Retired deputy chief named new head of APD
(AP) - A veteran Albuquerque police officer has returned to lead the department.
Mayor Martin Chavez announced Saturday that retired deputy chief Ray Schultz would replace Gilbert Gallegos as chief of the Albuquerque Police Department.
Gallegos stepped down on Wednesday amid allegations that he acted too slowly on reported problems in the department's evidence room, including reports of missing cash, drugs and jewelry.
"These have been extremely difficult times for the Albuquerque Police Department, but today marks a new beginning," Chavez said.
Hybrid vehicle owners to receive free parking
(AP) - Drivers of low-emission hybrid vehicles can park for free at city parking meters.
The drivers must register with the city to receive an identification sticker for the window of their car that allows them to park for the maximum time allowed on the city meter.
Hybrids save fuel by running on gasoline and electricity.
"Between the city's parking incentives and $3 gas, I think we'll see a lot more clean-air vehicles in the city in the next few years," said City Councilor Martin Heinrich, who sponsored the proposal.
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Schiavo case fuels debate in state legislatures
Arguments surrounding Terri Schiavo will live on in statehouse debate and new laws if an emerging coalition of disability rights activists and right-to-lifers succeeds in turning the national agony over her case into a re-examination of when and how lives may come to an end. So far, only a few legislators in a handful of states have sought significant changes to their laws, which define the fundamental elements at stake - how a person can set limits on their medical care, who gets to decide what their wishes are and what evidence is needed to prove it.
Jackson's boyish image fades during court caseSANTA MARIA, Calif. (AP) - It turns out Peter Pan grew up after all.
Saying he never had a true childhood, Michael Jackson made his home into a children's fantasy, called it Neverland and once insisted to an interviewer "I am Peter Pan," referring to the boy who refused to grow up.
But the image Jackson has worked so hard to preserve slips away during his criminal trial with each reference to drinking and each display of his many adult magazines.
"He's a 46-year-old guy with a bad back who likes to watch porn and drink wine. Who would've thought?" said J. Randy Taraborrelli, a CBS News analyst and author of Michael Jackson: The Magic and the Madness.
Iraqi lawmakers select Sunni parliament speaker
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Lawmakers broke days of rancorous stalemate Sunday and reached out to Iraq's Sunni Muslim minority for their parliament speaker, cutting through ethnic and sectarian barriers that have held up selection of a new government for more than two months since the country's first free elections in 50 years.
Deputies still face, however, difficult choices for Cabinet posts and failed again to name a new president - broadly expected to be Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani. That choice and those of two vice presidents were put off until a Wednesday session that could mark a major milestone as Iraq tries to build a democratic government and civil society.
Ousted Kyrgyz president says he will resign today
MOSCOW (AP) - Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev said he will formally step down today, a move that would help pave the way for elections and solidify order in his impoverished Central Asian country less than two weeks after he was forced to flee to Russia amid mass protests.
Akayev announced his plans to resign after a three-hour meeting Sunday in Moscow with representatives of Kyrgyzstan's interim leadership.
Akayev and the delegation's leader, Omurbek Tekebayev, the speaker of the Kyrgyz parliament and one of Akayev's longtime opponents, emphasized that the resignation would be a significant step toward restoring stability in the former Soviet republic.
Abu Ghraib prison attack wounds 20 U.S. soldiers
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Dozens of insurgents fired rocket-propelled grenades and detonated two car bombs Saturday while attacking the Abu Ghraib prison in western Baghdad, wounding 20 American service members and 12 prisoners, the U.S. military said.
The attack, carried out by 40-60 militants, began as darkness fell on the city, 1st Lt. Adam Rondeau said. Soldiers and Marines stationed at the detention facility responded, and the resulting clash lasted about 40 minutes, Rondeau said.
"This was obviously a very well-organized attack and a very big attack," he said.
It was not immediately clear whether any of the insurgents carrying out the attack suffered casualties or were arrested.
