Nation Digest
Ramsey case DNA sample sent to FBI investigators

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DENVER — A sample of male DNA found on JonBenet Ramsey's underwear has been submitted to FBI investigators seven years after the 6-year-old was slain in her parents' home, the family attorney said yesterday.

"The Ramseys have a lot of hope that the DNA will solve the case," said their lawyer, L. Lin Wood.

The DNA sample was taken from two drops of blood on the garment, which has been in storage with authorities since the investigation began into the child's slaying.

JonBenet, a competitor in child beauty contests, was found beaten and strangled in the basement of her parents' Boulder home on Dec. 26, 1996.

Previous DNA tests on the blood indicated it was from a male who was not a member of the Ramsey family. The DNA sample at the time wasn't of a high enough quality to compare against a national databank of DNA, the attorney said.

Within the past few months, the Boulder District Attorney's Office was able to get a high-quality sample of DNA from the garment to send to the FBI, Wood said.

Co-pilot's colorblindness linked to FedEx plane crash

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A FedEx plane crash last year may have been caused by a colorblind co-pilot's difficulty in seeing red warning lights, federal investigators say.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating whether William Frye failed to see red runway lights that indicated the cargo jet was dangerously low, the St. Petersburg Times reported yesterday.

The Boeing 727 crashed and burned one-half mile short of the runway at the Tallahassee airport in July 2002 as it was coming in for a landing from Memphis, Tenn. Its three-member crew escaped serious injury. The crash destroyed last-minute qualifying paperwork for several Florida legislative races.

Rockfall at Yosemite Valley injures 4 visitors, buildings

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. — An early-morning rockfall over lodging in the Yosemite Valley injured four visitors and damaged at least six structures yesterday.

Park officials said the fall occurred about 12:50 a.m. from a cliff below Glacier Point, one of the valley's most popular scenic vistas.

The rocks fell onto Curry Village, which has about 630 visitor cabins and duplexes, not including employee-housing units, said Deb Collins, a spokeswoman for the concessionaire that runs the village.

Emergency water landing in Pacific fails; pilot killed

SAN FRANCISCO — A pilot on a solo flight from Hawaii to California died yesterday when his small airplane plunged into the Pacific Ocean during an emergency water-landing attempt, the Coast Guard said.

Three Air Force parajumpers attempted a rescue in chilly waters about 300 miles off the coast of Monterey, but found the body of Kelvin Stark of New Zealand in the submerged cockpit of his overturned single-engine PAC 750XL, said Veronica Bandrowsky, a Coast Guard spokeswoman.

Stark had attempted a water landing yesterday morning after reporting that he didn't have enough fuel to make land, Coast Guard Lt. Geoff Borree said. An airborne Coast Guard crew that coached him through the landing via radio watched and waited to drop him a raft, Borree said.

Actor, 2, seeks compensation after fall requires stitches

STAMFORD, Conn. — A 2-year-old model and actor who cut his head at a playground is seeking unspecified lost wages and other compensation from the city.

Konrad Mader of Greenwich was running at a playground Nov. 4 when he crashed into a railing, The Advocate of Stamford reported yesterday. The boy received several stitches.

Deena Mader, the boy's mother, demanded compensation for "lost wage amount due to his inability to audition or take modeling or commercial jobs while his head heals."

Bush driven to Texas ranch after fog keeps copter down

CRAWFORD, Texas — President Bush began the second leg of his Christmas vacation yesterday.

Bush left Camp David and flew to Waco, Texas. His plan to fly by helicopter to his ranch in Crawford was thwarted by fog and drizzle, however, forcing him to travel in a motorcade and delaying his arrival by an hour.

Bush plans no public appearances until he returns to Washington, D.C., on the weekend after New Year's Day.

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