial on a charge of aiding
and abetting an attempt to distribute more than 30 pounds of drugs
on Sept. 21, 2000, in exchange for a payment of $2,500 made by an
undercover FBI agent.
But
Gutierrez, who served on the San Antonio Police Department for 15
years, was found innocent on an identical charge for an earlier
shipment of cocaine through the city.
He
was also acquitted on the most serious charge — being part
of a conspiracy to distribute large quantities of cocaine —
as well as two counts of carrying a gun as part of a drug-trafficking
crime.
Defense
lawyer Jimmy Parks said the guilty verdict would be appealed.
Gutierrez was one of eight city police officers arrested in March
2001 as a result of the three-year FBI sting operation to root out
corrupt officers.
Packages
of gypsum were used to simulate cocaine in the shipments.
Gutierrez was the first officer to opt for a trial.
New
toll road will ease traffic on Interstate 35
AUSTIN
(AP) — State officials have picked a group of companies to
design and build a 90-mile toll road that would sidestep the capital
to ease congestion on Interstate 35.
State
officials have estimated the project’s cost at $1.5 billion.
It is the centerpiece of an estimated $3.3 billion package of four
toll roads planned for Central Texas.
The
Texas Department of Transportation on Monday recommended the Lone
Star Infrastructure consortium, a group of 19 engineering and construction
companies led by Fluor Daniel Inc., a unit of Aliso Viejo, Calif.-based
Fluor Corp.
The
Texas Transportation Commission, which oversees the department,
is expected to officially award the contract at its next meeting
April 25.
Abandoned
truck found with $1.6 million in drugs
ROMA
(AP) — Federal agents have found an estimated $1.6 million
worth of marijuana and methamphetamine stashed in an abandoned truck
alongside the Rio Grande.
Agents
seized the drugs at about 11:30 p.m. Monday from a white 1993 Ford
found by the riverbank.
A search
revealed 40 bundles of marijuana weighing 1,260 pounds and valued
at $1 million. One bundle had 10 cans containing a total of 21 pounds
of methamphetamine valued at $672,000. No suspects were found.
Associated
Press photo exhibition chronicles events
COLLEGE
STATION (AP) — The photos chronicle some of the most significant
events over the past century.
Lining
a brightly lit hall at the George Bush Presidential Museum, 130
photographs run the gamut of emotion, telling stories of victory,
heartache, tragedy and joy. Some are humorous. Others painful.
The
exhibit, called “Flash! The Associated Press Covers the World,”
formally opens Wednesday at the Bush Library and Museum at Texas
A&M University.
Curated
by the Arlington, Va.-based Newseum, it runs through May 19.
With the exception of a 1960 photo of John Kennedy arriving at the
Democratic National Convention, most of the photos are black and
white until the late 1980s, reflecting the technology of the day.
Founded
in 1848 by six New York City newspapers, the AP is the oldest and
largest news organization in the world, serving as a source of news,
photos, graphics, audio and video for more than one billion people
a day.
Baytown
man sentenced for impersonating U.S. marshal
HOUSTON
(AP) — A Baytown man has been sentenced to 30 months in prison
for impersonating a U.S. marshal in a bar.
Rex
Kramer, 54, pleaded guilty on Jan. 22 to falsely representing himself
as a U.S. marshal and to possession of an unregistered firearm silencer.
Witnesses
said Kramer approached female customers at a bar in November and
told them he was a deputy U.S. marshal conducting an anthrax investigation.
He
reportedly grabbed a woman’s arm and told her she would be
arrested and would need to go with him. The woman broke loose and
called police.
When authorities arrived, Kramer continued to identify himself as
a U.S. marshal. He ultimately told the officers he used a phony
badge to pass as a marshal.
Michael
DeGeurin, Kramer’s public defender, argued Monday for a lighter
sentence. He blamed his client’s actions on alcohol abuse stemming
from his fall from fame as a former boyfriend of Liza Minnelli.
U
of Virginia plagiarizing case draws to an end
It
began with a blare of publicity — interviews on CNN and “The
Today Show,” headlines from New York to London: More than 100
students at the University of Virginia, home to a 160-year-old honor
system, accused of plagiarizing their physics papers.
Nearly
a year later, the “cheating scandal” is dribbling to a
close - quietly and, students and professors say, successfully.
Of
157 cases investigated by the student Honor Committee, only 17 remain
unresolved, according to statistics released last week. Of the others,
39 students — less than one-third — have either dropped
out of the university, admitting guilt, or been found guilty. A
student found guilty of any honor offense must leave U.Va.
“It’s
too bad that the results of the cases have not been emphasized as
much as the initial shock,” said senior Thomas Hall, the chairman
of the Honor Committee, whose hectic two-year term ended last week.
“They say the honor system does work, that it does process
cases fairly. If students cheat, there are going to be consequences.”
The
cases were brought by physics professor Louis A. Bloomfield, who
teaches an introductory course for nonscience majors. For years,
he has asked students in their final papers to explain the physics
behind an everyday object or action.
In
the spirit of the honor system, Bloomfield had left copies of past
papers in a hallway for students to get a flavor of them. After
a student told him she suspected cheating, he concocted a computer
program to detect six-word strings in papers. He analyzed 1,200
papers from past years. The students he referred to the committee
had at least 500 words in common.
The
Honor Committee has not revealed details of the cases or names of
students but has regularly released statistics.
New campaign discourages handouts
to homeless
TUCSON,
Ariz. (U-WIRE) — Hoping to help the homeless get off the streets
near the University of Arizona campus and downtown, a new campaign
supported by a citywide coalition is working to persuade people
not to give handouts to panhandlers.
The
campaign, called “Stop Giving to Panhandlers -- Don’t
feel guilty,” suggests people give money to charitable “partners”
rather than people on the street.
The
program is voluntary for businesses in the East University Boulevard
and North Park Avenue area, as well as those downtown and along
Fourth Avenue. Participating businesses put posters in their windows
and provide a list of partners.
“The
basic message is that giving money only empowers panhandlers to
stay on the street — doesn’t allow them to get off the
streets, to become a productive member of society again,” said
Sam Spencer, events director for the Fourth Avenue Merchants Association.
Instead,
money would be going to organizations that help the homeless with
food, shelter, employment and other services.
The
campaign is supported by a coalition consisting of the UA, the city
of Tucson, Ariz., the Tucson Downtown Alliance, the Fourth Avenue
Merchants Association and eight social services organizations.
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