Nation briefs 4/8/03

Families to build memorial for Columbine victims

LITTLETON, Colo. -- Families of the 13 people gunned down in the Columbine High School massacre unveiled plans for a memorial Monday that will be built not far from the school itself.

The $3 million memorial will be located in Clement Park, next to the school, and each parent is helping to design an individual memorial to their child, the families said during a news conference.

Parents hope construction can be completed in time for the fifth anniversary of the attack next year.

"The appropriate way to honor them, remember them and pass on their stories is through a permanent memorial that shares some details about their individual lives," said Bob Curnow, whose son, Steven, was killed in the 1999 attack.

Teenagers Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold stormed the suburban high school with guns and pipe bombs. They gunned down a teacher and 12 fellow students before killing themselves in the school library.

Mob boss ends insanity ruse, pleads guiltyNEW YORK -- Mob boss Vincent "The Chin" Gigante admitted Monday that his bathrobe-clad jaunts through Greenwich Village and other bizarre behavior were an act to avoid prison. Then he revealed a glimpse of something long hidden: his personality.

The Genovese family boss entered a guilty plea on obstruction of justice charges and then publicly dropped his "Oddfather" persona for the first time in decades. Gigante chatted amiably with his son, Andrew. He shook hands with defense lawyers and sipped water at a table in federal court.

He was animated and responsive, laughing at one point.

Looking pleased and quite rational, Gigante gave federal judge I. Leo Glasser a broad wave before leaving the courtroom.

Gigante's previous court appearances found him staring blankly at the floor or into space. The 75-year-old was sentenced to three years in prison for obstruction of justice -- deliberately misleading doctors about his ability to stand trial.

Colorado court overturns workers' compensation fee

DENVER -- Poor workers facing revocation of disability benefits should not be forced to pay a state fee when seeking a second doctor's opinion, the state Supreme Court ruled Monday.

Workers who cannot afford the $675 fee are denied their rights because they can't appeal the rulings of employer-appointed doctors, the court said.

Under state law, employers select a doctor to make an initial decision whether to end disability benefits. Workers wishing to appeal through an independent doctor must pay the fee.

The court ruled the fee unconstitutional, and said the state must waive it for poor workers or set up a system that guarantees their right to appeal.

The court said that second opinions are necessary because employer-selected doctors could favor employers. In 1999 and 2000, nearly one-third of cases where employer-appointed doctors cut or reduced benefits were reversed by an independent doctor.

University of Texas school gets Watergate papers

AUSTIN, Texas -- The Watergate papers of Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, including those identifying "Deep Throat," will be housed at the University of Texas at Austin in a $5 million deal announced Monday.

The university said it is paying Woodward and Bernstein $5 million to archive the documents, enough to fill about 75 file boxes, at its Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center. The men will split the money, being donated by several foundations and individuals.

The center will preserve the papers, including notebooks, assorted pieces of paper and photographs, and make them available for study.

The vast majority of the documents will be available to the public within a year, said Thomas Staley, director of the Ransom center. But documents naming "Deep Throat" and up to several dozen other unidentified sources will be kept confidential until their deaths.

-- From wire reports