briefs package

Hospital worker sentenced to prison

A traveling medical technician was sentenced Monday to 39 years in prison for stealing painkillers and infecting dozens of patients in multiple states with hepatitis C through tainted syringes. David Kwiatkowski, 34, was a cardiac technologist in 18 hospitals in seven states before being hired at New Hampshire’s Exeter Hospital in 2011. He had moved from job to job despite being fired at least four times over allegations of drug use and theft. Since his arrest last year, 46 people have been diagnosed with the same strain of hepatitis C he carries. Kwiatkowski pleaded guilty in August to 16 federal drug charges.

VATICAN CITY

PM gives pope book on Inquisition

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday gave Pope Francis a book about the Inquisition in Spain written by his late father, an expert on the Catholic Church’s forced conversion and expulsion of Jews in the 15th century. Netanyahu presented a Spanish translation of the 1995 book, “The Origins of the Inquisition,” to Francis during their 25-minute private audience. He also gave the pope a large silver menorah. Netanyahu’s father, Ben-Zion Netanyahu, was an Israeli historian who died last year. Francis thanked him and presented Netanyahu with a small bronze plaque of St. Paul.

MEXICO

Mass graves body count at 64

The number of bodies found in mass graves in western Mexico is 64, an official in Mexico’s federal government said Monday. He said authorities finished searching the graves Saturday. He said many of the remains had been bound or gagged and some showed signs of torture. The graves are in La Barca, a town in a remote area by Lake Chapala, which is popular among tourists and American retirees. It is in a region where the Knights Templar and New Generation drug cartels are fighting each other.

GUAM

Invasive snakes get toxic-mice meal

Federal biologists took another step toward finding a way to kill invasive brown tree snakes on Guam. Crews dropped mice filled with mild toxins Monday onto a pair of test sites on Andersen Air force Base. The mice are packed with 80 milligrams of acetaminophen, enough to kill a snake but not a cat unless the feline eats 15 of the mice. Dogs and pigs would have to eat far more to be affected. The snakes were accidentally introduced to the island about 60 years ago and have caused millions of dollars in damage. Transmitters implanted in the mice help track the eradication program’s success.

MISSISSIPPI

Judge refuses to grant gay divorce

A judge on Monday refused to grant a divorce to a lesbian couple who got married in California, saying the marriage wasn’t recognized under state law, according to the woman who filed and her lawyer. Lauren Beth Czekala-Chatham, who filed for the divorce in September in north Mississippi’s DeSoto County, said the judge seemed sympathetic and that she plans to appeal the ruling. Czekala-Chatham and Dana Ann Melancon traveled to San Francisco to get married in 2008. The pair could get a divorce in California, but Czekala-Chatham said she shouldn’t be treated differently than straight couples.

KENTUCKY

Missing bourbon sparks $10,000 reward

Authorities trying to solve a distillery heist that netted cases of prized Kentucky bourbon have monitored websites and interviewed more than 100 people since the pricey whiskey was taken weeks ago. Now a cash reward is getting mixed in. Sheriff Pat Melton in Kentucky’s Franklin County dangled a $10,000 reward on Monday for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever stole the hard-to-get Pappy Van Winkle bourbon and rye whiskey. The whiskey was taken in mid-October. The heist netted 195 bottles of 20-year-old Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve bourbon and 27 bottles of 13-year-old Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye. The missing whiskey has a retail value of about $26,000.