U.S. District Judge Lawrence Piersol gave Goltz and his attorneys one month to present written arguments. Piersol said he couldn't accept the plea until Goltz knows what penalty he could face. The diverted track caused a train to plow into parked boxcars, killing Davis and injuring Baum. Goltz told investigators that he switched the tracks as a prank, but later argued that he was too drunk and high to waive his rights to talk to police without a lawyer. He said the purposeful overdose produced a hallucinogenic effect.
Funds have yet to be provided in any Presidential budget proposal to support the program.
The program must be made operative immediately, Chairman Don Young said. Hackers shut down STB website Hackers knocked the Surface Transportation Board's website offline on April 30, leaving it unable to post railroad decisions or use e-mail. The site was still down five days after the initial incident. The STB is responsible for oversight of the nation's railroad industry, and sends out rulings on mergers and other railroad activities daily. Their e-mail list has over 2,000 subscribers.