LITTLE ROCK — QUOTE OF THE DAY
“It is no secret that our attempts to move forward at the U.N. Security Council have
been blocked repeatedly, but the United States is not waiting.”
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, as she announced new aid for the Syrian opposition Article, 1AKiller of 5 in 15 minutes had been fired
MINNEAPOLIS - Police said Friday that a man who shot up a Minneapolis sign-making business on Thursday, fatally wounding the owner and four others before turning the gun on himself, had been fired from the company that day.
Andrew Engeldinger, 36, injured at least three others in the attack Thursday at Accent Signage Systems. Police Chief Tim Dolan said the attack lasted no more than 10 or 15 minutes, and said Engeldinger appeared to have spared some former co-workers.
“It’s clear he did walk by some people, very clear,” Dolan said.
Engeldinger’s family said in a statement issued through the National Alliance on Mental Illness later Friday that he had struggled with mental illness for years. They offered sympathy to the victims.
“This is not an excuse for his actions, but sadly, may be a partial explanation,” the statement said.
Police gave no details about why Engeldinger was fired.
Investigators who searched Engeldinger’s house Thursday night in south Minneapolis found another gun and packaging for 10,000 rounds of ammunition in the house. In the shooting, Engeldinger used a 9mm Glock semi-automatic pistol he had owned for about a year, Dolan said.
Among those killed were Accent Signage System owner Reuven Rahamim, 61, and Keith Basinski, a UPS driver who had made deliveries and pickups at the business for years.
The other three men killed were identified as Rami Cooks, 62, of Minnetonka; Jacob Beneke, 34, of Maple Grove; and Ronald Edberg, 58, of Brooklyn Center. Two other people remained at the hospital, one in serious condition and one critical condition.
House OKs surer whistle-blower shield
WASHINGTON - The House voted Friday to significantly expand protections for federal employees who expose fraud, waste and abuse and make it easier to punish supervisors who try to retaliate against the whistle-blowers.
The Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act was approved by voice vote, in a short session convened with nearly all members back in their districts for the fall election campaign. The provisions were agreed to in advance in both chambers, but the bill still has to be returned to the Senate for final action.
The legislation closes provisions created by court rulings, which removed protections for whistle-blowers.
The new legislation, however, would go beyond restoring protections, to expand whistle-blower rights and clarify protections that were not explicitly clear.
Fox News airs carjacker’s suicide
PHOENIX - A man fatally shot himself in the head Friday on live national television at the end of a high-speed carjacking chase that began in Phoenix and ended about 90 minutes later within 80 miles of the California border.
Fox News was covering the chase that began about midday, using a live helicopter shot from Phoenix affiliate KSAZTV. The man driving a copper-colored four-door sedan stopped, ran into the desert and placed a handgun to his head and fired.
The man was declared dead at the scene and hasn’t yet been identified, said Sgt. Tommy Thompson, a Phoenix police spokesman.
Fox News anchor Shepard Smith told viewers that the video was supposed to be on a 10-second delay so it could be cut off from airing if something went awry.
“We really messed up, and we’re all very sorry,” Smith said.
Fox apologized for showing the violence on air.
Driveway soil sampled in Hoffa hunt
ROSEVILLE, Mich. - Authorities drilled through concrete and removed two samples of wet soil and clay in a modest Detroit-area neighborhood Friday in the latest effort to find the remains of Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa, who disappeared in 1975.
There was no visible sign of human remains, but test results could be ready by Monday, Roseville Police Chief James Berlin said.
The investigation was launched after a man told police that he saw a body being buried under the driveway 35 years ago and “thinks it may have been Jimmy.”
Authorities have already said they don’t think the timeline adds up and that it’s unlikely Hoffa’s body is there. He was last seen July 30, 1975, outside a restaurant in Oakland County, more than 30 miles to the west.
Front Section, Pages 4 on 09/29/2012