KEVORKIAN ORDERED TO STAND TRIAL OVER VIDEOTAPED DEATH
WATERFORD, Mich. (AP) -- Dr. Jack Kevorkian was ordered Wednesday to stand trial on murder and assisted suicide charges in the death by injection that was videotaped and shown on "60 Minutes.""The intent to kill was premeditated and thought out beforehand," District Judge Phyllis McMillen said at a preliminary hearing.
Kevorkian dared Oakland County prosecutors to charge him after he gave the videotape showing the euthanasia of Thomas Youk, a 52-year-old man who suffered from Lou Gehrig's disease. An edited version of the tape shown on "60 Minutes" Nov. 22 was seen nationwide.
GROUP WANTS ALL INFANTS VACCINATED AGAINST DIARRHEA
CHICAGO (AP) -- All U.S. infants should be vaccinated against the leading cause of diarrhea, an illness that annually sends 55,000 people to hospitals, kills 40 children and costs $400 million to treat, a top pediatricians' group says.
The three-dose vaccine against rotavirus, an intestinal infection, should prevent thousands of American preschoolers from suffering severe diarrhea, health officials said.
SHOOTER WANTS A NEW TRIAL, SAYS SHE, LAWYER HAD AFFAIR
MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) -- Amy Fisher, in prison for shooting her ex-lover's wife, says she deserves a new trial because she had an affair with her former lawyer.
In papers filed in Nassau County Court on Tuesday, the "Long Island Lolita" says she engaged in kissing, fondling and fantasy role-playing games with attorney Eric Naiburg and they fogged his legal judgment.
Naiburg, 57, a married father of two daughters, fiercely denied the claims, which he called a desperate attempt to gain Fisher's freedom.
CHARGE OF LYING DRAWS FIRE FROM EGYPTIAN'S LAWYERS
NEW YORK -- An Egyptian man who is bitterly fighting his deportation has been charged with making false statements in a decade-old immigration matter, leading to sharp criticism from his lawyers about the government's tactics.
The case of Nasser Ahmed has received national attention because, until Friday, he had been held for more than 2 1/2 years in solitary confinement without being charged with a crime, based on assertions that Ahmed is a member of an Islamic terrorist group in Egypt.
WOMAN SUES MCDONALD'S, SAYS SHE BIT INTO CONDOM
MENOMONIE, Wis. -- A woman who says she bit into a condom inside a McDonald's chicken sandwich is suing the fast-food restaurant.
According to a lawsuit, Veronica Minor had taken two bites of a chicken sandwich May 16 when she bit into a rolled-up unpackaged condom.
"She's had some nightmares obviously," said Minor's attorney, Rick Pendergast of Eau Claire.
EXPANDED USE OF METHADONE URGED FOR HEROIN ADDICTS
A new report published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association recommends the expanded use of methadone to treat heroin addiction, noting that it can help reduce crime, slow the spread of other infectious diseases and reduce the general level of dysfunction suffered by addicts.
The report counters the policy enunciated by New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani earlier this year that addicts should be weaned off their dependence through drug-free programs rather than methadone.
COURT DENIES O.J.'S REQUEST IN CHILD CUSTODY CASE
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) -- An appeals court said it will not reconsider a ruling that clears the way for a new hearing on the custody of O.J. Simpson's two young children. The custody issue now goes back to the trial judge for a new guardianship hearing for Sydney, 13, and Justin, 10, who are in Simpson's care.
The 4th District Court of Appeal denied Simpson's request 3-0 in a decision released Tuesday.
PORTRAYER OF GEHRIG SUFFERER ON TV DIES OF THAT DISEASE
NEW YORK (AP) -- Michael Zaslow, an Emmy-winning soap opera star who portrayed a victim of Lou Gehrig's disease on "One Life to Live" after being stricken with the illness in real life, has died of the disease. He was 54.
Zaslow, who died Sunday at his home in New York City, won a Daytime Emmy in 1994 as best actor for his role as the villainous Roger Thorpe on CBS's "Guiding Light." After portraying Thorpe for 25 years, he was fired from the show last year with his health in doubt.
FORMER CONVICT RECEIVES PART OF ESTATE TO PAY SUPPORT DEBT
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- A former convict who owes about $48,000 in child support has received part of his murdered son's estate to settle the debt.
Douglas Dials' 18-year-old son, Charles, was killed last year by a man who escaped from Franklin County authorities while being taken to court.
The county agreed to pay Charles' family $1.3 million. Most of the money was distributed to his mother, Arlena Hughes, two siblings and their attorneys.
DIMAGGIO STATUS IMPROVES, BUT DOCTOR ADVISES CAUTION
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (AP) -- Despite Joe DiMaggio's dramatic improvement from a serious lung infection and fever, his doctor cautioned Wednesday that a setback could occur at any time.
"I'm not saying he's going to survive but he's not imminently dying," Dr. Earl Barron told The Associated Press Wednesday.