National and State News-Thursday, June 28th

BAGHDAD (AP) - Another day is off to a rough start in Iraq. A car bomb blew up at a busy bus terminal during the Baghdad rush hour. Dozens of minibuses were destroyed. At least 20 people were killed and more than 50 wounded. Three people died when a market place was hit by mortar fire.

MARBLE FALLS, Texas (AP) - Very heavy rain has prompted a warning of more flash floods this morning in south central Texas. People in the hill country are getting another deluge. They're reeling from a week and a-half of downpours that are blamed in nearly a dozen deaths.

CAPITOL HILL (AP) - This could truly be a make-or-break day for what President Bush is hoping will be a signature piece of legislation for his final years in office. It's an overhaul of the
nation's immigration laws. A defeat in the Senate could doom any change until the next president and Congress take office.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The oversight arm of Congress fears the cleanup after Hurricane Katrina may have exposed dozens of people to dangerous asbestos. The Government Accountability Office says there were too few checks, and health guidance to volunteers was
"unclear and inconsistent."

WASHINGTON (AP) - With highway funds dwindling, a new think-tank study says states are going to have to concentrate more on easing bottlenecks. The study funded by the Los Angeles-based Reason Foundation says some of the most cost-effective roads are in North Dakota and South Carolina and some of the least are in New Jersey and New York.

EBENSBURG, Pa. (AP) - A Johnstown personal care home owner and operator has been charged in the death of a disabled man who was left overnight on a hallway floor. John Anthony Senior, who owns Moxham Personal Care Home, was charged yesterday with involuntary manslaughter and neglect of a care-dependent person in the death of 47-year-old Gregory Hanks. Cambria County District Attorney Patrick Kiniry says Hanks probably wouldn't have died from the effects of drugs and alcohol in his system if he'd gotten medical treatment.
Anthony, who was released after posting bond, couldn't immediatly be reached for comment. Nor could his attorney. ut at a coroner's inquest last month during which a jury recommended the charges, Anthony testified he did not believe Hanks was in danger when he allowed Hanks to remain sleeping on the floor overnight December 21st.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - A rock climber who broke his elbow and needed spine surgery after a 40-foot fall in West Virginia's New River Gorge says he can't wait to get out there again.
Weston Markham was injured Saturday at an abandoned mine site in the Kaymoore area. The 33-year-old Pittsburgh resident has been to the gorge countless times since he started going while attending Virginia Tech. Markham was using a safety rope and was with a climbing partner during his recent venture. He blames human error for the accident. Rescuers trekked a mile through the woods to get to Markham and he was flown to Charleston Area Medical Center. He says he expects to be discharged in a day or two and will need several months of rehabilitation. On Tuesday, a 14-year-old Boy Scout from Virginia fell 30 feet while climbing in the gorge. A National Park Service ranger says the boy, whose name wasn't released, was conscious when transported to the medical center. At least four people have died in rock-climbing accidents in West Virginia since 2001.

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - Three Montana law enforcement agencies will split nearly 130-thousand dollars seized from a Pennsylvania man who was stopped while driving drunk four years ago. The Montana Supreme Court recently rejected an appeal filed by Daniel Ward Payne, who denied that the money taken from his vehicle was drug money. He said it was from a poker game with Pittsburgh gangsters. A five-member panel of justices upheld a ruling by District Judge Joe Hegel of Rosebud County, who said Payne's explanation was not believable.
The justices also rejected arguments by Payne's attorney that an officer violated Payne's right to privacy, that his detention was a pretext to get a search warrant, and that the warrant was overly broad. Payne's attorney did not return a message seeking comment. The money will be divided among the Montana Highway Patrol, the Eastern Montana Drug Task Force and the Rosebud County Sheriff's Office.

ERIE, Pa. (AP) - An Erie County judge ruled Erie can't change the deed restriction on its golf course, effectively preventing the city from its plans to sell it. Erie bought the course in 1926 from an estate for one dollar, but a deed restriction prohibits its sale or lease and requires the
city maintain it as a golf course or park. City officials, who said it had become a financial drain, wanted the deed restriction lifted. Mayor Joe Sinnott said yesterday he had just received the
decision and wouldn't comment until after he met with the city solicitor. Jim Casey, chairman of the Keep Erie Golf Course Open Committee, says he's pleased. Casey's group was one of three plaintiffs that challenged the city on its plans for the course. They argued that course could be
an asset to the city if properly managed.

PORTAGE, Pa. (AP) - A Cambria County borough mayor has been held for trial on charges he illegally issued three parking tickets. Lilly Mayor John Gides was ordered to stand trial yesterday on charges of forgery and tampering with public records. Impersonating a public servant charges were dismissed. State police say Gides signed the tickets in February using the
name of a part-time police officer. The officer, Christy Shaffer, testified that Gides told her he
was angry that people were parking in front of the recycling center. Defense attorney Tom Dickey asked that all charges be dropped. He argued the mayor, who's in charge of the police, had the authority to issue tickets in an emergency when no officer is on duty. Portage District Judge Galen Decort said Gides had no authority to sign tickets. He also questioned whether it was as an emergency.