Georgia: Crematory charges rise

Authorities filed 56 additional charges Tuesday against a crematory operator accused of discarding hundreds of corpses he was paid to cremate.

The new charges bring to 174 the number of theft by deception counts against Ray Brent Marsh, who remains in Walker County Jail. A magistrate denied Marsh bond on Monday, noting that investigators were likely to file further charges.

So far, 339 rotting corpses have been recovered.

Boston: Archdiocese reaches abuse settlement

The Archdiocese of Boston has tentatively agreed to pay up to $30 million to 86 people who say they were molested by now-defrocked priest John J. Geoghan, The Boston Globe reported Tuesday.

The Globe said the tentative agreement was reached Monday, after 11 months of negotiations. It still will need the signatures of all 86 plaintiffs and the 17 defendants, including Cardinal Bernard F. Law.

Archdiocese spokeswoman Donna Morrissey told the Globe that the church wants a “fair and equitable agreement as soon as possible. And we want to do what’s right for the victims.”

The 86 plaintiffs would get an average of $232,000 to $348,000 each, with an arbitrator deciding the amount in each case.

Miami: Cruise ship stewardess rescued from ocean

A cruise ship cabin stewardess who fell overboard was rescued Tuesday after treading water for at least 10 hours in the Atlantic Ocean, officials said.

The 24-year-old Romanian woman was in stable condition and will remain on the Miami-based Norway under the care of a ship’s doctor until it makes it next cruise call in the U.S. Virgin Islands, officials said.

Norwegian Cruise Lines spokeswoman Susan Robinson said the woman was reported missing by another crew member Monday night.

Coast Guard aircraft responded, but the woman was found by the Norway, more than four miles off its original track. The ship had turned back to search for the woman.

The stewardess was treading water when she was rescued by a small boat and taken back aboard.

Washington, D.C.: Drug maker offers $12 prescriptions

Low-income seniors with no drug insurance will be able to get a month’s supply of prescriptions like the depression-treating Prozac and the osteoporosis-fighting Evista for $12 each.

The new drug assistance plan from Eli Lilly and Co. is the pharmaceutical industry’s latest effort to help needy older Americans while the federal government debates broader coverage. In January, Pfizer Inc. announced a similar program offering a month’s supply of one of its prescriptions for $15.

Lilly’s program, called LillyAnswers, began Tuesday. It is open to seniors with no prescription drug coverage and annual incomes below $18,000, or under $24,000 for couples same as for Pfizer’s plan.

Seniors can apply for a card by calling (877) RX-LILLY. The application process takes two to four weeks.

Participating pharmacies will begin accepting the card April 1.