Briefly

Florida

Storm Henri weakens but may pick up steam

Most of Florida was spared heavy rain forecasters had believed Tropical Storm Henri would bring Saturday, as the system weakened into a tropical depression and moved quickly across the peninsula.

Rainfall totals in most areas affected by Henri fell considerably short of the 6 to 12 inches forecasters said were coming to large portions of the state.

At 11 p.m. EDT, the center of the tropical depression that had been Henri was 190 miles south-southeast of Charleston, S.C. The storm, which was beginning to regain strength over Atlantic waters, could become a tropical storm again today, forecasters said.

New York City

About 300 show up for Million Youth March

The Million Youth March, a flashpoint for controversy just five years ago, stepped off quietly Saturday with about 300 people joining in the six-block trek in Brooklyn.

Malik Zulu Shabazz, head of the New Black Panther Party, said the purpose of the march was positive.

“Our message to the young people is to stop the killing,” said Shabazz, whose group sponsored the event. “Stop going to prison, complete school, go to work and try to rap better lyrics.”

It was a stark contrast to the initial march in 1998, when city officials tried to deny organizers a permit for the event. Police scuffled with participants in Harlem, and the 1998 march’s main speaker, the late Khalid Muhammad, urged attendees to “beat the hell” out of police officers.

Colorado

Man with disabilities trapped in tub six days

A man with disabilities who slipped and fell in his bathtub was trapped there for six days before he was rescued by a van driver who arrived at the house for a scheduled trip.

Bruce Ashworth, 55, who has multiple sclerosis and uses a wheelchair, fell on Aug. 29 and was unable to reach the safety handles on the bathtub to rescue himself. His service dog, Libby, brought a phone to him, but the battery wasn’t charged.

As the days stretched on, he said he drifted in and out of consciousness.

Then, on Thursday, Julie Johnson, who drives a van for people with disabilities, arrived for a scheduled trip.

When no one answered the door, she asked a neighbor to call 911, then was able to reach through a dog-door to unlock a door into the home. She found Ashworth in the tub. Firefighters arrived and took him to a hospital.

Detroit

Automakers, union meet in contract talks

Bargainers for the United Auto Workers and the Big Three automakers met Saturday and were expected to work through the weekend to reach agreements before their current labor pacts expire Sept. 14.

The sides have resolved some major issues, and a source close to the talks said agreements could be reached during the weekend meetings. The UAW and automakers have declined to discuss the progress of talks.

Jeff Washington, president of UAW Local 900 and secretary of the UAW-Ford negotiating committee, said Saturday in a recorded telephone message for workers that the sides had conducted more than 300 meetings since mid-July.

Connecticut

Two others implicated in Skakel murder case

A relative of Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant implicates two friends in the 1975 murder for which Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel was convicted, a lawyer for Skakel said Saturday.

Defense lawyer Hope Seeley said Skakel would seek a new trial based on information from Gitano “Tony” Bryant.

Skakel, 42, a nephew of Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, was convicted last year and sentenced to 20 years to life in prison for the 1975 beating death of Martha Moxley. Skakel and Moxley were both 15 when she was bludgeoned to death in their wealthy Greenwich neighborhood.

In a videotaped account made to defense investigators in August, Tony Bryant said two friends picked up golf clubs in Skakel’s yard and discussed attacking a girl, The Courant reported.

Florida

State assessment test called discriminatory

The U.S. Department of Education is investigating whether Florida’s statewide assessment test discriminates against students with disabilities by failing to provide special accommodations they need to take the exam.

If the department’s Office for Civil Rights finds the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test violates federal law, it can force the state to change policies regarding the test or withhold federal money.

The office began its investigation after receiving about a dozen complaints saying students with disabilities were not being given the accommodations they needed to take the test, which students must pass to be promoted to the next grade.