WICO Afternoon News  For: JUL 30,2010        Man freed after DNA clears him of rape          A man who served 22 years in prison for a rape and murder he says he doesn't commit has been freed based on new DNA evidence.          James Thompson was granted a new trial Thursday in Baltimore Circuit Court.   He immediately entered a new plea and received a sentence that amounted to time served.          Assistant State's Attorney Sharon Holback says Thompson "is in no way exonerated. " He entered an Alford plea to murder, meaning he acknowledges there is enough evidence to convict him.          Thompson and James Owens had been convicted in the 1987 rape and murder of 24-year-old Colleen Williar inside her Baltimore rowhouse.   But DNA evidence discovered a few years ago cleared both men of the rape.   Owens was released in 2008 after the charges against him were dropped.  ( )        100,000 acres of Del. farmland preserved          State agriculture officials say Delaware has preserved 100,000 acres of farmland.          The preservation program, which began in 1994, allows farmers to give up their rights to develop their land so that crops are not replaced by development.          Farmer Bill Vanderwende says it's a way to pass fields on to future generations.          More than 600 families and landowners have taken part in the program.  ( )        DE House candidate Carney calls for Del. water study          A U. S.   House candidate wants a working group to see if there is a link between cancer rates and contaminants in the state's groundwater.          Former Lt.   Gov.   John Carney requested the working group on Wednesday after a News Journal report revealed little has been done to tell state residents about pollution threats to their drinking water.          Carney says: "When you talk to people up and down the state, they're convinced the cancer rates are caused by contaminants in the environment. "          Earlier this month he announced he would work to fund a separate statewide study that examines contaminants and toxins found in bodily fluids, hair and tissues of Delaware patients.           ( ) © July 30, 2010 Delmarva Broadcasting Company - All Rights Reserved - Copyrighted Material. Advanced permission required for publication or rebroadcast from Delmarva Broadcasting Company.

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