Across the southeast

Teacher fired after protest wins appeal

LEXINGTON, Ky. - A teacher who was fired after spending three months in jail for her part in a Georgia protest wasn't insubordinate, the Kentucky Court of Appeals said.

The appeals court's ruling Friday dismissed insubordination charges against former Henry Clay High School teacher Janice Sevre-Duszynska.

Ms. Sevre-Duszynska was arrested during a November 2001 demonstration at Fort Benning - the site of the former School of the Americas. Every November, protesters gathered to denounce the site as a training ground for terrorists.

She was found guilty of trespassing and spent three months in prison, from September to December 2002. She was dismissed for conduct unbecoming a teacher, violating the professional conduct of teachers and insubordination.

Fisherman succeeds in suit against Dupont

LAUREL, MISS. - An oyster fisherman who claimed chemicals from a DuPont factory caused his rare blood cancer was awarded $14 million in actual damages in the first of 1,996 lawsuits involving the plant.

A jury found DuPont DeLisle at fault Friday for Glen Strong's multiple myeloma. Mr. Strong's wife received $1.5 million for loss of "love and companionship." The jury will meet Monday to decide on punitive damages.

DuPont officials say they plan to appeal.

"There is no connection between our operations and any health effects alleged by the plaintiffs," spokeswoman Mary Kate Campbell said.

Mr. Strong and 1,995 other plaintiffs filed lawsuits claiming releases of dioxins from the plant caused a variety of health problems. The chemical company is defending each case individually.

DuPont DeLisle, about five miles from Mr. Strong's home, makes titanium dioxide, a white pigment used in paint, plastics, toothpaste and other products.

Man pleads guilty to plotting two deaths

TAMPA, FLA. - A man accused of bragging about having ties to a terrorist organization has pleaded guilty to charges that he plotted to kill a federal agent and an informant.

Wissam Taysir Hammoud, 40, of Sarasota, pleaded guilty Friday after prosecutors agreed to recommend a reduced sentence and he agreed to cooperate in unspecified investigations.

He could receive a sentence of life in prison for the charges, which included solicitation to commit murder and retaliating against a witness.

Mr. Hammoud, who wept at Friday's hearing, said he is taking three psychiatric drugs.

He had told investigators he tried to kill two people because of their involvement in his 2001 conviction for possession and transfer of a machine gun and a sawed-off shotgun.

According to a signed plea agreement, Mr. Hammoud demonstrated how he wanted the informant shot and killed. He also had joked about decapitating the informant and sending his head to the agent's house.

Authorities said Mr. Hammoud once bragged of ties to Hezbollah, which the government lists as a terrorist group. Investigators said his statements had not been confirmed.