St. Louis

Counterfeiters already trying to cash in with bogus $20s

Only a month since the rollout of retooled $20 bills meant to thwart counterfeiters, knockoffs of the colored currency are already starting to circulate, authorities say.

The latest case is that of a Missouri woman whom federal grand jurors accused Friday of passing four fakes of the new $20 bill on Oct. 16 — exactly a week after the revamped notes were introduced nationally.

Margretta Saffold’s case brings to at least nine the number of people arrested nationwide — in Alabama, California, Tennessee, Utah and now Missouri — in cases involving counterfeits of the new bill, U.S. Secret Service spokeswoman Jean Mitchell said. Nearly 200 bogus versions of the new bill already have surfaced, she said.

Saffold, 33, is the first person to be indicted in connection with the revamped $20 bill, Mitchell said. She faces up to 20 years behind bars and $250,000 in fines if convicted.

Pittsburgh

Dioceses seek more autonomy in wake of gay consecration

Less than a week after the Episcopal Church USA consecrated its first openly gay bishop, two conservative dioceses approved measures Saturday indicating the split in the church has widened.

The Pittsburgh diocese approved an amendment aimed at allowing the diocese to ignore some of the national church’s policies.

In Texas, Fort Worth-area clergy and lay delegates passed a resolution Saturday repudiating Gene Robinson’s appointment as “a schismatic act.” In secret balloting, the resolution passed 160-34.

Jack Iker, bishop of the Fort Worth diocese, said the decision clearly represented a split in the church.

California

Gun that killed James for sale

When the gun that was used to kill outlaw Jesse James is auctioned this weekend in Anaheim, it could set a record for a Western historic firearm, experts say.

The Smith & Wesson .44-caliber pistol, made around 1875, is pitted and eroded, but it could fetch $300,000 — smashing a record $240,000 paid in 1998 for a pistol used by outlaw “Blackjack” Ketchum.

The gun is owned by Little John’s Antique Arms Inc. in Orange, Calif.

Bob Ford, a member of James’ gang of robbers, killed James on April 3, 1882, in St. Joseph, Mo.

Los Angeles

Mayor seeks arbitration in transit strike

Mayor James Hahn urged the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to let an arbitrator take over negotiations after union mechanics overwhelmingly rejected the MTA’s final contract offer, continuing a paralyzing three-week strike.

Several hundred of the 2,085 active mechanics eligible to vote did not cast ballots Friday. Those who did voted 1,267-87 to reject the proposal, said James Lindsay, treasurer for the Amalgamated Transit Union.

The mechanics walked off their jobs Oct. 14. About 5,000 bus drivers and train operators refused to cross picket lines, halting service to an estimated 500,000 commuters.