Boston
Archdiocese says cases of abuse must be told
Cardinal Bernard Law broke from long-standing church policy Thursday and said he will now require clergy and officials of the Archdiocese of Boston to report to authorities even past allegations of sexual abuse by priests.
Law also named a panel of medical experts and educators to look at the archdiocese's policy on dealing with victims and preventing sexual abuse of children.
Earlier this month, Law announced clergy and archdiocesan officials would be required from now on to report allegations of abuse to authorities, not just to church officials, as the Vatican had ordered. His policy, however, was not retroactive, meaning it did not apply to past allegations.
Tennessee
Flooding kills three as storms drench South
Torrential rain that flooded roads and yards across Tennessee and Kentucky swept a city worker into a drainage pipe, killing him and another man who tried to save him.
The drowning death of a woman in a Tennessee park was also blamed on the weather, which brought up to a half-foot of rain to central Tennessee, damaging bridges and forcing schools to close.
In Kentucky, strong wind toppled trees and blew out the windows of a nursing home southeast of Owensboro.
Severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings covered much of the eastern parts of both states Thursday, and another, weaker thunderstorm was moving toward the region.
Georgia
Cop killer executed
A 62-year-old man was executed by injection Thursday for killing an off-duty Columbus police officer during a robbery in 1976.
In his final statement, Ronald Spivey apologized to the families of the victim and criticized the death penalty, saying he had become a different man in prison.
"If I had a million lifetimes, I could never say I'm sorry enough," he said. "I've tried to be a decent and useful human being these last 25 years."
Spivey was sentenced to death for the murder of Officer Bill Watson Dec. 28, 1976.
Dallas
Mother pleads guilty to starving daughter
A mother accused of starving her 8-year-old daughter and locking the girl in a dark, filthy closet for months at a time pleaded guilty Thursday to causing serious bodily injury to a child.
The charges against Barbara Atkinson, 30, carried five years to life in prison. The sentencing phase will continue today.
The surprise plea came on the third day of her trial.
Prosecutors said the girl weighed 25 pounds and was nearly dead when she was found last summer. The girl suffered brain atrophy and she was so malnourished her body could no longer metabolize food, prosecutors said.
Atkinson and her former husband, 34-year-old Kenneth Atkinson, were arrested in June after neighbors alerted authorities. The ex-husband is awaiting trial.
State workers said the girl was in the care of a foster family, had gained weight and was enrolled in kindergarten.
St. Louis
Airport evacuated
A man carrying a computer bag bolted through a Lambert Airport security checkpoint Thursday, prompting officials to evacuate the concourse.
The man remained at large more than two hours after he passed through an exit in the concourse, bypassing security, said Lambert Police Chief Paul Mason.
The breach prompted American Airlines to remove passengers from about a dozen flights and have them rescreened, said Julia Bishop-Cross, a spokeswoman for the airline. Another 10 flights were delayed, she said.
The concourse was reopened about two hours later.
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