HOUSTON – Jurors in the fraud and conspiracy trial against former Enron Corp. chiefs Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling got a taste Wednesday of the self-congratulatory culture that permeated the company months before it collapsed in scandal and bankruptcy. Lay and Skilling occasionally headlined employee meetings during the company’s halcyon …
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HOUSTON – Andrea Yates once advised a fellow inmate that she could escape prosecution by pretending to be mentally ill and persuading a psychiatrist she suffered from serious disorders, according to court documents filed Thursday by prosecutors. Felicia Doe, who spent four days in a jail block with Yates in …
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BOLIGEE, Ala. – Gov. Bob Riley said Wednesday that the nine church fires in rural Alabama during the past week appear linked, as investigators checked out witness reports of two men in a sport-utility vehicle near a number of the fires. Authorities have ruled arson in five Baptist church fires …
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BAGHDAD, Iraq – Radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr returned to Iraq on Sunday, cutting short a regional tour following the bombing of a holy Shiite shrine that triggered a deadly wave of sectarian violence, aides said. Al-Sadr arrived in the southern Iraqi province of Basra from neighboring Iran, said Amer …
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WASHINGTON – Unions representing six million workers planned to rally Wednesday in 35 cities from New York to Los Angeles to protest what they called inadequate health care coverage by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT), the nation’s largest employer. The Change to Win labor federation of seven unions, including two that …
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NEW YORK – Cendant Corp. (CD) has received unsolicited offers for its Travel Distribution Services division, which includes the Orbitz Web site and other businesses, and said Monday it will consider selling the unit instead of spinning it off. The spinoff of the travel unit was expected to occur in …
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The lieutenant governor and the mayor of Los Angeles, both Hispanic Democrats, have received threats amid a national debate over immigration policy, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Monday. Schwarzenegger told reporters about the threats against Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante during a news conference in …
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HONOLULU – “Lost” actress Michelle Rodriguez pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a single count of driving under the influence, choosing to pay a $500 fine and spend five days in jail rather than do 240 hours of community service. Rodriguez, who portrays police officer Ana Lucia, and cast member Cynthia …
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PORTSMOUTH, N.H. – A congressional hopeful who crashed his car and got lost in the woods for more than a day was released Friday from the hospital where he was treated for a concussion, frostbite and other injuries. “This has been a great ordeal I’ve gone through. I’m thankful to …
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BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Nelly and a freelance photographer who claimed he was roughed up by the rapper’s bodyguard have reached a settlement, according to the photographer’s lawyer. Nelly has agreed to pay $20,000 to settle the claim by Jerry Livingston, who was taking photos of the April 12, 2005, concert, …
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