NATIONAL BRIEFS

OHIO: 'Craigslist' killings case delayed

With a possible deal for leniency in the works, sentencing was delayed Monday for a teenager convicted in a deadly plot to lure men desperate for work with phony Craigslist job offers. Judge Lynne Callahan said sentencing for Brogan Rafferty, 17, would be held Friday but she did not explain the reason for the change. The announcement during a brief court session came after a 90-minute delay as prosecutors and defense attorneys met privately in the judge's chambers. Rafferty's mother, Yvette Rafferty, said the delay was "probably" related to a possible deal for leniency in return for her son's testimony against the alleged triggerman, Richard Beasley, 53. She declined to comment further, citing a gag order by the judge. Her son was convicted last week of killing three men and trying to kill a fourth, who was shot but survived.

NEW YORK: Nun facing larceny charge

A nun, Sister Mary Anne Rapp, faces grand larceny charges after more than $100,000 was stolen from two western New York churches where she worked, authorities said. The Buffalo News reports that the money was stolen from Catholic churches in Holley and Kendall, rural parishes between Buffalo and Rochester. The attorney for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo said Sister Mary Anne was placed on administrative leave more than a year ago after an audit conducted by the diocese turned up irregularities.

CALIFORNIA: Fire shuts interstate for a day

Traffic is flowing again after the all-day shutdown of a major interstate linking Southern California and Las Vegas, and homes are no longer threatened after a wildfire erupted in a mountain pass. The 350-acre fire in Cajon Pass was 5 percent surrounded by late Monday afternoon. State transportation officials say they have slowly begun reopening lanes in both directions of Interstate 15. The fire broke out as the region baked under the influence of a Santa Ana condition producing hot, dry air, and 35-mph wind gusts. Evacuations had been ordered in an area known as Mathews Ranch. Despite the progress, firefighters expect that the blaze won't be fully contained until Tuesday evening.