Nation digest 05/07/03

Retailer Kmart officially emerges from bankruptcy

TROY, Mich. -- Kmart Corp. emerged from bankruptcy Tuesday after more than 15 months of Chapter 11 protection.

The Troy-based retailer has 600 fewer stores and new leadership since filing for protection from its creditors in early 2002. It also has a $2 billion loan to compete against bigger retailers like Wal-Mart and Target.

Company spokesman Jack Ferry confirmed the emergence from bankruptcy had been completed. The company's reorganization plan had been approved by a federal bankruptcy judge April 21.

Investor Edward Lampert's company, ESL Investments, is converting $2 billion in financial claims against Kmart into stock and will own a 49 percent stake in the company.

Kmart entered bankruptcy Jan. 22, 2002, after a poor holiday selling season and a reputation for having cluttered stores and items out of stock. It had 2,114 stores at the time, but now has about 1,500.

State warns taking pieces of N.H. icon illegal

FRANCONIA NOTCH, N.H. -- Police and parks employees are keeping watch on the site where the Old Man of the Mountain crumbled, and warning people that taking fractured pieces of the granite profile is against state law.

The warning against theft came after word that rocks reported to be from the debris field, or near it, had turned up for sale on eBay. Several eBay auctions offering pieces of rock were shut down Monday and police are investigating.

"They ain't selling my grandfather on eBay," said Franconia police officer Bruce McKay. "An investigation has been opened and continues."

The 700-ton natural formation was just a pile of rocks after breaking loose from its 1,200-foot-high mountainside perch sometime late last week.

Death connected to poisonings ruled suicide

PORTLAND, Maine -- The shooting death of a man believed responsible for the arsenic poisonings that killed one churchgoer and sickened 15 others has been ruled a suicide, state police said Tuesday.

Daniel Bondeson, 53, died a gunshot wound to the chest Friday.

Investigators quickly linked him to the April 27 arsenic poisonings at a church in New Sweden, in far northern Maine, and a spokesman has said Bondeson was at least partially responsible.

Police said he left a suicide note but did not disclose the contents.

Arsenic-laced coffee killed 78-year-old Walter Morrill and sickened 15 others, at least three of whom remained in critical condition Tuesday.

Amtrak train rams truck in Georgia, killing driver

HINESVILLE, Ga. -- An Amtrak train rammed a lumber truck at a dirt-road crossing in southeast Georgia on Tuesday, killing the truck driver and critically injuring the train engineer.

The six-wheel lumber truck pulled in front of the train at 7:25 a.m. in Liberty County, east of Hinesville, Georgia State Patrol spokesman Gordy Wright said. The locomotive and all 10 cars left the track, but they remained upright.

Train No. 91, known as the Silver Star, was traveling from New York to Miami with about 150 passengers and 14 crew members.

Twenty-three people aboard were injured, including the engineer, Amtrak said.

-- From wire reports