WASHINGTON, D.C.

Former cadet says she was raped in retaliation

In a letter to a congressional panel investigating sexual assaults at the Air Force Academy, a former cadet paints a vivid portrait of the retaliation that can occur for reporting a crime there.

The academy graduate, whose name was not released, said she was ostracized by cadets and raped at the Air Force Preparatory School by two male cadets because she reported that she had been raped.

Col. David Cannon, Air Force Academy spokesman, said files were searched Friday, but no cases that fit the description of the incident have yet been found.

Members of the panel on Friday said the incident was typical of those that have created a climate of fear at the institution.

California

One killed, 10 injured on ride at Disneyland

An accident on Disneyland’s Big Thunder Mountain Railroad roller coaster Friday left a 22-year-old man dead and 10 other riders injured, officials said.

The cause of the man’s death and that of the accident, which state and local authorities were investigating, were unclear Friday night.

The man who died, Marcello Torres, of Gardena, was in the first car behind the locomotive, and paramedics extricated his body from inside a tunnel section of the ride, said city spokesman John Nicoletti.

“Our hearts and prayers go out to those injured and to the family of the deceased,” said Michael Eisner, chairman and chief executive of the Walt Disney Co.

SAN FRANCISCO

Dalai Lama begins tour with message of hope

The Dalai Lama emphasized the common bonds of world religions Friday as he started a 16-day U.S. tour with a visit to a Jesuit-run university to collect an honorary degree.

Flanked by representatives of 25 religions as he presided over an interfaith service at the University of San Francisco, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader said that all faiths had the same basic aim — to breed compassion among their followers.

“I will continue to pursue my struggle, which is to campaign for peace,” he told the crowd of about 1,000 faculty, students and members of San Francisco’s Tibetan Buddhist community.

MIAMI

Driver arrested for honk awarded $225,000

A driver who was manhandled by a police officer after honking her horn at a car in front of her was awarded more than $200,000 by a jury Friday.

The jury decided Officer Louis Ferraro used excessive force in his 1997 arrest of Kim Lee, who said the officer handcuffed her and slammed her head on the trunk after she honked at a car stopped at a green light on a busy Miami street. Charges against Lee were later dropped.

But the jury awarded Lee $225,000 in damages — less than half the amount her attorney suggested. Ferraro retired after the lawsuit was filed.

WASHINGTON, D.C.

FDA OKs birth-control pill for fewer periods

The government Friday approved the first birth-control pill specially designed to reduce the frequency of women’s periods — from once a month to four times a year.

Hence the name: Seasonale.

The pills aren’t a new chemical. They contain the same combination of low-dose estrogen and progestin found in many oral contraceptives.

Seasonale’s packaging gives women 12 straight weeks of active pills and then a week of dummy pills for their period. And the Food and Drug Administration’s approval means menstrual suppression could become more common, as Seasonale’s advertising alerts women to the option.

Oregon

79-year-old found alive after 8 days in woods

A 79-year-old man who made it through two heart attacks, two bouts with cancer and a stroke has survived another ordeal: spending eight days lost in the woods.

Duff Kimsey was dropped off Aug. 28 to look for huckleberries, but apparently lost his way in a dense national forest in the Cascade mountains of southwestern Washington. On Thursday, a hunter searching for a downed grouse spotted Kimsey, his arm raised, lying beside a log.

Mike Kimsey said his father was able to shower and shave himself Friday morning, but said they would wait until he recovered more before trying to get further details about the ordeal. Kimsey was hospitalized in fair condition, dehydrated but apparently otherwise healthy.

Washington

Governor candidate diagnosed with cancer

The state’s attorney general, who is also the front-running Democratic candidate for governor, was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a mastectomy, a spokesman said Friday.

Christine Gregoire, 56, underwent surgery Thursday and was released from a hospital Friday, said spokesman Fred Olson.

A lump was found in Gregoire’s left breast during a recent mammogram. Her entire left breast was removed by surgeons, and subsequent tests showed no spread of the cancer.

Gregoire will spend about a week at home recovering, but expects to continue with her duties as both attorney general and a candidate, Olson said.

San Diego

Teen killed in ambush by father, who shot self

A 14-year-old boy jogging with his high school cross-country team was shot and killed in an ambush by his father, who killed himself hours later in a standoff with police.

William Hoffine, 58, had been in deep debt and was enmeshed in a bitter custody battle with the boy’s mother, who had obtained a court order to keep him away.

“For whatever reason, he decided he was going to kill himself and decided his son would be better off dead rather than live without him,” police Lt. Mike Hurley said.

Hoffine stepped out from behind a parked van Thursday afternoon and fired several shots at the boy, Evan Nash, then reloaded his pistol and fired into the fallen boy’s head as his teammates scrambled for cover, witnesses and police said.

Hoffine then drove to a friend’s home and spent nearly 10 hours in on-and-off negotiations with police before shooting himself in the head Friday.

LAS VEGAS

Massive fire causes $10 million in damage

A massive fire engulfed an under-construction luxury apartment development, destroying 350 units and causing millions of dollars in damage, authorities said. The cause of the blaze was still under investigation Friday.

There were no injuries, but the fire Thursday night in southeast Las Vegas spread quickly throughout the sprawling construction site, sending flames hundreds of feet into the air.

“It’s one of the largest structure fires I’ve ever seen,” said Clark County fire spokesman Bob Leinbach. He estimated the cost of damages at $10 million to $15 million.