The nation in brief

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I saw our front door was open, and then I saw the glow of the fire, and I walked outside and all the houses were on fire.”

Alex Pflanzer, who lives near the site of an explosion in an Indianapolis neighborhood that leveled homes and killed two people Article, 2A

Obama commends veterans, families

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama paid tribute at a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery to “the heroes over the generations who have served this country of ours with distinction.”

He said the wreath he laid earlier at the Tomb of the Unknowns was intended to remember every service member.

In a speech at the Memorial Amphitheater, Obama said America will never forget the sacrifice made by its veterans and their families.

“No ceremony or parade, no hug or handshake is enough to truly honor that service,” the president said, adding that the country must commit every day “to serving you as well as you’ve served us.”

Obama urged citizens to always be there for service members and their families as the soldiers transition back home from war.

American’s lawyer warns of torture

WASHINGTON - A lawyer for an American man imprisoned in Cuba has written the United Nations’ antitorture expert, saying Cuban officials’ treatment of his client “will surely amount to torture” if he continues to be denied certain medical care.

The six-page letter made public Sunday is addressed to U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture Juan E. Mendez. In it, a lawyer for former Maryland resident Alan Gross says Cuba has not met its obligations under an anti-torture treaty.

Gross, 63, has lost more than 100 pounds while imprisoned, and earlier this year, he developed a mass behind his right shoulder. Cuban doctors performed tests, but a U.S. doctor who reviewed them for Gross’ family has said they were inadequate.

Gross, a U.S. government subcontractor, is serving a 15-year prison sentence as a result of his work importing satellite and other communications equipment into communist Cuba as part of a U.S.

democracy-building program. Cuba considers such programs to be attempts against its sovereignty.

Customers slam utility after Sandy

NEW YORK - New Yorkers railed Sunday against a utility that has lagged behind others in restoring power two weeks after Hurricane Sandy socked the region, criticizing its slow pace as well as a dearth of information.

At least 120,000 people in New York and New Jersey remained without power Sunday evening. More than 8 million lost power during the storm and some during a later nor’easter.

Utilities have been criticized for restoration delays, perhaps none as widespread as the Long Island Power Authority. More than 50,000 of the homes and businesses it serves were still without power Sunday evening. Another 55,000 couldn’t safely connect even though their local grid was back online, because wiring and other equipment had been flooded.

The utility has said it knows that customers aren’t getting the information they need, partly because of an antiquated information technology system that it is updating.

On Sunday, the company said it had restored power to 95 percent of homes and businesses where it was safe to receive power and that that figure would be 99 percent by the end of Tuesday.

Front Section, Pages 3 on 11/12/2012

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