Nation Digest
FCC, Clear Channel settle over complaints

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The Federal Communications Commission's deal with Clear Channel Communications is the latest example of federal regulators' increased enforcement of indecency standards.

The amount narrowly tops the $1.7 million that Infinity Broadcasting paid in 1995 for indecency violations by Stern, the shock jock whose New York City-based radio show features sexually explicit talk and off-color humor.

Stern has railed against the FCC, saying that its crackdown on indecency threatens free-speech rights and that he has been targeted because of his opposition to President Bush.

Washington
Reagan dignitaries flee over plane fears

Lawmakers, dignitaries and mourners preparing for former President Reagan's funeral ceremony raced from the Capitol yesterday after police feared an airplane was headed for the building.

Within minutes, authorities determined the small plane was carrying Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher to the funeral and had lost its radio transmission after flying into restricted airspace around Washington, D.C. Two F-15 fighter jets intercepted the plane.

The building was reopened about an hour before the procession began bringing Reagan's body to the Capitol Rotunda.

Fairfax, Va.
Convicted sniper to face second trial

Convicted sniper John Allen Muhammad, already on death row for his role in a killing spree that left 10 people dead in the Washington, D.C., area, will face a second death-penalty prosecution beginning this month.

Fairfax County officials said yesterday that Muhammad will be arraigned June 22 on capital murder charges stemming from the slaying of FBI analyst Linda Franklin outside a Home Depot on Oct. 14, 2002.
 
Muhammad earlier was convicted in another Virginia county and sentenced to death for the Oct. 9, 2002, murder of Dean Harold Meyers near Manassas. The conviction is being appealed.

Fairfax Commonwealth's Attorney Robert Horan Jr. has said he wants to put Muhammad on trial again as insurance in case Muhammad's original conviction is overturned. Muhammad's defense lawyers have said a second trial is mere "bloodlust" and should be delayed until appeals are resolved in the initial case.

Washington
Fans being recalled over potential fire

More than 2 million oscillating floor fans are being recalled by a Texas company because of a potential fire hazard, the government said today.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission said the electrical power cord can get caught in the fan's blades, damaging the cord and possibly igniting a fire. It said there have been at least 31 incidents in which the cords were damaged. Nine resulted in substantial property damage.

The 2.2 million fans were made by SMC Marketing of Grand Prairie, Texas, and sold at Home Depot stores nationwide from early 1997 through October 2001. Several models are on recall, including 18-inch pedestal floor fans with the model number SR-18 or SP-18. All the fans are white with the brand name, "SMC," on the front grill.

Consumers are advised to stop using the fans and return them to Home Depot for a store credit or contact SMC at 800-527-3675 for instructions on a refund.