Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/61364
6B Daily News – Tuesday, April 10, 2012 Special prosecutor won't take Trayvon Martin death to Fla. grand jury the Trayvon Martin case, a special prosecutor said Monday, leaving the decision of whether to charge the teen's shooter in her hands alone and eliminating the possibility of a first- degree murder charge. That prosecutor, Angela Corey, said her decision had no bearing on whether she would file charges against George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer who has said he shot the unarmed black teen in self-defense. Corey could still decide to charge him with a serious felony such as manslaughter, which can carry a lengthy prison sentence if he is convicted. ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A grand jury will not look into A grand jury had been set to meet Tuesday in Sanford, about 20 miles northeast of Orlando. Corey has long had a reputation for not using grand juries if it wasn't necessary. In Florida, only first-degree murder cases require the use of grand juries. Corey's decision means she doesn't have to rely on potentially unpredictable jurors, said David Hill, an Orlando criminal defense attorney. ''Let's give her the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she knows there isn't enough for first-degree murder but she wants to maintain control and charge him with something else,'' Hill said. ''What does she need a grand jury for? She cuts out the unpredictability of the grand jury. She goes where she feels she has more evidence.'' Corey took over the case last month after the prosecutor who normally handles cases out of Sanford recused himself. That prosecutor, Norm Wolfinger, had originally called for the case to be presented before a grand jury. ''From the moment she was assigned, Ms. Corey noted she may not need a grand jury,'' said a statement from Corey's office. WORLD BRIEFING The Obama administration expressed outrage at the vio- lence spilling over the frontiers, saying the Syrian govern- ment appeared to have little commitment to the peace plan that was negotiated by former U.N. chief Kofi Annan. The latest bloodshed was a sign of how easily Syria's neighbors could be drawn into a regional conflagration as President Bashar Assad's crackdown on a year-old uprising becomes increasingly militarized, despite desperate diplo- matic efforts. Annan brokered a deal that was supposed to begin with Syria pulling its troops out of population centers by Tuesday morning, with a full cease-fire by both sides within 48 hours. But hopes for the plan collapsed after a fresh wave of vio- lence and new demands by the regime for written guarantees that the opposition will lay down arms first. Naci Koru, Turkey's deputy foreign minister, said Tues- Popular pistol # %$ # & " $ ' $ #! SIG Sauer P226 I# 14B0&B8C &B08&9E1&(DEB0) 49 0B8&9G &9)$# I 8AB@F0)F0BC4@9@1D30" $ % "! #$ " # %& '& % day's deadline for the withdrawal has become ''void at this stage,'' state-run TRT television reported. The U.N. estimates some 9,000 people have been killed in Syria since March 2011, when the uprising began with mostly peaceful protests against Assad. But a government crackdown led many Syrians take up weapons, transforming the conflict into an insurgency. Iran's opening bid for nuclear talks: a concession that falls short of demands TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran is signaling a possible com- promise offer heading into critical talks with world powers deeply suspicious of its nuclear program: offering to scale back uranium enrichment but not abandon the ability to make nuclear fuel. #D&220B0) (@7E89 3@7)C 88 'E770DC #AB49249 8&2&H490 8@F0C'E770DC EA&CB@E9)C &B014B0) #@EB(0 # #&E0B 49 !! B&A34( 0749&%4927492 $% # ( #) 62 " (8 % Weapon of choice I$C0)'G$#!&FG #0&7C10)0B&7&209DC C0F0B&7$#CD&D0 A@74(0)0A&BD809DC 9 mm bullet I E770D(@88@97G70&) (@B009(&C0)491E77 80D&75&(60D 0 ical fallout from controversial cases. But Corey was elected by voters more than 100 miles away in the Jacksonville area, so political problems are less of an issue for Corey, Hill said. Martin was killed Feb. 26 during a confrontation with Zimmerman in a gated community in Sanford. Zimmerman has claimed self-defense, and Florida's self- Prosecutors sometimes use grand juries to avoid the polit- defense law gives wide leeway to use deadly force and elim- inates a person's duty to retreat in the face of danger. Zimmerman's attorney, Craig Sonner, said he didn't want to comment on Corey's decision. An attorney for Martin's parents said in a statement that he is not surprised by the decision to avoid the grand jury and hopes a decision is reached soon. ''The family has been patient throughout this process and asks that those who support them do the same during this very important investigation,'' said attorney Benjamin Crump. Syrian troops fire over borders with Lebanon, Turkey as cease-fire fails BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian forces opened fire across two tense borders Monday, killing a TV journalist in Lebanon and wounding at least six people in a refugee camp in Turkey on the eve of a deadline for a cease-fire plan that seems all but certain to fail. A witness at the Turkish camp said he saw two refugees killed, although that account could not be independently confirmed. The proposal — floated by the country's nuclear chief as part of the early parrying in various capitals before negotia- tions get under way Friday — suggested that sanctions-bat- tered Iran is ready to bargain. But this gambit, at least, appeared to fall short of Western demands that Iran hand over its most potent nuclear materi- al and ease a standoff that has rattled nerves and spooked markets with seesaw oil prices and threats of Israeli military strikes. ''It is important for Iran to understand that the window is closing and that these talks are an opportunity,'' White House press secretary Jay Carney said Monday. ''The deci- sion rests with Iran.'' The talks involving Iran and the five permanent U.N. Security Council nations plus Germany, to be held in Istan- bul, are the first direct negotiations on Tehran's nuclear pro- gram since a swift collapse more than 14 months ago. Despite far-reaching complexities, the dispute effectively boils down to one issue: Iran's stated refusal to close down its uranium enrichment labs. For Iran, uranium enrichment is a proud symbol of its scientific advances and technological self-sufficiency. Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, called the nuclear pro- gram on Sunday ''a locomotive'' for other showcase projects such as Iran's space effort. make fuel for reactors could also eventually churn out weapons-grade material. Iran has repeatedly insisted that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only. The ideas put forth late Sunday by the nuclear chief, Fer- eidoun Abbasi, are an attempt to at least acknowledge this huge divide. The U.S. and its allies contend that the same sites that Scientists predict payoff from $1 billion worth of autism Across Syria, activists reported particularly heavy vio- lence with more than 125 people killed in the past two days. research; new drugs possible ATLANTA (AP) — More than $1 billion has been spent over the past decade researching autism. In some ways, the search for its causes looks like a long-running fishing expe- dition, with a focus on everything from genetics to the age of the father, the weight of the mother, and how close a child lives to a freeway. they are seeing the beginning of a wave of scientific reports that should strengthen some theories, jettison others and per- haps even herald new drugs. ''I do think over the next three to five years we'll be able to paint a much clearer picture of how genes and environ- mental factors combine'' to cause autism, said Geraldine Dawson, a psychologist who is chief science officer for the advocacy group Autism Speaks. The effort has been infused with new urgency by a recent federal report that found autism disorders are far more com- mon than was previously understood, affecting 1 in 88 U.S. children. Better diagnosis is largely responsible for the new estimate, but health officials said there may actually be more cases of autism, too. If autism's causes remain a mystery, ''you're not going to be able to stop this increase,'' said Irva Hertz-Picciotto, a researcher at the University of California, Davis who is lead- ing a closely watched study into what sparks autism disor- ders. That perception may soon change. Some in the field say of Hudson relatives CHICAGO (AP) — A judge and attorneys began ques- tioning dozens of potential jurors Monday at the Chicago trial of the man accused of killing singer and Oscar-win- ning actress Jennifer Hudson's mother, brother and nephew. Jurors questioned, seated in Chicago trial of man accused %$( ) " & Selecting 12 jurors and six alternates able to set aside sympathy for the Hollywood star and assess William Bal- four's guilt or innocence based only on evidence present- ed in court was expected to pose its challenges, but nine panelists already had been seated by Monday afternoon. Judge Charles Burns and attorneys had questioned 24 of the 150 prospective jurors one-by-one for four straight hours before taking their first break. Burns is looking to weed out anyone who might be swayed by the 30-year-old Hudson's celebrity, though he's unlikely to automatically exclude Hudson fans if they can convince him biases won't affect their deliberations. Jury questionnaires asked several questions about Hud- son, but the judge didn't dwell on the issue of celebrity in the one-on-one questioning. Defense attorneys asked one woman who works as a physical therapist about ''American Idol.'' She said she watched the television show the year Hudson appeared but that wouldn't affect her ability to be fair to the defendant. DONATE YOUR VACATION newspaper dollars to the Newspaper In Education Program Support our classrooms, keep kids reading. HELP OUR CHILDREN DAILYNEWS For more details call Circulation Department (530) 527-2151 RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N T Y S I N C E 1 8 8 5 PHONE: (530) 527-2151 FAX: (530) 527-5774 545 Diamond Avenue • P.O. Box 220 • Red Bluff, CA 96080 " (8