War with Iraq may cost more than $40 billion

WASHINGTON – No one really knows how… War with Iraq may cost more than $40 billion

WASHINGTON – No one really knows how much a war with Iraq would cost, but educated guesses by military and economic experts put a Gulf War-type invasion in the $40 billion to $100 billion range.

They felt the $100 billion to $200 billion cited by White House economic adviser Lawrence Lindsey was too high. As a one-time cost, it’s something the federal government could probably absorb. What economists worry about is the indirect costs of a war. Higher oil prices or a shattering of consumer confidence could push a fragile economy into recession.

– Ken Moritsugu, Knight Ridder Newspapers

University of North Dakota makes changes after civil rights check

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – On the heels of a two-year investigation by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, the University of North Dakota is making its discrimination, harassment and grievance policies more explicit.

According to an OCR letter to UND President Charles Kupchella, the investigation found that the university was aware of claims of a racially hostile environment on its campus, but it failed to take “appropriate responsive action.”

The investigation led to a resolution agreement between UND and the OCR in which the school has promised to take numerous steps during the next two years to make it clearer to students, staff and faculty that harassment is unacceptable. The school also will make it easier for people to understand correct procedures for reporting discrimination and harassment.

– David Dodds, Knight Ridder Newspapers

‘Girl Gone Wild’ may get her day in court

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The case of a former Florida State University student who exposed her breasts and unwittingly became a “Girl Gone Wild” may go to trial in Tallahassee.

But the Girls Gone Wild videomakers defeated a similar lawsuit in Louisiana earlier this year, in which a judge ruled that women who “flash” in public don’t have to consent to being filmed.

Jury selection has been set for Oct. 7 in Becky Lynn Gritzke v. M.R.A. Holding and Mantra Films, producers of the Girls Gone Wild video series, which features young women baring their bodies, usually in public.

The 25-year-old Gritzke, a one-time swimsuit calendar model, said she was videotaped without her permission when she pulled up her top on New Orleans’ Bourbon Street at the 2000 Mardi Gras celebration.

– James L. Rosica, Knight Ridder Newspapers

Reno concedes defeat; McBride expected to name running mate

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Bill McBride is expected to choose state Sen. Tom Rossin for a running mate Wednesday as Democrats try to jump-start their stalled campaign to oust Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

Janet Reno conceded defeat in a nationally televised news conference from her Miami headquarters Tuesday, urging voters not to be discouraged by the late poll openings and machine breakdowns that hurt her chance for the nomination last week. Reno said she will do anything McBride asks of her in the general election campaign and will work, as a private citizen and attorney, to fix fractured elections systems that brought back memories of the 2000 presidential election chaos.

– Bill Cotterell, Knight Ridder Newspapers