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DAVIDA.AGUILA—HARVARD-SMITHSONIANCENTERFORASTROPHYSICS An artist's conception depicts an Earth-like planet orbiting a star that has formed a stunning nebula. BySethBorenstein The Associated Press WASHINGTON Earthhasa few more near-twin plan- ets outside our solar sys- tem, tantalizing possibili- ties in the search for extra- terrestrial life. Astronomers announced Tuesday that depending on definitions, they have con- firmed three or four more planets that are about the same size as Earth and are in the not-too-hot, not-too- cold "Goldilocks Zone" for liquid water to form. These planets are likely to be rocky like Earth, and not gas giants or ice worlds. They get about the same heat from their star as we get from the sun, according to the latest re- sults from NASA's planet hunting Kepler telescope. But don't book your flights yet. They may be close to Earth in size and likely temperature in the gargan- tuan scale of the universe, but they aren't quite close enough for comfort. Consider two of the new planets, the nearest to Earth discovered to date. If they have atmospheres similar to Earth's — a big if — one would be a toasty 140 some degrees and the other would hover around zero, said study lead au- thor Guillermo Torres, an astronomer at the Har- vard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Life conceivably could evolve and adapt to those temperatures, he said. Oh, and they aren't ac- tually within commuting distance of Earth. Those two are 500 and 1,100 light years away; a light year is 5.9 trillion miles. What's important, said SETI Institute astronomer Douglas Caldwell, a study co-author who presented the findings at the Amer- ican Astronomical Soci- ety meeting in Seattle, is that astronomers are a bit closer to finding twins of Earth and answering the age-old question: Are we alone? "These planets do ex- ist; we didn't know that before," Torres said in a phone interview from Cambridge, Massachu- setts. "What we're really looking for is signs of life eventually. We're not there yet. It will take many years but this is the first step." Torres' team confirmed earlier discoveries and added new ones, bringing the total known number of planets that are no bigger than twice Earth's size and in the habitable tempera- ture zone to eight or nine. But that's only from a short search of a small part of our galaxy, so Torres be- lieves that Earth-like plan- ets are common through- out the cosmos, though he cannot prove it yet. Astronomersfind near-twins of Earth 'GOLDILOCKS ZONE' By Jim Salter The Associated Press ST. LOUIS The NAACP's Legal Defense and Educa- tional Fund, citing "grave legal concerns," is asking a Missouri judge to convene a new grand jury to consider charges against the Fergu- son police officer who fa- tally shot 18-year-old Mi- chael Brown. The letter submitted Monday to St. Louis County Circuit Judge Maura Mc- Shane also asks for a spe- cial prosecutor to oversee the case and an investiga- tion of the grand jury pro- ceedings that ended in No- vember with a decision not to charge Officer Darren Wilson. Lawyers and other ex- perts who analyzed grand jury transcripts for the fund raised concerns about the decision to allow a wit- ness to provide false testi- mony, erroneous legal in- structions to grand jurors, and "preferential treat- ment of Mr. Wilson by the St. Louis County Prosecut- ing Attorney's Office," said Sherrilyn Ifill, the fund's president. Wilson, who is white, fa- tally shot Brown, who was black and unarmed, on Aug. 9 in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson. The shooting led to sometimes-violent pro- tests that escalated again on Nov. 24 after McCulloch announced the grand jury decision. Ed Magee, a spokesman for St. Louis County pros- ecutor Bob McCulloch, de- clined to comment Tuesday. Messages were left with Wilson's attorney and the clerk for McShane. Nine white and three black jurors heard more than 70 hours of testimony from about 60 witnesses. McCulloch said he as- signed prosecutors in his office to present evidence, rather than doing it him- self, because he was aware of "unfounded but growing concern that the investiga- tion might not be fair." Mc- Culloch's father was a police officer killed by a black sus- pect. He did not recuse him- self from the investigation despite some calls for him to do so. In December, state Rep. Karla May, a St. Louis Dem- ocrat, called for an investi- gation of McCulloch after he said in an interview on KTRS Radio that some wit- nesses obviously lied to the grand jury. He cited a woman who claimed to have seen the shooting but "clearly wasn't present. She recounted a story right out of the news- paper" that backed up Wil- son's version of events, he told the radio station. Allowing such false testi- mony "fatally compromises the fair administration of justice," the fund wrote to the judge. But Ric Simmons, a pro- fessor at The Ohio State University's Moritz College of Law, said allowing wit- nesses to testify unfiltered may have simply been part of McCulloch's effort to stay neutral. Grand jurors usu- ally hear a shorter recount- ing of evidence that might be presented at trial, but the Ferguson grand jury heard more extensive tes- timony. "I think charitably their reason for bringing in all the evidence was so they could say, 'Look, we showed the grand jury everything, and let them make their own decision,'" Simmons said. The fund also cited con- cern about faulty legal in- structions initially given by assistant prosecutors. The information was later corrected, but jurors could have been confused, the fund said. Also Tuesday, U.S. Dis- trict Judge Carol Jackson in St. Louis extended for 45 days a temporary restrain- ing order requiring Mis- souri police to give protest- ers the chance to disperse before tear gas is deployed. Attorneys for law enforce- ment agencies and protest- ers who are suing them said they were in settlement ne- gotiations. 'GRAVE LEGAL CONCERNS' Gr ou p se ek s ne w gr an d ju ry in Ferguson police shooting JEFF ROBERSON — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Juanita Morris wipes her eye as she stands outside the remains of her business in Dellwood, Mo. On Nov. 25Juanita's Fashions R Boutique was a burned-out shell following a night of rioting a er the announcement that a grand jury would not indict a white police officer in the shooting death of Michael Brown. By Colleen Long The Associated Press NEW YORK Two suspects were arrested Tuesday fol- lowing the shootings of two plainclothes police of- ficers responding to a gro- cery store robbery, author- ities said. One of the suspects was seen on a surveillance video from the crime scene in the Bronx, police said. Charges were pending. Both officers are listed in stable condition. The shooting occurred around 10:30 p.m. Mon- day in the Tremont section. The officers were coming off their shift when they and three other plainclothes of- ficers responded to the rob- bery report. "They went above and beyond the call to pro- tect their fellow New York- ers. Thank God the officers are doing well and will re- cover," Mayor Bill de Blasio said at the hospital where the officers are recovering. The shooting came about two weeks after two officers were fatally shot while sit- ting in their patrol car in Brooklyn, and on the same day that the city touted re- cord low crime levels. Monday night's shooting unfolded as officers were searching for suspects for an armed robbery that oc- curred minutes earlier at a grocery store. Police Commissioner William Bratton said the of- ficers, part of an anti-crime unit, were in a car when they spotted two possible suspects — one outside a Chinese restaurant and an- other inside it. When the officers got out, the suspect in the restaurant opened fire, forcing the offi- cers to shoot back, Bratton said. The two suspects fled and then carjacked a white Camaro, which was later found abandoned. A revolver was recovered nearby. The organization COP SHOT, Citizens Outraged at Police Being Shot, has offered a $10,000 reward leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspects. The two officers were not identified. They were described as a 30-year-old who was shot in his left arm and lower back, and a 38-year-old hit in his left arm and chest. On Dec. 20, Officers Ra- fael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were gunned down in their patrol car by a man who vowed online to kill "pigs." The man opened fire, then ran into a subway where he shot himself to death. Ramos was buried Dec. 27; Liu was buried Sunday. Tens of thousands of offi- cers from around the coun- try attended the funerals. Many turned their backs as de Blasio spoke because some say he is anti-police. STORE ROBBERY 2 arrested a er 2 NYC officers hurt in shooting TOM MCELROY — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS New York City Mayor Billl de Blasio, second le , stands by as Police Commissioner William Bratton, second right, speaks at a news conference at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx section of New York City a er two New York City police officers were shot. By Colleen Long The Associated Press NEW YORK Tommy Gil- bert was part of the trust- fund-baby crowd, a hand- some Princeton grad who flitted between his Man- hattan home and the Hamptons and attended society parties at museums and symphonies while liv- ing off an allowance from his parents. On the surface, it was a charmed life. But he was in debt, with no job or recent work his- tory. He was a suspect in a fire that destroyed a man- sion on Long Island, a law enforcement official said. He was accused of ha- rassing a friend. And his mother told police he had a tense relationship with his Wall Street father and a history of mental illness, authorities said. On Sunday afternoon, police say, it all erupted in violence over a small amount of money. Threatened with a cut of a few hundred dol- lars in his monthly allow- ance, Gilbert went to his parents' apartment on wealthy Beekman Place on Manhattan's East Side and shot his father to death, authorities said. The 30-year-old was ar- raigned Monday on mur- der charges and jailed without bail. His attorney had no comment. Gilbert had gone to his parents' home say- ing he wanted to have a word alone with his fa- ther, hedge fund founder Thomas Gilbert Sr. His mother went out to get him some food and was gone about 15 minutes when she got a "bad feel- ing" and went back, said Robert Boyce, chief of de- tectives. She found her 70-year- old husband on the bed- room floor, a bullet hole in his head, Boyce said. A .40-caliber Glock was resting on his chest, his left hand on the gun. Boyce said it was a staged to look like suicide, but the gun wasn't in the right position for a self-inflicted wound. Detectives waited out- side Gilbert Jr.'s $3,000-a- month apartment in a six- floor walkup in Chelsea. When they saw a light go on, they went in and found bullets and empty shell casings along with 21 blank credit cards and a device for stealing card numbers, police said. "He was on a stipend from the family. Looks like he was in debt," Boyce said. SON CHARGED Police say dispute over allowance led to slaying PineStreetPlaza 332 Pine Street, Suite G Red Bluff, CA (800) 843-4271 Every Wednesday January 14, 21 & 28 Stacy Garcia, Hearing Aid Dispenser Lic. 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