Nation digest 02/28/04

U.S. pays most of reward for Saddam's two sons

WASHINGTON -- The United States has paid the bulk of $30 million in reward money to the informant who led U.S. troops to the hideout of Saddam Hussein's two sons last July, the State Department said Friday. The tipster, who was not identified, and his or her family have been relocated. The brothers, Odai and Qusai, were killed in July by U.S. troops who fired TOW missiles into a villa in the northern city of Mosul. Julie Reside, a State Department spokeswoman, said the informant who provided information on the sons' whereabouts was paid the bulk of the reward in the last few days. She did not say how much money the informant received.

Audit finds poor records of space station problems

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA is doing a poor job keeping track of breakdowns and other problems aboard the international space station, an internal audit released Friday found. The post-Columbia safety review also found that the space agency has failed to maintain a complete set of blueprints of space station equipment, and that many documents, agreements and instructions are outdated and filled with inconsistencies. The 172-page report offered no examples of any breakdowns or other problems that are not being adequately tracked.

Police probe why bomb victim was targeted

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Investigators in the case of a mail bombing that wounded the city's diversity director were trying to find out Friday whether he was singled out because of his job. The bomb went off Thursday when Don Logan opened a notebook-size package. It blew a hole the size of a basketball in his desk. Logan was listed in fair condition Friday with hand and forearm injuries. His secretary and another worker were also hurt. The package was addressed to Logan, who serves as an ombudsman for city employees and citizens on diversity issues, including racial and sex discrimination.

IRS: This year's average tax refund up nearly $100

WASHINGTON -- The first batch of checks mailed from the Internal Revenue Service this year showed the average tax refund climbed $97 compared to those issued at the same time last year, according to figures released Friday. Refunds mailed so far this year average $2,292, a 4.5 percent increase over refunds mailed at the same time in 2003. Tax refunds tend to be higher during the first weeks of the tax filing season, when taxpayers expecting checks hurry to file their returns.

Ex-student pleads guilty in '02 law school slayings

GRUNDY, Va. -- In a deal with prosecutors to spare his life, a onetime Appalachian Law School student pleaded guilty Friday to killing the school's dean, a professor and a student in a January 2002 shooting rampage. Peter Odighizuwa burst into tears as he was sentenced to six consecutive life terms plus 28 years. Odighizuwa, 45, admitted to the slayings as part of a plea agreement to avoid a death sentence. He had been diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic but was found mentally competent to stand trial.

Michael Jackson stopped after shopping in mask

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. -- Michael Jackson was pulled over by police Tuesday and asked to identify himself after shopping at a Wal-Mart while wearing a ski mask. Authorities asked Jackson to identify himself, which he did by removing his mask. "There were no problems, and that was it," police Lt. Bill Kimminau said. The singer, who is facing child molestation charges in California, is known to wear disguises when in public.

Singer Bobby Brown to serve 60 days in jail

ATLANTA -- Bobby Brown, arrested two months ago for allegedly striking wife Whitney Houston, was sentenced to 60 days in jail Friday for violating his probation. Brown was more than halfway through a two-year probation stint passed down in January 2003 after he pleaded guilty to a 1996 drunken driving charge. The 35-year-old R&B singer had been accused of five violations including the December misdemeanor battery charge against Houston.

-- From wire reports