The nation in brief

Friday, January 11, 2013

— QUOTE OF THE DAY

“There is nothing that has gone to the

heart of the matter more than the image people have of little 6-year-old kids riddled, not shot, but riddled, riddled, with bullet holes in their classroom.” Vice President Joe Biden, who next week will recommend to President Barack Obama legislative and executive actions to stem firearms violence Article, 1AFerry captain says reverse gear failed

NEW YORK - The captain of a commuter ferry that crashed into a lower Manhattan wharf told federal investigators Thursday that the vessel had a mechanical failure and he was unable to put it in reverse when he tried to dock.

The 36-year-old captain of the Seastreak Wall Street was interviewed by National Transportation Safety Board investigators for three hours Thursday, one day after the vessel made a hard landing, hurling scores of people down stairs and into walls at the end of a routine run across New York Bay. About 70 people were hurt, 11 seriously. About 330 passengers and crew members were aboard the ferry.

Safety-board member Robert Sumwalt said the captain, Jason Reimer, told investigators that as the ferry approached the dock, he moved from a central console to one on the starboard, or right, side of the vessel, as was customary. When he tried to put the ferry in reverse, it didn’t work, Sumwalt said. He quickly switched back to the center, but reverse didn’t work there either, he reported. He also reported the engines later died.

Obama to take oath on 2 historic Bibles

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama will take the oath of office for his second term with his hand placed on two Bibles - one owned by Martin Luther King Jr. and one by Abraham Lincoln.

The inclusion of King’s Bible is particularly significant since the inauguration comes on Jan. 21, the federal holiday in honor of the civil-rights leader.

Obama used the Lincoln Bible while taking the oath four years ago..

Obama’s inaugural committee said the president plans to use the first lady’s family Bible for a private swearing-in at the White House on Jan. 20, a Sunday.

Public presidential inaugurations traditionally aren’t held on Sundays, even though the Constitution states that a president’s new term begins automatically at noon on the 20th.

Pentagon prepares for billions in cuts

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon will begin taking steps to freeze civilian hiring, delay some contract awards,implement unpaid furloughs for civilian workers and curtail some maintenance to prepare for budget cuts if Congress can’t reach an agreement on a final spending plan, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Thursday.

“The simple fact is that this fiscal uncertainty has become a serious threat to our national security,” Panetta said during a Pentagon news conference. “We really have no choice but to prepare for the worst.”

The Pentagon is facing a spending reduction of nearly $500 billion over a decade.

An additional $110 billion in automatic spending cuts to military and domestic programs will take effect in early March if no agreement is reached.

Front Section, Pages 4 on 01/11/2013