Virginia

Plagiarism scandal snares 38 students

Thirty-eight students have left the University of Virginia so far in the biggest plagiarism scandal in the school’s 183-year history.

The scandal was touched off last spring after Professor Lou Bloomfield used a computer program he developed to find duplicated phrases in students’ work.

The student Honor Committee, etablished in 1842 to enforce the university’s vaunted honor code, said Wednesday that 13 students were found guilty of copying term papers in the introductory physics class and were forced to leave.

An additional 25 admitted guilt and left the Charlottesville school on their own, the committee said.

Ninety-three students were exonerated and 20 still await trial.

Under the honor code, students face expulsion if caught lying, cheating or stealing. In February, students rejected a proposal to soften the penalty by allowing offenders to re-enroll after being suspended.

Colorado

Texas skier becomes 13th fatality on slopes

A woman lost control on a beginner ski hill at Steamboat Ski Resort and died of complications from an internal injury, Colorado’s 13th accidental ski death in a record season for fatalities.

Norma Raye Teague, 63, of Spring, Tex., died two days after her Feb. 26 fall, but her death was not reported as ski-related until Tuesday.

The state’s previous record for fatal skiing accidents was 12 in 1998-1999.

Colorado Ski Country USA spokeswoman Kristin Rust said the deaths had no common denominator.

“We’re always surprised when there’s a high number, but we can’t correlate them to one specific thing,” she said.

None of the deaths involved person-to-person collisions.

Teague’s death was the only one at Steamboat this season.

Denver

Columbine photos raise new anger at sheriff

Dozens of graphic crime-scene photographs from the Columbine High School massacre were apparently leaked to families of the victims and the Rocky Mountain News, the newspaper reported Tuesday.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office has not yet verified the authenticity of the photos. The sheriff said his office did not authorize the release of the pictures.

Victims’ family members said the sheriff’s office had promised the photos would remain top secret.

Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris killed 13 people on April 20, 1999, before committing suicide.

Sheriff John Stone did not say whether the pictures came from his department. Sheriff’s department spokeswoman Jacki Tallman said 34 agencies took part in the investigation.

Victims’ families and others renewed their call for Stone’s resignation. They have filed lawsuits and made public statements challenging the sheriff’s handling of the massacre. A judge dismissed all but one of the suits.