Atlanta

Bail denied for suspect in murder, crane standoff

The Florida murder suspect whose 56-hour crane standoff led to a traffic-clogging spectacle last week in Atlanta was denied bail Monday pending an extradition hearing.

A brief hearing was held Monday at the Fulton County Jail for Carl Edward Roland, who will appear today in Superior Court for a hearing to discuss his return to Pinellas County, Fla., where he is charged with strangling his ex-girlfriend.

Roland, 41, climbed onto a construction crane Wednesday above the city’s Buckhead neighborhood. Atlanta police subdued him with a stun gun early Saturday as he crawled toward an officer for a cup of water. He was lowered to the ground from the 350-foot crane and taken to a hospital, where he stayed for nearly two days.

In Florida, Roland is accused of killing 36-year-old Jennifer Gonzalez, whose body was found in a pond a week ago. He also faces charges in Georgia of criminal trespassing, reckless conduct and first-degree criminal damage to property.

Washington, D.C.

U.S. to file WTO case over Airbus subsidies

The Bush administration said Monday it would bring a trade case alleging the European Union is providing illegal subsidies to Airbus, the major competitor to U.S.-based Boeing Co.

U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman said the administration had decided to proceed with a case before the World Trade Organization in light of preparations by member states of the European Union to commit $1.7 billion in new launch aid to Airbus.

Launch aid is the support provided when a new airplane model is developed.

Both sides argue the other is providing WTO-illegal subsidies to support a domestic airplane manufacturing industry.

Portman said the formal request to establish a WTO hearing panel in the dispute would be filed today with the Geneva-based WTO.

The announcement that the United States would file a case against the EU was the latest twist in the extended dispute over whether the world’s two biggest aircraft manufacturers were receiving improper support from their governments.

Oregon

Vietnam War poet dies

Steve Mason, a soldier and poet who became the unofficial bard of the Vietnam War, has died. He was 65.

Mason died Wednesday of lung cancer at his home in Ashland, his family said.

Considered the poet laureate of Vietnam veterans, Mason’s blank verse gave voice to a generation’s wounds. His poem “The Wall Within” was read at the 1984 dedication of the Vietnam Wall in Washington.

Mason began to write poetry as a way to make sense of the war and connect with others who had the same experience, said former wife Diane Weirch.

He began by writing love poems in the 1970s, co-writing “Moths and Violets” with a friend. Eventually, he began opening up the wounds of war in blank verse, publishing the trilogy he is best known for: “Johnny’s Song: Poetry of a Vietnam Veteran” in 1986, “Warrior for Peace” in 1988 and “The Human Being – A Warrior’s Journey Toward Peace and Mutual Healing” in 1990.

Los Angeles

Algae causing illness, death in sea lions

At least 21 sick or dead sea lions stricken with a debilitating toxin have washed up on southern California beaches in recent days, raising fears that the poison could kill hundreds more during summer.

Three dead sea lions believed to have ingested it were discovered Monday morning at beaches in the San Pedro area.

On Sunday, four of the ailing mammals – at least one of them pregnant – were rescued from Los Angeles County beaches and taken to a marine care center in San Pedro for treatment. At least three other sick sea lions were found recently on the same beaches.

The sea lions are suffering from domoic acid poisoning, which is produced by a naturally occurring algae. Sardines, anchovies, clams, mussels and other marine life feed on the plankton. The toxin is then passed on to sea lions, dolphins and sea birds such as pelicans, which eat the fish. The toxin can cause seizures, disorientation, loss of muscle coordination and death.

The neurological disorder’s toll on sea lions and other wildlife in southern California waters has increased since 2002, and scientists are not sure why.