Denver

Arrest warrant issued for rape counselor

An arrest warrant has been issued for a rape counselor who refused to turn over records of her sessions with a former Air Force Academy cadet, one of the women whose allegations touched off a scandal that toppled the academy’s top leaders.

Jennifer Bier is fighting a subpoena in the court-martial of airman Joseph Harding, who is accused of sexually assaulting two women at the academy in 1999 and 2000. His attorneys say their client’s right to a fair trial overrides the alleged victim’s right to privacy.

Bier’s attorney, Wendy Murphy, said on Saturday that she planned to seek an emergency order Tuesday in federal court to prevent Bier’s arrest, but she was not sure whether the court would accept the case.

Officials at Randolph Air Force Base did not return phone calls seeking comment left by The Associated Press on Saturday.

Bier, who is a civilian, has indicated she is prepared to go to jail to protect the privacy of a former cadet who said she was raped by a cadet commander in 2000 and sought counseling.

Illinois

Lawmakers ban sale of violent games to minors

Lawmakers voted Saturday to ban the sale of violent or sexually explicit video games to minors in Illinois, a move other states and cities have tried but federal courts have repeatedly struck down.

The measure now goes to Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who proposed the ban late last year after hearing about the video game “JFK Reloaded,” which puts the player in the role of President Kennedy’s assassin.

Under the legislation, clerks who knowingly sell adult video games to minors could be fined $1,000. They could defend themselves by showing they did not know the buyer was a minor or that they followed the industry ratings on the games.

The legislation leaves it to stores to determine which games are too violent or sexually explicit for minors, and retailers have argued it turns them into violence and sensitivity police.

A federal judge last summer struck down a Washington state ban as a violation of free speech because it banned selling to minors video games depicting violence against police officers but not other depictions of violence.

Tennessee

Mom who hired stripper for son’s party indicted

A mother faces criminal charges after she hired a stripper to dance at her 16-year-old son’s birthday party.

Anette Pharris, 34, has been indicted by a grand jury on charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and involving a minor in obscene acts. The boy’s father, the stripper and two others also face charges.

About 10 people under the age of 18 were at the birthday party in September, including minors who were not related to the family, authorities said.

Police spokesman Don Aaron said minors are not permitted in adult establishments.

“A person shouldn’t be allowed to circumvent that law by hiring a stripper, a lady who took all her clothes off and spent a good amount of time dancing around minors,” he said.

Anette Pharris took photos at the party and tried to have them developed at a nearby drug store. Drug store employees notified authorities, police said.

Miami

Venezuelan bid for alleged terrorist denied

The diplomatic tangle surrounding Luis Posada Carriles grew more complex Friday as the Bush administration rejected Venezuela’s request to arrest him as a suspected terrorist, while a high-ranking State Department official questioned whether Venezuela sincerely wants custody of the accused Cuban militant.

Posada, who is suspected by Cuba and Venezuela of masterminding the bombing of a Cuban airliner that killed 73 people in 1976, was arrested May 17 in Miami on immigration charges. The arrest created a conundrum for the U.S. government, which has taken a rigidly anti-terrorist stance, but has strained relations with Cuba and Venezuela.

Venezuela has not formally asked the United States to extradite Posada. Instead, it made what is called a “provisional arrest” request, a legal maneuver usually employed to prevent suspects from fleeing and designed to give governments time to prepare formal extradition requests.

Venezuela has made such requests before, a State Department official said. But the Posada request was so inadequate, the official said, that some believe it was purposely drafted so the United States would reject it.

Las Vegas

Emboldened immigration activists gather

Prominent anti-illegal immigration activists joined together this weekend to call on public officials to enforce federal immigration laws and protect the country’s borders.

Buoyed by last month’s Minuteman Project citizen border patrols in Arizona, leaders made plans for a multi-state coalition of organizations that could be called The Minuteman Campaign USA.

The groups called for the creation of a legal defense fund, a campaign to target employers who hire undocumented immigrants, and increased apprehension of illegal immigrants who commit crimes.

Organizers said they have so far sold more than 400 tickets for the three-day event called the “Unite to Fight Against Illegal Immigration Summit,” although the audience Saturday at the Cashman Theater north of the Las Vegas Strip appeared to be much smaller. The event was sponsored by the Wake Up America Foundation, founded last year by Mark Edwards, a Las Vegas radio personality whose show focuses on illegal immigration.

Before leaving early, a group of protesters stood in front of the theater, calling the attendees “Nazis” and “racists”.