WASHINGTON — A man serving a prison sentence for attacking women in a Washington park pleaded not guilty yesterday to killing federal intern Chandra Levy.

Ingmar Guandique, 27, was arraigned in District of Columbia Superior Court on six counts, including first-degree murder, kidnapping and attempted sexual abuse. He pleaded not guilty to all counts.

Levy, a Modesto, Calif., native, disappeared in May 2001, and her remains were found in Rock Creek Park a year later. Guandique has been serving a 10-year sentence for two other attacks in the same park. The case has been blamed for destroying the political career of former U.S. Rep. Gary Condit of California, who was romantically linked to Levy. Authorities questioned the Democrat who represented the Modesto district where Levy grew up, but he was never a suspect.

CALIFORNIA FIRES BURN 500 ACRES OF BRUSH

MORENO VALLEY, Calif. — Fire investigators say arson is the suspected cause of two fires that have merged, burning more than 500 acres in Riverside County.

The fires, about a quarter-mile apart, were reported yesterday afternoon in the Moreno Valley area, about 60 miles southeast of Los Angeles. The blaze is 50 percent contained with full containment expected this morning.

At the height of the blaze, the fire entered the Lake Perris State Recreation Area, prompting an evacuation.

Officials say no structures are threatened.

The county's fire incident Web site lists arson as the cause of the fire and asks anyone with suspect information to contact the department. A call to the county Fire Department went unanswered last night.

CALIFORNIA'S GAY MARRIAGE BAN APPEALED

Spurned by the California Supreme Court, gay couples wanting to marry appealed to the federal courts yesterday to strike down Proposition 8 as unconstitutional state interference in a citizen's fundamental right to lawful wedlock.

The lawsuit brought by two high-powered lawyers and unlikely allies, former Bush administration Solicitor General Theodore Olson and his Bush v. Gore opponent David Boies, was met with some skepticism about the conservative Olson's motives for getting involved in a rights battle usually spearheaded by liberals.

The challenge brought in U.S. District Court in San Francisco also worried gay-rights advocates, who have avoided taking the issue to federal court because of the predominance of conservative judges on the federal bench and the risk of adverse rulings.

CASINO EMPLOYEE SHOT TO DEATH ON JOB

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — An employee was shot yesterday afternoon inside the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort and died soon afterward, and a regular patron who knew him was in custody, state police and the casino's CEO said.

Ray Kot was a shift manager who had been with the casino since the day it opened in 1990.

"He was the loveliest human being you ever want to meet," said Mark Juliano, CEO of Trump Entertainment Resorts, which runs the casino.

Juliano said there did not appear to be a dispute between Kot and the shooter, whose identity wasn't disclosed.

Kot, of Egg Harbor Township, was shot three to four times in a nonpublic office just off the casino floor, Juliano said. He was taken to a medical center, where he died a few hours later following surgery.

MOM CHARGED WITH FAKING ABDUCTION

PHILADELPHIA — A suburban mother who claimed she and her daughter had been abducted and stuffed in a car trunk is in custody in Florida after the pair were found at Disney World, where they had flown hours after reporting their abduction, a prosecutor said yesterday.

Bonnie Sweeten, 38, of Feasterville, will be charged with false reports and identity theft, both misdemeanors, Bucks County District Attorney Michelle Henry said.

"We're pleased to be able to announce that she's in custody and more importantly that her 9-year-old daughter is safe," Henry said.

Henry said that Sweeten borrowed a co-worker's driver's license and presented it as her own when she bought an airline ticket and flew to Orlando, Fla., then checked into the Grand Floridian Hotel with her daughter, Julia Rakoczy. The two were taken in to custody at the hotel last night, Henry said.