Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/408361
ByAndrewWelsh- Huggins The Associated Press COLUMBUS,OHIO AnAmer- ican arrested and detained in North Korea is headed back to the job he lost while abroad, with an agreement that his travel was risky and he could be fired for doing it again. Jeffrey Fowle disregarded cautions by the U.S. Secre- tary of State, his family and acquaintances in traveling to North Korea, according to Tuesday's agreement be- tween Fowle and the city of Moraine in suburban Day- ton. Fowle should have known detention was a likely result of traveling there, the agree- ment said. "Fowle's decision to travel to North Korea (and the re- sulting unauthorized ab- sence) seriously called into question Fowle's judgment, leadership skills, and priori- ties, and have raised serious questions about his ability to carry out his job," according to the agreement signed by Fowle and city manager Da- vid Hicks. A 56-year-old married fa- ther of three, Fowle returned home last week after negoti- ations involving retired dip- lomat and former Ohio Con- gressman Tony Hall. He'd been detained nearly six months for allegedly leaving a Bible in a nightclub. A mes- sage seeking comment was left with his attorney. Fowle had worked for the city for 26 years, and Mo- raine kept him on the payroll even after his available leave wasexhausted,MayorElaine Allison said Oct. 22, the day Fowle returned home. The city also worked to keep his family'smedicalcoveragego- ing,andwaspreparedtopro- vide about $70,000 in sever- ance pay, which was never distributed. Fowle thanked the city for helping "secure my family's future during this difficult time" in a handwritten let- ter to Hicks Tuesday. "I look forward to serv- ing the citizens of Moraine again in the Street Depart- ment," Fowle said. Though a small number of U.S. citizens visit North Ko- rea each year as tourists, the State Department strongly advises against it. Fowle arrived in North Korea on April 29. He is sus- pected of leaving a Bible in a nightclub in the northern port city of Chongjin. AGREEMENT Ohioman detained in North Korea returns to work By Daisy Nguyen The Associated Press LOS ANGELES One of Viet- nam's most prominent dis- sidents said he was asked to sign a form seeking a pardon for spreading "pro- paganda against the state" before his release from prison last week, then forced onto a U.S.-bound flight with just the clothes on his body. Nguyen Van Hai, who blogged under the name Dieu Cay, told The Asso- ciated Press on Thursday that he refused to sign the document because he didn't believe he had com- mitted a crime. He said authorities gave him no option but to leave for the United States. "They rushed me directly from the jail to (Hanoi's) Noi Bai International Air- port and escorted me onto the airplane. They didn't allow me to see my family before my departure. So we can't say they released me. If they had given me back my freedom, I could have gone back home in- stead of going directly to the airport without seeing my family and my friends." Vietnam's communist government previously said Hai was released for humanitarian reasons. A State Department spokeswoman said Hai had decided himself to travel to the United States. Hai, 62, said he wasn't aware of U.S. involvement in his release, other than that the Obama adminis- tration was appealing for the release of prisoners of conscience in Vietnam. Washington has been calling on Vietnam to im- prove its human rights re- cord to smooth the way for stronger military and eco- nomic relations. The U.S., which has a stated com- mitment to supporting de- mocracy and human rights around the world, wants closer ties with Vietnam as it looks to ramp up Ameri- ca's presence in Southeast Asia and counter an asser- tive China. Washington has been in- timately involved in negoti- ations around the early re- lease of other dissidents, but U.S. officials rarely speak about the details publicly. WORLD Di ss id en t forced to leave Vietnam PARADISEHELICOPTER—PETESTACHOWICZ A house burns to the ground as lava flows around it near the town of Pahoa on the Big Island of Hawaii. By Audrey Mcavoy The Associated Press PAHOA, HAWAII Two Ha- waii residents have been arrested for trespassing to see lava, police said Fri- day amid growing interest from people eager to wit- ness the slow-moving flow. Hawaii County police said officers saw a man and a woman on county property Thursday tak- ing photos within 5 feet of the lava in the small town of Pahoa. The 65-year-old woman and 59-year-old man had two golf clubs that had been dipped in lava, which had hardened on the clubs, police said. They crossed private property to get to the spot where they watched the lava. Hawaii County Civil Defense Director Darryl Oliveira said the county is restricting the public's access to the lava flow to keep people safe. "It's unfortunate. We would hope we wouldn't have to take steps to en- force the rules," Oliveira told reporters. He said the lava is cur- rently in people's back- yards. The county may be able to enable public viewing if and when it en- ters public land, he said. But authorities need to be able to manage the sit- uation. In 1990, when lava poured into Kalapana on the Big Island's south- ern coast, parked cars lined the roads and peo- ple crowded in to watch. Tourists and residents have been streaming into Pahoa for a glimpse of the lava since the flow edged closer to the town's main road. Tourists and res- idents from around the Big Island are giving res- taurants extra business. Glen Bousquet, a tree trimmer from the nearby community of Nanawale, said he hiked to the flow multiple times since the weekend and trespassed to do so. He followed the glow through 6-foot-tall grass, he said. "'It's so interesting to see nature unfolding. It's like a once in a life- time chance to actually see it up close and per- sonal without having to wait for it to be on TV," he said. "You kind of get the real deal." Though he trespassed, he said he did so with "the utmost respect" and didn't break any fences or otherwise harm anyone's property. But he said won't go back because he doesn't want to get arrested. VOLCANO Two arrested as people flock to Hawaii lava By David Espo The Associated Press WASHINGTON Early votes soared past 15 million across 31 states on Friday, an out- pouring that is giving hope- ful Republicans as well as nervous Democrats cause for optimismheadingintothefi- nal weekend of a campaign with control of the Senate, the U.S. House and 36 gov- ernorships at stake. Republicans pointed to a strong early-vote perfor- mance in Iowa as evidence that Joni Ernst was a step ahead in her bid to capture a Senate seat for the GOP. "I feel real good about it," said Gov. Terry Branstad, cam- paigning with the party's Senate hopeful as he sought a new term for himself, as well. But in Georgia, Demo- cratssaida strong early turn- out by African-Americans in the counties around Atlanta was a good sign for Michelle Nunn, running for a seat long out of the party's reach. As candidates headed into afinalweekendofcampaign- ing, Democratic hopes of holding a Senate seat in Ar- kansas appeared to be fad- ing, and Republicans already appeared assured of gains in West Virginia, South Dakota and Montana. They need to gain six to come away with the election's biggest prize — control of the Senate during President Barack Obama's fi- nal two years in office. Strategists in both parties agreed privately that races in Louisiana and Georgia were probably headed for runoffs, and several Republicans ex- pressed concern about Kan- sas, where polls showed Sen. Pat Roberts was in a tough race to keep a seat held by Republicans for decades. Democraticincumbentsin Alaska, Colorado and New Hampshire also faced diffi- cult tests, as did Senate Re- publican Leader Mitch Mc- Connell in Kentucky. Republicans are all but certain to hold their major- ity in the House, and Dem- ocrats are working to mini- mize their losses in the cam- paign's final days by rushing help to candidates once viewed as safe. Theearlyvoteturnoutvar- ied from state to state, ex- ceeding 2010 levels in Loui- siana, Wisconsin, Maryland, Florida, Iowa and Geor- gia. Most of those states are holding intensely competi- tive races for the Senate or governor or both. In Louisiana, where Dem- ocraticSen.MaryLandrieuis in a difficult three-way fight for re-election, the early vote was 80 percent higher than in the 2010 midterm elec- tions. Officials in both par- ties say they expect Landrieu and Republican Rep. Bill Cassidy to advance to a Dec. 6 runoff. In Iowa, figures provided by state election officials showed Democrats had cast about 41 percent of the early vote, Republicans about 39 percent and independents nearly 20 percent. Four years ago, Democrats held a dou- ble-digit advantage. "We're doing a lot better than we did four years ago, and we won big four years ago," said Branstad, who was elected handily in 2010. In Georgia, though, Dem- ocrats said early voting in the heavily African-Amer- ican areas around Atlanta outpaced pre-Election Day returns elsewhere in the state. In addition to Nunn's race against Republican businessman David Perdue, Jason Carter is challenging Republican Gov. Nathan Deal in the state with the highest unemployment in the country. Wisconsin voters ex- ceeded their 2010 early vote totals by 10 percent, and the total was still grow- ing. Democrat Mary Burke is challenging Republican Gov. Scott Walker in one of the country's most closely watched elections. No party breakdown was available for early votes in the state. The early vote in Kansas was just shy of the 2010 to- tals, about 153,000 over- all. Nearly 55 percent were cast by Republicans and less than 31 percent by Demo- crats, but GOP officials pri- vately expressed nervous- ness nonetheless. Sen. Roberts isn't the only Republican with a tough fight. Gov. Sam Brownback, whose agenda has been so conservative that it sparked a rebellion within his own party, is running against Democratic challenger Paul Davis. In other developments on Friday: ___ PRESIDENT OBAMA Barack Obama, shunned by many Democratic Sen- ate candidates, cam- paigned in Rhode Island for gubernatorial con- tender Gina Raimondo as he continued a campaign tour of New England. He urged voters to support candidates who will back economic policies that ben- efit women as well as men, saying, "The idea that my daughters wouldn't have the same opportunities as somebody's sons, well that's unacceptable." A POST-ELECTION CHECKUP? Mail from Americans For Prosperity, a conser- vative group, is turning up in Arkansas, telling recip- ients their "voting record may be examined for com- pleteness" after the elec- tion. Democrats called it dishonest. Party spokes- man Patrick Burgwinkle said it showed out-of-state billionaires are determined to elect Rep. Tom Cotton over Sen. David Pryor "no matter how dishonest the tactic." IN DEBT BEFORE ANY RUNOFFS Senate Democrats are leaning on a $10 million loan they took out in early October to sustain their hopes of staying in the majority, and they face the prospect of possible run- off elections in Louisiana in December and Geor- gia in January. Even so, the Democratic Senato- rial Campaign Committee has gone into the red in each of the last three elec- tion cycles, and managed to win each time. It ended 2012 with $16 million in red ink, finished 2010 with almost $9 million in debt and wrapped up 2008 ow- ing close to $11 million. 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