NEWS OF THE DAY
From Across the Nation
1 House explosion: Federal authorities are investigating a suspected natural gas leak that caused an explosion at a newly renovated house in Dallas, killing a 12-year-old girl and injuring four other members of her family. A team from the National Transportation Safety Board arrived Sunday to look into the blast. Firefighters on Friday found the home shattered but no fire. Linda Rogers was pronounced dead at a hospital. Two other gasrelated problems were reported last week in the neighborhood where a construction crew has been working.
2 Art heist: A reputed mobster who authorities believe is the last surviving person of interest in the largest art heist in U.S. history is facing sentencing in an unrelated weapons case. Robert Gentile, 81, is set to be sentenced Tuesday in federal court in Hartford, Conn., where he faces up to six years in prison. Authorities seized firearms from his home that he was not supposed to possess because he is a convicted felon. Prosecutors have said they believe the Manchester resident has information about the still-unsolved 1990 heist at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Thieves stole an estimated $500 million worth of artwork, including works by Rembrandt and Johannes Vermeer. Gentile has denied knowing anything about the theft.
3 Prisoners’ health: A judge overseeing a class-action lawsuit over the quality of health care in Arizona’s prisons will hold hearings this week to determine whether to fine the state for falling short in improving care. The hearings Tuesday and Wednesday were called after U.S. Magistrate David Duncan repeatedly voiced frustration over what he described as the state’s “abject failure” to carry out improvements it promised three years ago when it settled allegations that inmates were receiving shoddy care. Duncan has threatened to hold prison officials in civil contempt of court and fine the state for noncompliance.
4 Missing scientist: Authorities in Atlanta have announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case of a missing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention employee who disappeared about two weeks ago. Timothy Cunningham, 35, worked as an epidemic intelligence officer and was promoted to commander in the U.S. Public Health Service in July, his family said. According to police, he was last seen Feb. 12. The police are investigating the disappearance.
5 Dragging death: A prisoner on Death Row in Texas for the notorious dragging death of a man nearly two decades ago has lost a federal court appeal, moving him a step close to execution for the hate crime. The Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last week turned down the appeal from John William King, 43, condemned for the June 1998 slaying of James Byrd. Evidence showed that Byrd, 49, was chained by his ankles to the back of a pickup truck and dragged along a road outside the town of Jasper. Prosecutors said Byrd was killed simply because he was black.
Chronicle News Services