Briefly . . . NATION/WORLD

Cult leader convicted of rape

for forcing girl, 14, to marry

ST. GEORGE, Utah - Polygamist Warren S. Jeffs, hailed by his followers as a prophet of God but denounced by critics as a tyrannical cult leader, was convicted yesterday of being an accomplice to the rape of a 14-year-old girl in his church.

Jeffs, 51, faces up to life in prison.

The verdict, by an eight-member state jury, was a vindication of the prosecution's argument that orchestrating a marriage involving a young girl under duress made Jeffs culpable even though he was not present when the actual rape occurred.

The girl at the center of the case, who is now 21, testified that she was pressed by Jeffs in early 2001 into a "celestial marriage" she did not want, to a cousin she did not like.

Prosecutors said Jeffs, leader of a Mormon sect with an estimated 10,000 members, knew the marriage would lead to nonconsensual sex.

The jurors, who began their deliberations Friday after a week of testimony, announced Monday that they were deadlocked on one of two charges. The judge pressed them to continue. Early yesterday, for reasons the court did not explain, an alternate juror was substituted for one of the original panel members. A unanimous verdict came a few hours later.

Kids' health insurance passes House, heads for likely veto

WASHINGTON - The House yesterday passed a bill providing health insurance to more than 10 million children, but supporters of the measure fell short of the two-thirds majority they would need to override a threatened presidential veto.

House Republican leaders strenuously opposed the measure, saying it cost too much - $60 billion over five years. But 45 House Republicans voted for it, along with 220 Democrats. Republican support for the bill was more than expected.

Explaining his objections, President Bush said, "The bill goes too far toward federalizing health care and turns a program meant to help low-income children into one that covers children in some households with incomes of up to $83,000 a year."

Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, co-author of the bill, said the president's charge was "factually incorrect." The goal, Grassley said, is to sign up low-income youngsters who are already eligible but not enrolled in the State Children's Health Insurance Program, also known as S-CHIP.

Improvements in school tests

good news for Bush program

WASHINGTON - Elementary and middle school students posted solid gains in math and more modest improvements in reading in national test results released yesterday.

The scores landed in the midst of a raging debate in Congress over renewal of President Bush's No Child Left Behind education law, and provided ammo for those who want to see it extended with minimal changes.

"If we hadn't seen progress today, I think it might have been the death knell for renewing the law," said Bruce Fuller, a professor of education and public policy at the University of California at Berkeley.

Bush welcomed the news, calling it proof that his policies are "producing positive results for students across the country."

The 2002 law requires schools to test students annually in math and reading. Schools that miss benchmarks face increasingly tough consequences, such as having to replace their curriculum, teachers or principals.

Who 'stoled' Sugar Bunny?

SPOKANE, Wash. - A pet rabbit was stolen from a preschool and fliers protesting circus animal acts were left in its empty cage.

The preschool's children gathered in a circle Monday to remember Sugar Bunny, who teachers say vanished from the Community Building Children's Center on Saturday.

"Somebody stoled him," 5-year-old Zion told th e Spokesman-Review. "I'm sad."

The fliers expressed protests against the Ringling Brothers Circus, which was in town, and bore the names of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the Northwest Animal Rights Network.

Wasn't that attached to it

MAIDEN, N.C. - A man who bought a meat smoker yesterday at an auction opened it up and saw what he thought was a piece of driftwood wrapped in paper. When he unwrapped it, he found a human leg, cut off 2 to 3 inches above the knee.

The smoker had been sold at an auction of items at a storage facility, so investigators contacted the mother and son who had rented the space where the smoker was found.

The mother said her son's leg had been amputated after a plane crash and he kept the leg. The mother said her son plans to drive to Maiden to reclaim his leg, police said. *

- Daily News wire services