- The Daily Utah Chronicle

Legislators Target Spam, Junk Mail

March 4, 2002

SALT LAKE CITY?Junk email will be easier to spot, and easier to get rid of, under a bill approved by the Utah Legislature Monday. The law targets mass emailings, also called spam. The House concurred Monday on minor changes made to the bill in the Senate.

Onion to Become New State Veggie

March 4, 2002

SALT LAKE CITY?Utah lawmakers have decided the state should have two official vegetables. Utah representatives on Monday designated the Spanish sweet onion the state's modern vegetable of Utah and the sugar beet the "historic state vegetable.'' The vote was 56-15.

CA Clergy Purged of Sex Offenders

March 4, 2002

LOS ANGELES?Up to a dozen Roman Catholic priests in Southern California have been ordered to retire in a sex abuse scandal that has dioceses around the country under pressure to clean house. None of the priests in the Los Angeles Archdiocese are believed to be involved in recent cases of sexual abuse involving minors, according to a report Monday in the Los Angeles Times.

Helicopter Crash Tolls Highest U.S. Casualties

March 4, 2002

WASHINGTON?As many as nine Americans were killed and an unknown number wounded when their helicopter was shot down over eastern Afghanistan in intense fighting that caused the worst U.S. casualties of the 5-month-old war, Pentagon officials said Monday. It was not clear how many of the soldiers died in the crash and how many were killed by small-arms fire during fighting that broke out after the crash, said Pentagon spokeswoman Victoria Clarke.

Earthquake Kills Over 100 Afghans

March 4, 2002

ZOW, Afghanistan?A powerful earthquake sent a cliff tumbling onto a village in northern Afghanistan, crushing houses and killing at least 100 people, officials said Monday. The 7.2-magnitude quake struck Sunday afternoon, rattling buildings across six countries of Central and South Asia.

Civilians Killed in Israeli Retaliation

March 4, 2002

RAMALLAH, West Bank?Israel retaliated Monday for Palestinian shootings and bombings, killing 16 Palestinians including the wife and three children of an Islamic militant leader and a doctor whose ambulance was hit during rescue efforts. Israel's security Cabinet decided late Sunday to intensify military strikes after 22 Israelis were killed in four weekend attacks by Palestinian militants.

Cubans Buy $32M in American Food

By , , and • March 4, 2002

HAVANA?The Cuban government has signed a new round of contracts to buy $32 million of food from American agricultural firms, a trade group said Monday?a move sure to whet the appetites of U.S. food companies eager to increase their sales to the island. Cuba last year agreed to buy $35 million in American food to replenish its reserves after Hurricane Michelle battered the island in early November.

U Student Becomes 1st Ms. Vietnam Universe

By By Adam Benson • March 4, 2002

Cindy Donguyen is the queen of the First Annual Ms. Vietnam Free-World Universe pageant, held Feb. 23 in Mississippi. The pageant was Donguyen's first-ever competition, and nobody was more surprised at her victory than Donguyen herself. "I didn't know I won at first," she said.

Real Debate Over Hate Crime Bill Is Impossible

By , , and • March 4, 2002

Last Wednesday, the Utah Senate voted for the umpteenth time to table a bill that would increase penalties for hate crimes. With hope, the bill, which hung like a blunt object over Utah's collective head in every legislative session since 1997, has met final defeat.

LGBT Resource Center Gets Adviser

March 4, 2002

Less than two weeks ago, Alabama's Chief Justice Roy Moore made anti-gay remarks in a custody battle involving a lesbian mother. He called homosexuality "abhorrent, detestable and evil." In his official opinion, he also said, "if a person openly engages in such practices, that fact alone renders him or her an unfit parent.