Nation digest 11/02/02

Soldier missing from base in Cuba declared dead

LOGAN, Ohio -- A soldier missing from Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba was declared dead, but his family still hopes to find him alive, his mother said Friday.

"We just don't feel that the Army is looking hard enough. ... As far as we're concerned, he's been taken by somebody," said Ann Foraker, mother of Staff Sgt. Ryan Foraker.

Ryan Foraker, 31, has been missing since Sept. 24 from Camp Delta, where 598 detainees accused of links to the Taliban or al-Qaida are held.

The military suspects he climbed down nearby cliffs overlooking the sea and drowned.

October jobless rate climbs amid job cuts

WASHINGTON -- The nation's unemployment rate climbed to 5.7 percent in October as businesses slashed payrolls for a second straight month.

Last month's jobless rate increased from 5.6 percent in September, and businesses cut 5,000 jobs after shedding a revised 13,000 the previous month, the Labor Department reported. The payroll cuts broke a four-month string of job gains earlier this year that had revived economists' hopes that businesses were posting "help wanted" signs once again.

Virus that sickened hikers linked to sewage

PHOENIX -- Health officials at the Grand Canyon say they're figuring out ways to prevent future outbreaks of a flu-like virus that affected dozens of hikers and rafters this summer.

A report released this week revealed water from a sewage treatment plant at Glen Canyon Dam tested positive for the disease. The virus was also found downstream in the Lees Ferry area.

Since May, more than 130 Grand Canyon hikers and rafters have come down with the disease, which causes vomiting and diarrhea and lasts one to two days. The rafting industry serves thousands of people each summer.

Sex offenders off streets during trick-or-treating

NORFOLK, Va. -- Thanks to their parole officers, more than 200 sex offenders were kept away from children during Halloween trick-or-treating hours.

Sex offenders in Norfolk and Virginia Beach were ordered to spend 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday in parole and probation offices.

"It's better to prevent a possible crime than to apprehend someone afterward," said Christopher F. Pate, chief probation and parole officer in Norfolk.

Many sex offenders said they understood why they were told to stay off the streets. Others said they felt that the program protected them from being falsely accused.

Teenagers pelt police cars with eggs, bottles

EAST AURORA, N.Y. -- Apparently incited by a flier handed out at a high school, as many as 200 teenagers pelted police cars with eggs, bottles and rocks on Halloween night, police said.

Seventeen people ages 15 to 18 were arrested for disorderly conduct, and three also faced more serious charges, police Lt. Ron Krowka said Friday.

The flyer urged youths to "join together and revolt against the police that have abused their powers for years," Krowka said.

Teachers, students skip class in struggling district

FRESNO, Calif. -- Teachers skipped school and most students stayed home Friday as an insolvent school district struggled to remain open after failing to pay employees.

Only about 10 percent of the West Fresno School District's 1,000 students and 59 teachers came to school, and no instruction was planned, said a spokesman for the California Teachers Association.

The chaos came a day after the district's elected board failed to decide whether to cede control to the county in exchange for the cash needed to meet its payroll.

County schools chief Pete Mehas estimated the district's debt at $220,000.

"I've never ever dealt with a more dysfunctional, inept, incompetent, irresponsible board," Mehas said.

-- From wire reports