Nation Digest
Three die in plane crash en route to Bush Sr.

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The Gulfstream G-1159A jet went down about 6:15 a.m. in an undeveloped area 3-1/4 miles south of the airport runway, officials said. The former president had been scheduled to travel to Ecuador for a conference.

"I was deeply saddened to learn of the plane crash this morning," Bush said through spokesman Tom Frechette. "I'd flown with this group before and know them well. I join in sending heartfelt condolences to each and every member of their families."

Washington

Hate crimes show slight increase

The number of reported hate crimes across the country totaled 7,489 last year, up slightly from 7,462 the previous year, according to FBI figures released yesterday.

More than half the reported hate crimes last year targeted specific racial groups. Of the 3,844 incidents in that category, 2,548 were against blacks.

Religious intolerance was the motivation for 1,343 incidents, the FBI found. The majority of the attacks — 927 — targeted Jews, about the same number as in 2002. Attacks against Muslims were down from 155 in 2002 to 149 last year.

The number of attacks based on sexual orientation was 1,239 in 2003, down slightly from the 1,244 reported in 2002.

San Diego

Write-in candidate loses court round
 
A retired judge refused yesterday to intervene in the city's mayoral election, where Mayor Dick Murphy has claimed victory over a maverick city councilwoman who mounted a surprising write-in bid.

The judge said he was unlikely to grant a request forcing the county registrar's office to count all write-in ballots, including those on which voters failed to fill in the bubble next to Councilwoman Donna Frye's name. The judge also denied a request to block the registrar's office from certifying the results.

Eric Helgesen, a retired Tulare County judge, did not issue a final ruling, and it was not immediately clear when he would do so. All 124 judges on the San Diego Superior Court bench were recused from the case last week because Murphy was a San Diego judge for 15 years before he was elected mayor in 2000.

Hollywood, Fla.

$28,000 bidder hails "Mary" sandwich

A woman who said her 10-year-old grilled-cheese sandwich bore the image of the Virgin Mary will be getting a lot more bread after the item sold for $28,000 on eBay.

GoldenPalace.com, an online casino, confirmed that it placed the winning bid, and company executives said they were willing to spend "as much as it took" to own the sandwich. Chief Executive Richard Rowe said he planned to use the sandwich to raise money for charity.

Owner Diana Duyser said she took a bite after making the sandwich 10 years ago and saw a face staring back at her. She put the sandwich in a clear plastic box with cotton balls and kept it on her night stand.