Copyright 1999 Star Tribune
Star Tribune
(Minneapolis, MN)
December 14, 1999, Tuesday, Metro Edition
SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 4A
LENGTH: 623 words
HEADLINE:
National digest
BODY:
Clinton signs bill to protect
against sweepstakes scams
President Clinton signed into law a
measure designed to protect people, especially the elderly, from sweepstakes
scams. The Deceptive Mail Prevention and Enforcement Act bars sponsors from
implying that buying products can increase entrants' chances of winning big
prizes, and requires sweepstakes sponsors to prominently display messages that
no purchase is required. The law also bars sweepstakes mailings from telling
recipients that they have won a prize unless they actually have won. .
Salvage ship starts EgyptAir recovery
A
salvage ship began hauling up human remains and wreckage from EgyptAir Flight
990, federal officials said. By early afternoon, the Smit
Pioneer had hauled roughly 50 loads of debris from the waters where the plane
went down south of the Massachusetts island of Nantucket. All 217 aboard were
killed in the Oct. 31 crash. Among the items found were an
8-foot section of the plane, a nose wheel and part of a landing gear, said
National Transportation Safety Board Chairman James Hall.
.
Wellstone pushes mental health bill
Sens. Paul Wellstone, D-Minn., and Pete
Domenici, R-N.M., used Monday's Surgeon General's Report to call for passage of
their Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act, which is designed
to expand mental health coverage nationwide.
"The Surgeon General's Report on Mental Health is a valuable
contribution to our ongoing legislative efforts," Wellstone said, citing
portions of the report dealing with difficulties getting access to care. "For
too long we have stigmatized those with mental illness," Wellstone said in a
joint statement with Domenici.
.
San Francisco candidates face
off
San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and rival
Tom Ammiano spent the day searching for the last elusive votes, just hours
before the polls opened for the runoff mayoral election. The vote today will
decide whether Brown becomes the first mayor to win reelection in 16 years _ or
whether Ammiano's grassroots campaign can pull off another miracle.
.
Miami loses suit against gun makers
A
judge dismissed Miami-Dade County's lawsuit against gun makers agreeing with the
industry that the county has no standing because it has not suffered any direct
injuries from guns. Mayor Alex Penelas said he will appeal. Miami-Dade was one
of about 30 cities and counties suing more than two dozen gun makers.
.
Global Surveyor to look for Mars Lander
The only operating spacecraft in the vicinity of
Mars will attempt this week to find out whether the missing Mars Polar Lander
actually made it to the surface of the Red Planet, scientists
said. Mission controllers will aim Mars Global Surveyor's
powerful camera toward the lander's intended touchdown area Thursday with the
hope that it will be able to see its 65-foot-long parachute draped over the
surface. The Mars Polar Lander was supposed to touch down Dec. 3 for a 90-day
mission. It has not been heard from since it started its descent after an
11-month voyage.
.
Magazine chooses dark-skinned Jesus
A painting of a dark-skinned Jesus by an artist
who used a woman as a model has been selected by the National Catholic Reporter
as the winner of its contest to update the image of Christ for the new
millennium. The painting was selected from nearly 1,700 entries for the cover of
a special millennium issue being published this week by the well-known
independent publication. "My goal was to be as inclusive as possible," said the
artist, Janet McKenzie, of Island Pond, Vt. "It's extraordinarily good news,"
Chico Anderson, a deacon with Catholic Campus Ministeries at the University of
Minnesota in Duluth.
GRAPHIC: PHOTO
LOAD-DATE: December 14, 1999 
