Nation briefs 3/17/05

Iowa strictly limits access to medicine used in meth

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Iowa lawmakers Wednesday approved a measure placing new restrictions on access to pseudoephedrine, an ingredient in common cold medicine that's also used in the production of the highly addictive drug methamphetamine. Under the measure, retail stores would be able to sell each customer only a single package of liquid gel capsules or liquid medicine containing pseudoephedrine.

Nuclear waste documents may have been falsified

WASHINGTON -- Government employees may have falsified documents related to the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste project in Nevada, the Energy Department said Wednesday. The disclosure could jeopardize the project's ability to get a federal permit to operate the dump. During preparation for a license application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the department said it found a number of e-mails from 1998 to 2000 where an employee of U.S. Geological Survey "indicated that he had fabricated documentation of his work."

Scott Peterson gets death for slayings

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- A judge formally sentenced Scott Peterson to death Wednesday after family members got into a shouting match and Laci Peterson's mother sobbed as she called her son-in-law "an evil murderer." Judge Alfred A. Delucchi allowed only Laci's family members to speak at the hearing after indicating he believed the death penalty was warranted. Scott Peterson, 32, was invited to make a statement.

Schiavo's feeding tube to be removed Friday

TAMPA, Fla. -- A state appeals court Wednesday refused to block the removal of Terri Schiavo's feeding tube later this week, shifting the focus in the right-to-die dispute to the legislature. The 2nd District Court of Appeal in Lakeland turned down a request by Bob and Mary Schindler for a delay while they pursue further appeals, and for a new trial on their daughter's fate. The tube is scheduled to be removed on Friday at 1 p.m.

Soldier apologizes for forcing Iraqis into river

FORT HOOD, Texas -- An Army platoon leader apologized for his role in forcing three Iraqi civilians into the Tigris River, saying his poor decisions "adversely affected U.S.-Iraqi trust during critical times of reconstruction." Army 1st Lt. Jack Saville, 25, was sentenced to 45 days in a military prison Tuesday as well as ordered to forfeit $2,000 of his $2,970 monthly pay for six months.

Dance floor scuffle leads to freeway shooting

DALLAS -- A scuffle on the dance floor of a crowded college bar apparently spilled out onto a freeway intersection a few hours later, with a motorist opening fire on a car and killing three people. University Park police Capt. Robert Brown said the shooter waited for the other party to leave the bar, and then followed in a Jaguar and shot at the other vehicle with an assault weapon.

Women's X chromosomes work harder than men's

Women get more work out of hundreds of genes on the X chromosome than men do, and that could help explain biological differences between the sexes, a new study says. The results imply that women make higher doses of certain proteins than men do, which could play out in gender differences in both normal life and disease. The analysis is in today's issue of the journal Nature.