Texas man gets nights in doghouse for abuse

ORANGE, Texas -- A man accused of mistreating his 11-year-old stepson was ordered Thursday to spend 30 nights in a doghouse.

Prosecutors said Curtis Lee Robin whipped Zachary Weiger with a car antenna, made him sleep in a doghouse and chop wood as punishment.

The boy later recanted the doghouse allegation, and Robin denied making him sleep outdoors. But Robin did not dispute the other claims.

He accepted a plea bargain that gave him a choice of 30 days in jail or 30 nights in a doghouse. He chose the doghouse so that he could continue to work as a foreman at a demolition company.

Robin was to spend his first night in the 2-by-3-foot state-supplied doghouse in his front yard on Thursday. Rain was forecast.

His attorneys argued he needed a bigger doghouse, a sleeping bag and mosquito netting. Judge Buddie Hahn said the state would provide a doghouse about the same size as the one the boy once claimed to have slept in.

Robin is allowed to sleep with either his head or feet outside, since he cannot fit all the way into the doghouse. A police officer will patrol his home periodically each night to ensure he serves his sentence.

Marker in blood may show colon cancer risk

WASHINGTON -- Researchers have found a biological marker that may lead to a simple blood test to screen for colon cancer, possibly replacing some invasive techniques now used to check for the killer disease.

A subtle molecular change that switches on a usually inactive gene has been linked by researchers at Johns Hopkins University to an increased risk of developing colon cancer.

The molecular change can be detected in a blood test and could one day be used routinely to predict a patient's chances of developing colon cancer, said Dr. Andrew P. Feinberg, senior author of the study appearing today in the journal Science.

Colon cancer is the third most deadly cancer in America. Each year about 148,000 new cases are diagnosed and about 56,000 people die from the disease. It is considered one of the most curable of the serious cancers because its early stages can be detected with a colonoscopy.

Shuttle leader's widow backs Columbia probe

NEW YORK -- The widow of the space shuttle Columbia's commander said Thursday that she strongly supports continued space exploration and believes investigators will find the cause of the accident.

"I think space travel is incredibly important to our country. There are certain risks and Rick accepted it, and so do I," said Evelyn Husband, wife of Rick Husband, who piloted Columbia on its final flight.

On the search for the disaster's cause, Husband said, government experts "are incredibly thorough and determined to find what went wrong...I feel strongly that it was not negligence. It's not a perfect world."

She said her grief would have been unbearable the past six weeks without faith in God, along with support from friends at NASA and Houston's Grace Community Church, where the Husbands and the family of Columbia crew mate Michael Anderson attend services.

Phone bill follows man to his cemetery address

AUBURN, Mass. -- A man's phone bill has followed him to his grave.

A local cemetery received a phone bill last week for David Towles at his correct address -- Hillside Cemetery, Evergreen Section, Auburn, Mass. 01501.

Towles was buried there in December 1997. He died at age 60.

Cemetery superintendent Wayne Bloomquist said he was surprised to see the Sprint bill for 12 cents, including 10 cents for a call placed on Feb. 16, five years after Towles died.

"Our clients here don't usually get mail," he said. "I wondered if maybe we should start putting mailboxes on the monuments."

A call to Sprint's automated service on March 6 showed that charges on the unpaid account had inflated Towles' bill to $3.95.

--From wire reports