Mavericks Owner MARK CUBAN "will not be permitted to use additional measures to weed out potential jurors based on pre-trial publicity" about his insider trading case. In a "defeat for Cuban" ahead of his Sept. 30 trial in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Judge SIDNEY FITZWATER on Tuesday ruled that the normal "procedure for questioning potential jurors will suffice." Cuban's attorneys had "argued in an Aug. 12 motion that potential jurors should fill out a questionnaire quizzing them on issues such as their familiarity with Cuban and the charges against him." In the absence of a questionnaire, Cuban's lawyers "had asked Fitzwater to allow for an additional 30 minutes of oral jury questioning per side prior to the seating of the jury" (CBSSPORTS.com, 9/12).
THE CAROLINA WAY: In Raleigh, Jim Jenkins noted Basketball HOFer DEAN SMITH will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom later this year, and wrote he is "absolutely worthy of the honor." Smith recruited UNC's "first black scholarship athlete" in CHARLIE SCOTT. Smith "lent his name to campaigns for integration and against the death penalty." He is "deserving of the latest high honor not just for wins and losses and high sportsmanship, but for being a man in full, a man of conviction and humanity, who didn't just talk about freedom but fought for it" (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 9/12).
NAMES: Daytona Beach police said that Tomoka Correctional Institution officer SHANNON LEE WIGGINS "stole more than $100,000 of NASCAR merchandise from two vendor trailers" at Daytona Int'l Speedway. Police said that he "worked in partnership with another corrections officer who was selling the stolen goods on eBay and sharing the profits with Wiggins" (Daytona Beach NEWS-JOURNAL, 9/13)....Texans Owner BOB MCNAIR "provided free tickets and nosh valued up to $8,800 to host Harris County lawmakers in his luxury box for a pre-season game last month, bringing his total ticket and food giveaways to state lawmakers to nearly $70,000" since '06 (CHRON.com, 9/12)....Northern Kentucky Univ. President GEOFFREY MEARNS released investigation details which show AD SCOTT EATON was "involved in a number of activities that allowed him to take more than $300,000 from the organization." That is "twice as much as NKU's first estimates" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 9/12)....The D-Backs on Thursday were named Arizona's Most Admired Company for Workplace Culture by AZBusiness Magazine and BestCompaniesAZ at their annual event (D-Backs)....The BNP Paribas Legends Ball raised "more than $300,000 in net proceeds to support" the Int'l Tennis HOF & Museum (Tennis HOF).
