Nation digest 11/23/04

Jet crashes on way to pick up former president

HOUSTON -- A private jet that was en route to Houston to pick up former President Bush clipped a light pole and crashed Monday as it approached Hobby Airport in thick fog, killing all three people aboard. The Gulfstream G-1159A jet, coming into Houston, went down about 6:15 a.m. in an undeveloped area 1 1/2 miles south of the airport, officials said. The former president had been scheduled to travel to Ecuador for a conference. The National Transportation Safety Board said the "black box" flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder had been recovered, and appeared to be in good enough shape to read the data.

New jury disallowed in Laci Peterson case

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- The judge in the Scott Peterson trial Monday rejected a defense request to move the case to another community and pick a new jury to decide whether Peterson should get the death penalty for killing his pregnant wife. Judge Alfred A. Delucci also delayed the start of the penalty phase, which had been set for Monday, until Nov. 30 to allow the two sides time to exchange evidence. Peterson was found guilty Nov. 12 of murdering his wife, Laci, and the fetus she was carrying. He could get the death penalty or life in prison without parole.

LA's cardinal will be questioned in abuse case

LOS ANGELES -- Cardinal Roger Mahony, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Los Angeles, will be deposed today in clergy sex abuse lawsuits that date to his time in three Northern California dioceses, according to a source close to the litigation. Attorneys for alleged abuse victims are expected to question Mahony all day, according to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The deposition transcript could become public next month, unless Mahony's attorneys object in court. Mahony will be questioned about his handling of former Stockton priest Oliver Francis O'Grady, who pleaded guilty to child molestation in 1993. Mahony was bishop in Stockton from 1980 to 1985, during part of O'Grady's tenure there.

Rain hit Texas; one death blamed on high water

HOUSTON -- Heavy rain Monday in the San Antonio and Austin areas flooded streets, stranded cars and closed roads. Rising creeks and streams also threatened some homes, forcing residents to move to higher ground. San Antonio police reported one death, after a vehicle was swept from a roadway. Gov. Rick Perry authorized use of three Texas National Guard UH-60 helicopters for search and rescue operations.

Baby dies after mother reports cutting off arms

PLANO, Texas -- A mother cut off the arms of her baby daughter Monday, then called 911 and waited calmly until authorities arrived, police said. Dena Schlosser, 35, was charged with murder after the nearly 11-month-old girl died at a hospital in Plano, a Dallas suburb. Child-protective authorities said she had a history of post-partum depression. Schlosser lived at the apartment with other family members, including her two older daughters. Police said the girls, ages 6 and 9, were not home when they arrived.

Number of marine species now at about 230,000

WASHINGTON -- Marine scientists say they have discovered 178 new species of fish and hundreds more new species of plants and other animals in the past year, raising the number of life-forms found in the world's oceans to about 230,000. Discoveries being made public today include a gold-speckled and red-striped goby fish, found in Guam's waters, that somehow lives in partnership with a snapping shrimp at its tail. While the goby stands sentinel, the shrimps digs a burrow that both use for shelter.

-- From wire reports