LAS VEGAS

Ensign, facing ethics probe, opts not to seek third term

Republican Sen. John Ensign of Nevada, damaged politically and facing a Senate ethics investigation over an extramarital affair, said Monday he won’t seek re-election next year.

Ensign, who is under investigation by the Senate Ethics Committee, said he decided last week against seeking a third term because he was worried about the effect of an “exceptionally ugly” campaign on his family.

“I’m putting them first, instead of my career,” Ensign said.

Ensign, 52, acknowledged in June 2009 that he had an extramarital affair with Cynthia Hampton, a former member of his campaign staff, and that he had helped her husband, Doug Hampton, a member of his congressional staff, obtain lobbying work with a Nevada company.

He denied he broke the law or ethics rules.

WASHINGTON

Honda, Toyota and Chrysler recalling thousands of cars

Honda recalled more than 35,000 Civic hybrids in the United States on Monday to fix a problem with the electrical system that could cause the headlights to turn off or the engine to stall.

Separately, Toyota recalled about 22,000 SUVs and trucks to address faulty tire pressure monitoring systems and Chrysler recalled about 20,000 Jeep Wranglers over steering issues.

Honda Motor Co. told the government its recall would cover 2006-2007 model year Civic hybrids. Owners can call Honda at (800) 999-1009 and select option four.

Toyota Motor Corp.’s recall includes some versions of the 2008-2011 Toyota FJ Cruiser, Land Cruiser, Sequoia, Tacoma and Tundra. Owners can call Toyota at (800) 331-4331.

Chrysler Group LLC said its Jeep recall covers Wranglers from the 2010-2011 model years over potential loose fasteners to the front and rear axles. Owners can call Chrysler at (800) 853-1403.

 

Commerce chief expected to be named ambassador

President Obama will nominate Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, the son and grandson of Chinese immigrants, to be the next U.S. ambassador to China, a senior administration official said Monday. A formal announcement could come as early as today.

If confirmed by the Senate, Locke would succeed Jon Huntsman, one of the few Republicans in Obama’s administration. Huntsman recently tendered his resignation, effective next month, and he is eyed as a potential GOP challenger to Obama in the 2012 presidential contest.

Locke is the first Chinese American to serve as commerce secretary. Both his father and grandfather were born in China.

MIAMI

Police: Parents killed girl after torturing her, twin

A 10-year-old Florida girl and her twin brother sometimes spent days on end locked in a bathroom, their hands and feet bound, enduring their parents’ abuse before the girl’s father punched and beat her to death as she cried and screamed, police said Monday.

Authorities charged the girl’s parents with her death, the culmination of what they called months of abuse and torture. Police said Jorge Barahona ended that on Feb. 11 when he grabbed Nubia from the bathroom and beat her to death. His wife, Carmen, is accused of encouraging her husband’s abuse and abusing the children herself, according to the arrest warrant.

Both have been charged with first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and child neglect in the girl’s death. Her body was found on Valentine’s Day, stuffed in plastic bags in the back of her father’s truck along a busy Interstate.

“It’s one of the saddest commentaries on the human condition I’ve ever seen,” Miami-Dade police Director James Loftus said.

A child protective investigator visited the home on Feb. 10, one day before Nubia’s death, after the state received a call to its abuse hotline. But Carmen Barahona said that the couple had separated and that the twins were with her husband. She has since admitted lying, police said.

The surviving twin, Victor, was found in the front of the truck, badly burned from a toxic chemical. Police called the boy, who is now living in a specialized foster home, a hero and key witness.

CHICAGO

Study finds 500,000 teens have had an eating disorder

More than half a million U.S. teens have had an eating disorder but few have sought treatment for the problem, government research shows.

The study is billed as the largest and most comprehensive analysis of eating disorders. It involved nationally representative data on more than 10,000 teens ages 13 to 18.

Binge-eating disorder was the most common, affecting more than 1.5 percent of kids studied. Just under 1 percent had experienced bulimia, and 0.3 percent had had anorexia. Overall, 3 percent had a lifetime prevalence of one of the disorders. Another 3 percent of kids questioned had troubling symptoms but not full-fledged eating disorders.

The study was released online Monday in Archives of General Psychiatry.

The rates are slightly higher than in other studies. And the study is based on kids and parents interviewed over two years ending in 2004. But co-author and researcher Kathleen Merikangas of the National Institute of Mental Health said similar rates likely exist today.

 

 

— From news service reports