Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/14302
8A – Daily News – Wednesday, August 4, 2010 WORLD BRIEFING 9 killed in Conn. beer distributor shooting MANCHESTER, Conn. (AP) — A warehouse driver who was caught on video- tape stealing beer from the distributorship where he worked went on a shooting rampage there Tuesday, killing eight people before committing suicide, author- ities said. At least two people were wounded, one critically, Manchester police said. They were expected to sur- vive. The gunman, identified by a company executive as Omar Thornton, had com- plained of racial harassment and said he found a picture of a noose and a racial epi- thet written on a bathroom wall, the mother of his girl- friend said. Her daughter told her that Thornton’s supervisors had not responded to his com- plaints, but a union official said Thornton had not filed a complaint of racism to the union or any government agency. Thornton had been caught on videotape steal- ing beer from Hartford Dis- tributors and was supposed to meet with company offi- cials when the shootings began, Teamsters official Christopher Roos said. Crews begin attempt to plug oil well NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Engineers began pumping heavy drilling mud into the blown-out Gulf of Mexico oil well Tuesday in what they think is their best chance yet to reach the ultimate goal in a delicate process — snuffing one of the world’s largest spills for good. Crews began the long- awaited effort dubbed the ‘‘static kill’’ around 3 p.m. Central time, BP spokesman John Barnes told The Associated Press. The effort involves pumping mud and eventu- ally, crews hope, cement down a pipe to seal off the source of the oil. Tests for the effort started a couple hours ear- lier as crews probed the broken well bore with an oil-like liquid to deter- mine whether there were any obstructions in the well and to assess the pressure of the bore and the pump rates it could withstand. Crews should know within hours whether the mud is pushing down the oil as envisioned. But engineers still won’t know for more than a week whether the attempt achieved its goal because they have to wait for com- pletion of an 18,000-foot relief well to reach the reservoir from the bottom. ‘‘This is a really posi- tive step forward,’’ retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said earlier, calling it ‘‘good news in a time where that hasn’t been very much good news, but it shouldn’t be a cause for premature celebration.’’ Spill, record temperatures fail to sway energy votes WASHINGTON (AP) — The worst oil spill in U.S. history and a year on track to be the hottest on record were not enough to push an energy bill through the Senate this summer. Senate Democratic leaders announced Tues- day they don’t have the 60 votes necessary to pass a scaled-back bill that would lift the cap on oil spill liability for energy companies and jump-start electric and natural gas- powered cars. Majority Leader Harry Reid said he was unable to find a handful of Republicans to vote for a bill. The delay is the latest setback for Democrats trying to pass energy leg- islation. Late last month, they were forced to drop a limit on pollution blamed for global warming because there wasn’t enough support for it. NYC panel clears way for mosque NEW YORK (AP) — Ignoring jeers and cries of ‘‘Shame on you,’’ a city commission on Tuesday denied landmark status to a building near the World Trade Center site that can now be demolished to make way for an Islamic community center and mosque. The Landmarks Preservation Commission said in voting 9-0 that the 152-year-old building isn’t distinctive enough to qualify as a landmark. ‘‘This is not a building of special aesthetic char- acter,’’ said Commission- er Diana Chapin, echoing the remarks of her col- leagues. The proposed mosque has emerged as a national political issue, with prominent Republicans from Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich lining up against it. The Anti-Defamation League, the nation’s most promi- nent Jewish civil rights group, also opposes it. Former Rep. Rick Lazio, a Republican who is running for governor of New York, attended the commission meeting and criticized the group that is building the mosque, the Cordoba Initiative. Flooding spreads to Pakistan’s heartland KOT ADDU, Pakistan (AP) — Floodwaters surged into Pakistan’s heart- land and swallowed dozens of villages Tuesday, adding to a week of destruction that has already ravaged the mountainous northwest and killed 1,500 people. The rush of muddy water over river banks in Punjab threatened to destroy vast stretches of crops that make the province Pakistan’s bread- basket, prompting the U.N. to warn that an estimated 1.8 million people will need to be fed in the coming weeks. Adding to the misery, fresh rains in the northwest threatened to overwhelm a major dam and unleash a new deluge, while rescue workers struggled to deliver aid to some 3.2 million peo- ple affected by the floods despite washed-out bridges and roads and downed com- munication lines. The government has struggled to cope with the scale of the disaster at a time when it is grappling with a faltering economy and a brutal war against the Tal- iban. Several foreign countries and aid organizations have stepped in to support the government, including the United States, which announced Tuesday that it was sending six large mili- tary helicopters from Afghanistan to help with the relief effort. But many flood victims have complained that aid is not reaching them fast enough or at all. That anger could grow as floodwaters surge through Punjab, Pak- istan’s most populous province. Bristol Palin, Levi Johnston call off 2nd engagement ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston have called off their second engage- ment after he told her he may have fathered a baby with another girl. The other girl was not identified, but a pregnant ex-girlfriend of Johnston has publicly denied he is the father. Palin, the 19-year-old daughter of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, told Peo- ple magazine that Johnston told her about the baby on July 14, the day the couple had announced their engagement. Bristol Palin and Johnston have a toddler son together, Tripp. Palin said the ‘‘final straw’’ was when Johnston told her he was going to Hollywood to see a hunting show, but actually went there to star in a music video mocking her family. Palin had said that she didn’t have her mother’s full support over reconnecting with Johnston, 20. She said both her mother and father Todd worried that she would get hurt again. BlackBerry Torch hits Aug. 12 NEW YORK (AP) — B 6 The first BlackBerry that combines a touch screen with the device’s signa- ture full-alphabet key- board is coming to AT&T stores next week. Research In Motion Ltd., the Canadian com- pany that makes the BlackBerry, says the BlackBerry Torch will cost $199. The keyboard slides out from underneath the screen. RIM’s first touch-screen model, the Storm, lacked a keyboard and hasn’t proved popu- lar. BINGO Community Center 1500 S. Jackson St. Doors open @ 5:30 pm FOOD AVAILABLE $100 BLACK OUT $50 minimum Buy-In $10 • Early Birds $5 Friday, Aug. 6TH Red Bluff FREE KIDS HAIR CUTS Sun. Aug. 15 2-6 pm Red Bluff River Park FREE FOOD ★ KIDS GAMES LIVE MUSIC 529-4074 Beauticians needed ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● Come see us at the Children’s Fair on April 24th Recently expanded and moved near Bidwell Elementary License # 525405817 My qualifications include: B.A. in Elementary Education and experience teaching grades K-8. Accepting state pay programs & cash pay, etc. (530) 209-8743 ! 65 0 28 I N G 52 B 6 28 I N G 52 65 0