Rescuers discover body of man at garage collapse

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- Rescue crews on Saturday found the body of a construction worker who was missing since the collapse of a seven-story parking garage that killed two others.

The workers were killed when the floors of the unfinished garage crashed down Friday afternoon. Another was hospitalized in critical condition, but Montgomery County fire spokesman Pete Piringer said the worker's condition had stabilized.

The body of Jose Ramirez, of Raleigh, N.C., was found shortly after 3 p.m., said county police spokesman Derek Baliles. He was part of a work team on a 15-day assignment from North Carolina.

The body was taken to the State Medical Examiner's Office in Baltimore.

Carl Gene Fisher, of Wadesboro, N.C., and Hubaldo Medina Andrade, of Chapel Hill, N.C., also were killed in the collapse.

California's largest HMO agrees to pay $1 million

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- California's biggest HMO, Kaiser Permanente, has agreed to pay a $1 million fine, the largest in state history against a full-service health plan.

The fine involved the 1996 death of a Medicare client who called Kaiser when she experienced abdominal pain, then waited hours for treatment in an emergency room, according to the complaint. While she waited, an aneurysm or ballooning in her aorta burst, killing her.

The HMO had contested the fine by the state Department of Managed Care, filing a federal court complaint arguing that Medicare members are subject to federal law, not state.

A judge ruled in favor of the department. Kaiser's agreement to pay the fine was made public Friday.

Appeals court judge criticizes Supreme Court

WASHINGTON -- An appeals court judge accused the country's highest court on Saturday of ignoring the Constitution, dodging tough cases and awaiting an opportunity to strike down the death penalty.

Judge Laurence H. Silberman, a semiretired judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, used a speech at the conservative legal group the Federalist Society for the unusually harsh criticism of the Supreme Court.

"The court's policy choices masquerading as constitutional law are generally accepted so long as they are well received by elites. Ironically, the Supreme Court has become what the (Constitution) framers envisioned for the role of the Senate," Silberman said.

Silberman was appointed to the bench by President Reagan in 1985.

Enron exec who warned of financial errors resigns

HOUSTON -- Enron Corp. executive Sherron Watkins has resigned, 15 months after sending memos warning then-chairman Kenneth Lay that improper accounting could cause the company to "implode in a wave of accounting scandals."

Watkins, a vice president of corporate development at Enron, resigned voluntarily, a company spokesman said.

In January, a congressional committee revealed that Watkins had written the memos to Lay in August 2001. The company filed for bankruptcy Dec. 2 after revelations about years of inflated profits and hidden debt.

Watkins, 43, plans to start a consulting business focused on corporate compliance issues, her attorney said Friday.

--From wire reports