BALTIMORE

Judge closes hearing for alleged Hamas operative

A federal judge Friday agreed to close a detention hearing for a man described as a high-ranking Hamas operative, saying it would be difficult to keep the information in the hearing secret as required for a related grand jury proceeding.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul W. Grimm said the critical need to protect the secrecy of grand jury proceedings was the “overriding” interest in the case.

Ismael Selim Elbarasse, an accountant from Annandale, Va., was arrested a week ago after officers pulled over his vehicle near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Police said his wife was using a video camera to tape the bridge’s structure.

Florida

Judge: Vote recount ban violates state law

A state rule barring the 15 Florida counties with touchscreen voting from conducting manual recounts is at odds with state law, which requires hand recounts in some close elections, a judge ruled Friday.

A coalition including a labor union, government watchdogs and other groups sued the state, arguing the law requires provisions for hand recounts in every county, no matter what voting technology is used.

Administrative Law Judge Susan Kirkland agreed, writing that state law clearly contemplates “that manual recounts will be done on each certified voting system, including the touchscreen voting systems.”

South Carolina

Tropical depression threatens S.E. coast

A tropical depression formed Friday southeast of the Carolinas, prompting tropical storm watches south to the Georgia-Florida state line.

The depression was 140 miles southeast of Charleston, S.C., with maximum sustained winds of 30 mph. It was nearly stationary, but forecasters expected the storm to drift slowly westward Friday night.

It was predicted to come ashore near Charleston late today and move to the northeast across the Carolinas.

The depression could strengthen into a weak tropical storm before making landfall, according to experts at the National Hurricane Center.

Alaska

State senator resigns in face of recall effort

State Sen. Scott Ogan resigned a day after losing a legal bid to stop a recall effort by a group that claimed the Republican had used his legislative position to do favors for an energy company that had employed him as a consultant.

“The ongoing controversy surrounding the recall process has diverted my attention and the attention of my constituents to the point it adversely affects my daily activities as a senator,” Ogan wrote Wednesday in a resignation letter to Gov. Frank Murkowski. The letter was released by Ogan’s office.

Ohio

Probe of island illness focusing on water

Investigators searching for the source of an outbreak that sickened hundreds of travelers on a Lake Erie resort island are focusing on drinking water.

State environmental officials on Thursday ordered inspections of private wells to determine whether they have played a role in contaminating the village of Put-in-Bay’s water system.

Some island residents use private wells to supplement water they receive from the village, and the plumbing of both water sources in some cases is connected.