Cross Country
More Trouble for D.A. in Duke Case
The spotlight keeps getting hotter for Durham, N.C., District Attorney Mike Nifong. In December, Nifong dropped rape charges against three white Duke lacrosse players while maintaining charges of kidnapping and sexual assault of a black stripper at a party in March. The surprise move followed revelations that Nifong withheld DNA evidence taken from the accuser's body and underwear that showed no match to the Duke athletes.
Last week, the North Carolina State Bar Association filed ethics charges against Nifong. The complaint makes no mention of the DNA but says Nifong's many statements to the news media "had a substantial likelihood of prejudicing" the criminal proceedings. The complaint says that Nifong repeatedly used the word rape in referring to the case, while also mentioning "a deep racial motivation" for the attack. The district attorney wasn't commenting on the latest development but has said his only regret was speaking so often to the media. The highly unusual public condemnation of Nifong by the state bar association opens the possibility that he could be removed or resign from the case.
Rock Legend's Enduring Appeal
Elvis may have left the building, but he's still "the King" with the philatelic set. The U.S. Postal Service announced that a 1993 stamp commemorating Elvis Presley is the most popular collected stamp of all time. More than 124 million of the Elvis stamps have been collected, according to a survey of 10,000 households conducted by the Postal Service. "His persona has continued to radiate worldwide," says Postal Service Spokesman Roy Betts. Indeed. More than 600,000 people yearly visit Elvis's Graceland Mansion home in Memphis.
Among the other popular stamps were those celebrating America's natural wonders and comic book superheroes. The Postal Service receives stamp ideas from some 50,000 people yearly, but only about 20 to 25 subjects make the cut.
With Peter Cary, Kevin Whitelaw, Bret Schulte and Associated Press
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