A federal jury Tuesday awarded $553.9 million to property owners who live downwind of the now-defunct Rocky Flats nuclear-weapons plant, rejecting long-held government arguments that there was no risk from plutonium contamination. The verdict was the culmination of a 16-year mission by property owners and activists who believe the federal government has hidden behind a veil of national security to avoid taking responsibility for pollution from the Cold War-era factory

Last Updated On 2/17/2006 12:57:54 AM