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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 8, 2004)
Al HK ws BATTALION Demolition DAVE MORRIS • THE BATTALION almost 23 years in business, the McDonald's on Texas Ave. at Southwest I way was demolished Wednesday, by Cherry Demolition from Houston. This cat >n, which opened in Dec. of 1981, will be replaced by a new McDonald's in the coming months. McDonald's restaurants usually last about 25 years before they are demolished and rebuilt in order to keep the equipment up to date. The location on Highway 21 in Bryan is scheduled to be demolished in Dec. Thursday, July 8, 2004 Prosecutors given new directives for criminal cases By Gina Holland THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is add ing significantly to the workload for federal prosecutors, telling them they must include far more information in criminal indictments and seek additional indictments in thousands of pending cases to comply with a Supreme Court decision. The Bush administration is fashioning a legal defense to that ruling, which has led several judges to declare fed eral sentencing guidelines unconstitutional. In a memo to federal prosecutors, Deputy Attorney General James Comey spelled out changes to be followed while the government defends the guidelines. The nearly 20-year-old system of sentencing people convicted in federal court was called into question by the Supreme Court’s ruling late last month in a state sentenc ing case. Justices said only juries, not judges, can decide factors that lengthen prison terms beyond maximums spelled out in state sentencing guidelines. The ruling also appears to give defendants a right to demand that every factor that could lengthen a sentence be put to a jury and proved beyond reasonable doubt. Comey said the government does not believe that rul ing should apply to federal judges, who often make fac tual determinations that add years to prison sentences. To be on the safe side, however, he said prosecutors should include aggravating factors in indictments that could add time to prison sentences, to be decided by a jury. Comey said that new indictments should be sought with that information in pending cases. Iraqi government announces emergency powers law lortland Archdiocese les for bankruptcy By Aviva L. Brandt THE ASSOCIATED PRESS tew! ."•‘Gi: ng tt *¥|0RTLAND, Ore. — The Port- pd Archdiocese filed for bankruptcy lemo’Mday because of the steep costs ttk' om clergy sex abuse lawsuits, an un- IlHedented step that could open the an Catholic archdiocese to new s of court scrutiny, o other American diocese has for bankruptcy, though Boston tened to do so at the height of fetnuse crisis that began there two ago. The Diocese of Tucson, ., has said it will decide wheth- seek court protection before an ipse trial there in September. Portland’s Chapter 11 bankrupt- ling halted the trial of a law- itjagainst the late Rev. Maurice mond, who was accused of sting more than 50 boys in the iok !|)s. Grammond died in 2002. i isK Plaintiffs in the two lawsuits in- illy idling Grammond have sought a noviej i of' total of more than $160 million. The archdiocese and its insurers already have paid more than $53 mil lion over 50 years to settle more than 130 claims by people who say they were abused by priests. Most of those cases have taken place since 1999. The bankruptcy filing includes claims against the diocese from 20 pending priest abuse lawsuits, ranging in amounts from $5.1 million to $135 million. It also includes what appears to be a $22.3 million bank loan. The filing did not include a list of the archdiocese’s assets, which will be filed at a later date. Bud Bunce, spokesman for the 356,000-member archdiocese, said church operations will con tinue as usual. “All the parishes will continue with their regular services,” Bunce said. “For the most part we antici pate the normal, everyday types of activities we do will continue.” By Danica Kirka THE ASSOCIATED PRESS BAGHDAD, Iraq — The Iraqi government issued a long- anticipated package of security laws Wednesday to help crush insurgents, including a provision allowing interim Prime Min ister lyad Allawi to impose martial law. “The lives of the Iraqi people Lire in danger, they are in danger from evil forces, from gangs of terrorists,” said Human Rights Minister Bakhityar Amin, who compared the new law to the USA Patriot Act. As the plan was announced, masked gunmen battled Iraqi forces in central Baghdad, and at least four people were killed. Mortars landed near a residence used by Allawi, and Iraqi po lice also defused a massive car bomb elsewhere in the capital. The new laws give Allawi the right to impose curfews, to con duct search operations and detain individuals with weapons, once he receives unanimous approval from the Presidential Council. They also give him the right to assign governors, including mili tary leaders, in specific areas, and they empower him to freeze the assets of suspects and monitor their communications. Allawi signed the law earlier in the day, officials said. “The law ... is really designed to protect lives in Iraq, wheth er these lives are Iraqis or friends of Iraq” in the country, Al lawi told Associated Press Television News. “We will use the law ... whenever it is necessary to defeat our enemies.” Maintaining security in Iraq The Iraqi government issued new emergency power laws Wednesday to combat insurgents. Iraqi security forces have almost quadrupled its size since September 2003. 300 thousand security forces Size of Iraqi security on duty, June 2004 Civil Defense Corps: 36,229 Partially or fully trained- Police: 83,789 32 percent partially or fully trained 1 Army: 7,116 Partiaily or fully trained • Border patrol: 18,183 Partially or fully trained Facilities and protection services: 73,992 Partially or fully trained SOURCE: Brookings Institution The Presidential Council is made up of a president and and two vice presidents. 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