The nation in brief

— QUOTE OF THE DAY “Sen. Hagel and I are old friends and we had a very frank and candid conversation, and I’ll be looking forward to the hearing

and asking him questions. He should be given the opportunity of a hearing before any of us make a judgment.” Republican Sen. John McCain, on Chuck Hagel, the nominee to take over the Pentagon Article, 2A3 wounded in Texas college shooting

HOUSTON - A fight between two people led to a shooting at a Texas community college, where a maintenance man was caught in the crossfire and wounded, officials said.

Both people involved in the fight, one of whom had a student ID, were wounded and hospitalized, Harris County sheriff’s Maj. Armando Tello said. A fourth person also was taken to a hospital for a medical condition, Tello said.

One of those hospitalized, Carlton Berry, 22, was charged with aggravated assault in the shooting, according to a sheriff’s office statement late Tuesday.

The shooting that happened before 1 p.m. sent students scurrying for safety on the Lone Star College System campus about 20 miles north of downtown Houston.

Police evacuated and closed the campus after the shooting. It reopened in the late afternoon, with classes expected to resume today.

Richard Carpenter, chancellor of the Lone Star College System, described the maintenance man, who was said to be in his 50s and listed in stable condition, as “in good shape.”Church pervert files face crime check

LOS ANGELES - Prosecutors who have been stymied for years in their attempts to build a criminal conspiracy case against retired Los Angeles Archdiocese Cardinal Roger Mahony and other church leaders said Tuesday they will review newly released internal priest files for additional evidence.

“The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office will review and evaluate all documents as they become available to us,” spokesman Sandi Gibbons said in a brief statement.

She declined further comment.

Thousands of pages from the internal disciplinary files of 14 priests made public Monday show Mahony and other top aides maneuvered behind the scenes to shield molester priests, provide damage control for the church and keep parishioners in the dark. It’s also unclear whether prosecutors, who received some documents through subpoena years ago, already have seen some or all of the files made public Monday.

Legal experts who have followed the case, however, said that even if the documents contain new proof of conspiracy or obstruction of justice, it will be almost impossible to prosecute because of problems with the statute of limitations.

Obama, Biden attend prayer service

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama began the first full workday of his second term with a rousing, spiritual appeal for unity and strength from church leaders of different faiths.

Obama and Vice President Joe Biden were joined by their wives Tuesday at the Washington National Cathedral for the traditional post-inaugural national prayer service.

There were prayers for those who govern, those in the armed forces and the nation as a whole.

The Washington Performing Arts Society’s children’s choir sang “Determined to Go On” to delighted guests as Obama and first lady Michelle Obama bobbed their heads along with the music.

Later in the day, the president and first lady, along with Bo the dog, welcomed surprised tourists to the White House.

Mrs. Obama put out word about their surprise receiving line in the Blue Room by Tweeting: “Shhhh! Barack, Bo and I are about to surprise folks on (at) WhiteHouse tours! I love doing this.”14 hurt, 3 critically, in LA hotel fire

LOS ANGELES - Fire roared through a 90-year-old residential hotel in Los Angeles’ harbor area early Tuesday, injuring 14 people, three of them critically.

People hung out of windows of the Palos Verdes Inn in San Pedro after the fire broke out at about 3:30 a.m., and one woman jumped from a second-story window and may have broken bones, Fire Department spokesman Erik Scott said.

Firefighters returning from a nearby medical call saw smoke at the hotel before any 911 call had been received, he said.

It took 150 firefighters 34 minutes to extinguish the blaze, which spread rapidly through the 1923 building.

The injured included a police officer who suffered smoke inhalation while helping residents.

Front Section, Pages 4 on 01/23/2013

Upcoming Events