Court: Withholding Evidence Didn't Violate Prisoner's Rights

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court upheld a Virginia murderer's death sentence today, ruling that state prosecutors did not violate Tommy David Strickler's rights by withholding evidence he said would have helped his case.

The 7-2 decision means Virginia authorities are free to schedule an execution date for Strickler.

Strickler "has not shown that there is a reasonable probability that his conviction or sentence would have been different had these materials been disclosed," Justice John Paul Stevens wrote for the court.

Strickler and Ronald Lee Henderson were convicted in the 1990 murder of 19-year-old Leanne Whitlock, a sophomore at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va.

In other cases today:

Debtors: The court limited federal judges' authority to protect plaintiffs in lawsuits by barring defendants from spending or giving away their assets. The 5-4 ruling said a New York federal judge lacked the authority to bar a consortium of Mexican companies from transferring assets while they were being sued by U.S. investors.

Federal workers: The justices ruled that federal employees have the right to a union representative's help when they are questioned by an agency inspector general.

TWO NURSING SUPERVISORS HELD HOSTAGE BY FIRED EMPLOYEE

NORRISTOWN, Pa. - Two nursing supervisors at Pennsylvania's largest mental hospital were taken hostage by a fired employee, and remained hostage this morning more than 24 hours after their ordeal began.

Police were negotiating by phone with Dennis Czajkowski, 40, a nurse who told authorities his dismissal from Norristown State Hospital in this Philadelphia suburb was unjust and wanted a probe into the decision to fire him, Capt. Thomas LaCrosse said today. Authorities said he was fired two months ago but did not say why.

State police spokesman Robert Whitbeck said Czajkowski walked into Norristown State Hospital's Building 2, which houses nursing administration offices, yesterday morning and fired his gun once into the ceiling.

When three guards approached him, he fired four more rounds into the air, Whitbeck said. No one was hurt by any of the shots, but nursing supervisors Maria Jordan and Carol Kepner were taken hostage.

ROCKSLIDES WARNING SPURS EVACUATION AT YOSEMITE PARK

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. - About 200 tourists were evacuated from their cabins after a geologist warned there could be more rockslides like the one that killed a climber over the weekend.

After studying the area from a helicopter and on foot, the U.S. Geological Survey geologist determined there were additional fractures on the side of the cliff where the first boulders broke loose Sunday. "He felt it was ready to go," Yosemite spokesman Scott Gediman said yesterday. "It could be in the next few hours or the next few weeks. Predicting rockslides is not an exact science."

GAY FORMER POLICE OFFICER WINS $380,000 BIAS SUIT

UNIONDALE, N.Y. - A former Long Island police officer was awarded $380,000 by a federal jury that found Nassau County police officers discriminated against him because he is homosexual.

The verdict yesterday represents the first time in New York and one of the few times elsewhere in the nation that a jury has held a government entity liable for anti-gay harassment, legal experts said.

James Quinn, who joined the force in 1986, claimed that after fellow officers learned in 1987 that he was gay, he was discriminated against in the form of pranks and pornographic pictures hung around the station house.

He said supervisors repeatedly ignored his complaints.

FOOD COMPANY IN INDIANA RECALLS CHICKEN NUGGETS

Serenade Foods' of Indiana is recalling about 480,000 pounds of its chicken nuggets distributed nationwide because they may contain whey not listed in the ingredients.

The Maple Leaf Farms brand Crunchy Chicken Nuggets in 10-ounce packages bear the code "Est. #P-2375" on the front. The recall affects all Crunchy Chicken Nuggets produced between Jan. 1 and May 4.

Whey can be a hazard for people with milk allergies.

Consumers with questions about the recall can call Serenade Foods at 219-658-4121.