All the news that's fit to print

Here's a general recap of the news today:

Caldwell conceded that his actions may not have been appropriate regarding Milgaard's Supreme Court trial in 1992. According to the Star Phoenix, Bobs Caldwell wrote the federal justice department, intimating that Joyce Milgaard's description of David's conviction was not accurate.

Caldwell's letter to the Justice Department was written several years before David was exonerated by DNA in 1997, thus, Caldwell was still convinced of David's guilt despite retractions from Ron Wilson and Nicole John. The former prosecutor admitted that he may have used "bad judgment" in that letter.

In addition, Caldwell admitted that he wrote to the National Parole Board whenever Milgaard applied for parole, recommending against it. In those letters, CBC News reported, Caldwell "describes Milgaard as a killer with a long history of criminal behaviour." Hersh Wolch, David's lawyer, asked Caldwell why he would've thought that Dave had a criminal past when in fact he had none.

OTHER NEWS

One. Thanks to the efforts of the Winnipeg AIDWYC and lawyers, James Lockyer and Al Libman, Kyle Unger will be released on bail from a Manitoba prison after serving 13 years in jail for first degree murder. What took so long? DNA evidence from last year showed that Unger couldn't have committed the crime.

Two. Here in Ontario, NDP Leader Howard Hampton demanded that Premier McGuinty call a public inquiry into questionable actions of pathologist Dr. Charles Smith. Smith is the former head of pediatrics at Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto; 44 of the autopsies that he performed are currently under investigation.

You will remember that Smith was the pathologist in the Mullins-Johnson case. A mother by the name of Louise Reynolds was also accused of killing her 7-year-old daughter, based on an assessment by Dr.Smith. Later on, the charge was dropped after specialists determined that the girl died from fatal dog bites. Meanwhile, Louise Reynolds spent two years in pretrial custody.

The Ontario Attorney General, Michael Bryant, did not embrace the notion of a public inquiry for wrongdoings associated with Charles Smith's medical examinations. Bryant wants to wait until the present review of Smith's cases has been completed.

Sigrid Mac