Washington, D.C.

Airlines expect losses because of fuel prices

U.S. airlines are expected to lose $2 billion to $3 billion this year because of increased fuel prices, even though passengers are expected to return to the skies this summer at levels not seen since before the 2001 terrorist attacks, the industry’s top lobbyist said Wednesday.

The industry could break even or maybe turn a profit this year if not for higher fuel prices, said James May, chief executive of the Air Transport Assn., the industry’s lobbying organization in Washington. The $2-to-$3 billion to loss “is coincidentally the same hit we’re taking on fuel” costs, he said.

With low fares and the summer vacation season, as many as 65 million passengers per month are expected to fly in the United States during this year’s busiest months, compared with 58 million passengers during last year’s busiest month, May said.

Georgia

Strangling suspect must be tried as juvenile

A 12-year-old boy accused of strangling an 8-year-old neighbor cannot be charged as an adult in the girl’s death and would face a maximum two years in prison if convicted, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Dist. Atty. Pete Skandalakis said he had no choice but to try the boy as a juvenile. Under Georgia law, a defendant must be at least 13 to be tried as an adult, he said.

“I do not feel two years is sufficient as punishment in this case,” Skandalakis said.

He said the victim’s family was “heartbroken” that the boy couldn’t receive a more severe penalty.

The boy is accused of strangling Amy Yates on Monday evening when she disappeared while riding her bike to a friend’s home in her trailer park. The boy also lived in the park.

Yates’ body was found hours later in a nearby gully.

Washington, D.C.

U.S. charges four under new spam law

U.S. authorities charged four people in Detroit on Wednesday with e-mailing fraudulent sales pitches for weight-loss products, the first criminal prosecutions under the government’s new “can spam” legislation.

Court papers identified the four as Daniel J. Lin, James J. Lin, Mark M. Sadek and Christopher Chung, all believed living in suburban Detroit. They were accused of disguising their identities in hundreds of thousands of sales pitches and delivering e-mails by bouncing messages through unprotected relay computers on the Internet.

Chung and Sadek appeared in U.S. District Court and were released on unsecured bonds, said Gina Balaya, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The Lins have not been arrested.

Sadek’s lawyer, James L. Feinberg, said U.S. agents arrived at Sadek’s home early Wednesday “out of the clear blue” and arrested him.

“He was absolutely shocked,” Feinberg said.

Dallas

Ex-wife’s wedding dress modeled, sold on eBay

When a man in Seattle found his ex-wife’s wedding gown and decided to sell it on eBay, the photo of the dress on a hanger just didn’t do it justice.

So he put it on.

The photos of the burly, tattooed fellow with his face digitally obscured, along with his bitter-but-humorous comments, have made the listing a funny e-mail phenomenon.

“Actually, I didn’t think my head would fit in the neck hole,” wrote the seller, identified only by his eBay ID — “horseplaypublishing.”

The five-day auction ended Wednesday afternoon, when bidding was up to $15,300 for what the ex-husband said he thought “looks like a $1,200 shower curtain.”

He also reported on his eBay listing that he had received “tons of email,” including five invitations to baseball games and five marriage proposals.