Steer on the loose from Ohio slaughterhouse

CINCINNATI -- Searchers on the ground and in a sheriff's department helicopter Monday were looking for an Angus steer that postponed its date with a slaughterhouse by bolting out a gate that had inadvertently been left open.

The more than 1,000-pound animal escaped from a slaughterhouse holding pen Monday morning and ran into the woods of suburban Cincinnati, according to Colerain Township police and the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office.

The steer was last seen heading into woods several blocks north of Stehlin's Meat Market and Interstate 275, said Dick Stehlin, co-owner of the meatpacking business. He said the bovine should be approached with caution.

"It's not, say, a mean animal or anything like that; it's just sort of in a panic stage," Stehlin said. "It's just out running, not even knowing where it's heading."

It's not the first time a steer has been on the loose in the Cincinnati area. In September 2006, a steer named Little Red ran from a fair and eluded capture for three days.

Bond revoked for businessman who raised cash for Obama

CHICAGO -- A judge revoked the $2 million bond Monday for indicted businessman Antoin "Tony" Rezko, who has raised thousands of dollars for Barack Obama and Illinois politicians.

U.S. District Judge Amy J. St. Eve said she grew concerned after learning Rezko received $3.5 million from a company in Lebanon; he had claimed that he had no income. St. Eve said she feared Rezko could be a flight risk.

The real estate developer and fast food magnate was arrested Monday morning at his home in suburban Wilmette. At an afternoon hearing, the judge ordered him into custody and scheduled a Tuesday hearing where Rezko's attorneys will attempt to get bond reinstated.

Rezko has pleaded not guilty to charges of fraud, attempted extortion and money laundering, and is scheduled to stand trial Feb. 25. He is accused of pressuring businesses seeking work before two state regulatory boards to make campaign contributions and payoffs.

Rezko had long been a fundraiser for Gov. Rod Blagojevich and for Obama, the presidential candidate and senator from Illinois. Neither Democrat has been accused of wrongdoing in the case.

Obama has said he had no indication of problems with Rezko when he accepted thousands of dollars in campaign contributions. When prosecutors unsealed their charges against Rezko in 2006, Obama gave $11,500 in Rezko contributions to charities.

Obama has since sought to distance himself from Rezko, even as his main Democratic rival -- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton -- invoked Rezko's name and his "slum-lord business" during a recent debate.

1 dead, 1 hurt, 1 still trapped in demolition of abandoned building

SAN FRANCISCO -- A boiler at an abandoned power substation fell during a demolition project Monday, killing a worker, seriously injuring another and sending firefighters scrambling to free a third who was trapped.

Crews were working to reach the trapped person, Fire Department spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge said. The area was strewn with debris, and about a dozen emergency vehicles were lined up.

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. spokesman David Eisenhower said he could not immediately provide any details about the accident or the building. The power plant had recently been decommissioned, he said.

"Our first concern, our main concern, is with the welfare of the folks out there," Eisenhower said.

Detroit mayor's chief of staff resigns amid perjury allegations

DETROIT -- Christine Beatty, Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's chief of staff, said Monday she is resigning amid allegations that she and the mayor lied under oath about an affair.

In a letter to Kilpatrick that was released by his office, Beatty said she believes she can no longer effectively carry out her duties. Her resignation takes effect Feb. 8.

"I painfully regret the devastation that the recent reports have caused to the citizens of Detroit, to my co workers, to the Mayor's family and to my family and friends," Beatty wrote in the letter.

Kilpatrick spokesman James Canning said the mayor's office had no comment.

There was no immediate response to messages seeking comment from Elliott Hall, a lawyer for Beatty.

A prosecutor launched an investigation last week into the allegations, which came to light when the Detroit Free Press reported details of steamy text messages between Beatty and Kilpatrick.

A conviction of lying under oath can bring up to 15 years' imprisonment.

Both Kilpatrick and Beatty testified in a trial last summer that they did not have a physical relationship in 2002 and 2003, when the messages were reportedly sent. The 14,000 messages examined by the newspaper reveal the two carried on a flirty, sometimes sexually explicit dialogue about where to meet and how to conceal their numerous trysts.

Jury selection to begin for mother accused of microwaving baby

DAYTON, Ohio -- Investigators believe China Arnold killed her infant daughter by putting her in a microwave oven. Arnold's attorneys argue she had nothing to do with the baby's death in 2005.

Jury selection for Arnold was scheduled to begin Monday in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court. Arnold, 27, has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder. If convicted, she could face the death penalty.

Police investigators believe Arnold killed 1-month-old Paris Talley by putting her in a microwave at her home. Coroner's officials have said the baby suffered high-heat internal injuries and had no external burns. They have ruled out scalding water, open flame or other possible causes of death that could have damaged the skin.

Defense attorney Jon Paul Rion has said Arnold had nothing to do with her daughter's death and was stunned when investigators told her that a microwave might have been involved. Arnold took the baby to the hospital after finding her unconscious and does not know how she died, Rion said.

During a pretrial hearing in July, police Detective Michael Galbraith said Arnold told him she arrived home in the early morning hours after drinking, fell asleep and was awakened at 2:30 a.m. by the baby's crying.

She said she warmed a bottle in the microwave oven, tried to give it to the baby, changed the child's diaper and then fell asleep on the couch with the baby on her chest.

Arnold said she and her children were the only ones in the apartment until her boyfriend arrived several hours later and noticed something was wrong with the baby.

Galbraith said Arnold told him: "If I hadn't gotten so drunk, I guess my baby wouldn't have died."

States resort to innovative ways to raise money

ALBANY, N.Y. -- It's the perfect tax: Government exacts a big payment without having to fend off lobbyists or wage a political fight. And in most cases, the taxpayer doesn't even have a say.

That's the allure of New York's proposal to tax illegal drugs, just one of the innovative -- and sometimes odd -- ways states are trying to raise revenue in these increasingly gloomy economic times.

Politicians love to use such methods because they don't have to raise income taxes. But critics say that's also the danger, if long-term problems never get fixed and essentials such as health care and education go wanting.

Need a few million dollars to fill a budget deficit? Lease a toll highway, like Indiana and Virginia did; or lease toll bridges as in Alabama; or cash in on future lottery profits as a half-dozen states are considering. You could slap a tax on pornography as six states already have, or tax strip joints like they do in Texas, where they call it a "pole tax."

Some states take a slice out of pumpkin sales at Halloween. And most states tax Shaquille O'Neal and Barry Bonds when they visit, using a "jock tax" on professional athletic events.

Amused? That will cost you, too. Many states collect an amusement tax for live performances.