January 30, 1996
Web posted at: 1:00 p.m. EST
CHICAGO (CNN) -- Two juveniles convicted of dropping a 5-year-old boy to his death after dangling him from a 14th story window will spend the next five years in a youth prison.
The boys, now 13 and 12, were sentenced by a juvenile court Monday and will be the youngest inmates in the Illinois correctional system.
The two were found guilty of dropping Eric Morse to his death at a Chicago Housing Authority complex in October 1994, because he would not steal candy for them. They were 11 and 10 at the time. Their sentencing had been delayed while Illinois Department of Child and Family Services sparred with state prison officials over who should take charge of the youths.
Until this year, juveniles under 13 could not be sent to state prison. But a new law, passed in part because of this case, now allows juveniles younger than 13 to be jailed. The boys will be sent to one of six Illinois youth centers rather than a residential treatment facility, as their attorneys had urged.
PORTLAND, Maine (CNN) -- The man charged with murdering two Roman Catholic nuns and wounding two others during a violent rampage at a convent recently had asked to be their handyman.
The nuns had neither accepted or declined the services of Mark Bechard, said the Reverend Maurice Morin, the convent's chaplain. Bechard, 37, was being held without bail Tuesday.
He entered no plea Monday during a jailhouse arraignment. He will be tested for his mental competency to stand trial for the murders Saturday at the Servants of the Blessed Sacrament convent in Waterville, about 80 miles north of Portland.
State officials are investigating whether Bechard should have been free at the time of the attacks. He had a history of mental illness and was hospitalized briefly in 1994 and 1995.
Mother Superior Edna Mary Cardozo, 68, and Sister Mary Julien Fortin, 67, died from blows to the head. Their funeral is Thursday. Sister Mary Anna DiGiacomo, 72, was stabbed in the face and remained hospitalized in serious condition. The fourth nun, Sister Patricia Keane, 68, was in good condition.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- A measure approved by San Francisco supervisors gives gay couples the right to a symbolic wedding ceremony after they register as domestic partners.
The Board of Supervisors Monday unanimously approved the resolution, which will have another reading February 5 before becoming law March 21. Supervisor Carole Migden, who introduced the ordinance, predicted that as many as 1,000 homosexual couples will opt for the civil ceremony, even though they won't be granted any additional rights.
The Rev. Lou Sheldon of the Washington D.C.-based Traditional Values Coalition, accused the city of recognizing "dysfunctional behavior . .. in a ceremonial manner."
San Francisco's recognition of long-term homosexual partnerships is at odds with a state effort. The California Assembly is to study a bill Tuesday that would prohibit California from recognizing same-sex marriages, whether performed inside or outside the state.
The only other cities that offer civil ceremonies to domestic partners are Madison, Wisconsin, and New York City, said Robert Bray of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. Laws that would ban same-sex marriages are either pending or active in South Dakota, Alaska, Washington state and Colorado. Maine was considering one, but its sponsor withdrew the proposal because it became so controversial, Bray said.
NEW YORK (AP) -- The U.S. government is putting 55,000 permanent-resident visas up for grabs in its third annual green card lottery.
Victor Marrero, U.S. representative to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, said Monday the lottery is part of President Clinton's program to curb illegal immigration while allowing people to move to this country.
The lottery will be open to anyone abroad or in the United States, except natives of Canada, China (except Hong Kong), Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, India, Jamaica, Mexico, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, the United Kingdom (except for Northern Ireland) and Vietnam. Most of those countries were allowed to apply in the past.
Lottery applicants must have a high school education or two years experience in an occupation requiring two years of training. They must also provide a recent 1.5-inch photograph with their applications, which can be submitted between February 12 and March 12. The lottery is named after the color of the old alien resident cards, which are now light blue.
For more information on the lottery, call the U.S. State Department hotline at: 202-663-1600 or the New York Immigration hotline at 800-232-0212.
DENVER, Colorado (CNN) -- There was nothing graceful about
the deer that found itself trapped on an iced-over reservoir
in Denver.
It's not clear how the animal got there, but getting off
proved frustrating. No amount of effort could keep the
stranded animal from slipping and sliding. The struggle
caught the attention of passersby who feared the deer might
break through the ice and drown, so it wasn't long before
help was on the way.
Firefighters, police, state wildlife officials and a special
dive team were called. After a rescue attempt by foot
failed, a boat was brought in to break through about 200
yards of ice. The rescue team on board managed to put a
rope around the exhausted deer and haul it to safety. (480K QuickTime movie)
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