LITTLE ROCK — QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Everything you put water on, it was just swallowing it.”
Rich Rexach, a firefighter battling a blaze that destroyed nearly 350
homes near Colorado Springs, Colo., making it the most destructive wildfire in the state’s history Article, 1A
Officer slain in Fort Bragg shooting
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. - Military officials at Fort Bragg have confirmed that a soldier shot and killed his superior officer before shooting and wounding himself.
Fort Bragg officials have not released the identities of the officer or the gunman, or a motive for Thursday’s shooting at the North Carolina military installation. The gunman was in custody.
The shooting remained under investigation.
Public Affairs Officer Col. Kevin Arata said the soldiers are from the 525th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade.
A third soldier who was wounded during the shooting is out of the hospital. Officials said 22-year-old Spc. Michael Latham of Vacaville, Calif., was released from Womack Army Medical Center. Latham suffered what’s called a minor wound.
Fort Bragg is home to the 82nd Airborne Division, the 18th Airborne Corps and Special Operations Forces.
8 air marshals fired for job-day drinks
NEW YORK - The Transportation Security Administration is firing eight air marshals, including a supervisor, for purportedly drinking alcohol on a training day and is suspending six others for not reporting the misconduct, the agency said Friday.
The 14 marshals belong to the New York office. All can appeal except a probationary employee who was terminated immediately.
The agency said the drinking occurred at a restaurant in February and was reported to a website that allows employees to alert leadership of inappropriate behavior.
None of the marshals was scheduled for flight duty the day of the drinking. But the agency said consumption of alcohol is forbidden anytime they are on the job.
Some of the marshals at the restaurant had their service weapons with them, the agency said.
House passes Amtrak budget boost
WASHINGTON - The Republican-controlled House passed legislation Friday boosting Amtrak’s budget for updating rail lines and increasing funding for community development grants to local governments.
The $107 billion measure passed on a 261-163 vote, its momentum helped by increases for some programs favored by Democrats. But most Democrats still oppose the measure.
Arkansas’ full House delegation - three Republicans and one Democrat - voted for the bill. Seventy-nine Democrats voted for the measure Friday; 55 conservative Republicans opposed it.
Overall, the measure cuts slightly below current levels, blending cuts to transit programs with the increases for Amtrak.
Friday’s measure would award a $384 million increase to Amtrak that boosts its funding to $1.8 billion. Included is a new $500 million program for bridge and tunnel repair. Amtrak operating subsidies would be cut more modestly than in recent years, from President Barack Obama’s $466 million request to $350 million. Republicans noted that Amtrak’s operating loss for the current budget year is projected to drop to $345 million, $100 million below last year’s loss.
The White House has threatened a veto of the measure as part of its opposition to all 12 Republican-drafted spending bills.
S.C. governor cleared in ethics case
COLUMBIA, S.C. - Republican Gov. Nikki Haley did not use her office for personal gain while serving as a state representative from Lexington County, the South Carolina House Ethics Committee ruled Friday.
The committee weighed seven allegations against Haley that included illegally lobbying for her employers and using her office to pressure lobbyists and their clients for donations to a foundation where she worked.
The committee vote was nearly unanimous to dismiss all the charges.
This is the second time the committee composed of Haley’s former colleagues has cleared the governor in the case.
Members found probable cause of a violation in early May but voted to close the case after ruling no other further investigation was warranted. They reopened the probe weeks later after requesting more employment documents from Haley.
Front Section, Pages 5 on 06/30/2012