The nation in brief

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“The bad news is, there’s snow and ice.The good news is, we have been dealing with so many storms with such frequency that we’ve developed quite the expertise with storm management.”

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who declared an emergency after the latest snowstorm hit the Northeast this week Article, 1A

Friends, kin urge bail in theater shooting

NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. - Family and friends of a retired Tampa police captain accused of fatally shooting a man at a movie theater told a judge Wednesday that the former officer is an honorable, even-tempered man who should be released on bond.

Curtis Reeves, 71, is charged with second-degree murder in the killing of 43-year-old Chad Oulson. Police said Reeves became upset when Oulson was texting during the movie previews. The two men got into an argument and witnesses told officers that Oulson threw popcorn at Reeves, authorities have said.

Judge Pat Siracusa will decide whether to grant bail for Reeves, who was has been in jail since the Jan. 13 shooting.

Reeves’ attorney said his client was defending himself, but prosecutors said Oulson didn’t hit or touch Reeves. If convicted, Reeves could face a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in prison.

Russian punk trio’s 2: Bolder after prison

Two women from a Russian punk group said Wednesday that their 21-month incarceration in Russia’s penal system for staging a political protest in a Moscow cathedral had emboldened them to speak out more forcefully against President Vladimir Putin, partly because of the global support they received.

In an interview with the editorial board of The New York Times, the women said they had no fear of any further imprisonment and suggested that they might even run for political office in Russia someday. They also advocated political protests at the Winter Olympic Games, which are about to commence in Sochi. And they expressed admiration for the political protest movement underway in Ukraine, saying they hope it creates an infectious spirit in Russia.

Maria Alyokhina, 25, and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 24, were in New York as part of an international tour that has included stops in Asia and Europe since their release from prison Dec. 23, near the end of a two-year term, for putting on a protest performance in Moscow’s main cathedral.

Policy to ensure pupil meals not yanked

SALT LAKE CITY - A Utah school district that came under fire for taking away $2 school lunches from some 40 students whose parents owed money on food accounts is vowing to make changes to ensure it never happens again.

Salt Lake City School District child nutrition department director Kelly Orton on Tuesday night delivered a brief, preliminary report to the School Board linking the incident to violations of agency procedure and a failure to notify parents that their children’s lunch accounts were empty or in arrears.

To avoid that happening again, Orton said, the district has created new communication guidelines for kitchen managers. The district also plans to notify parents when balances are at $10 or empty, and then every day after a negative balance accrues.

The incident occurred Jan. 28 at Uintah Elementary when students trying to buy lunch had their meals thrown away.

The district put a cafeteria manager and a district supervisor on paid leave as the investigation got underway last week.

The report didn’t indicate whose decision it was to toss the lunches.

3 arrested regarding stolen Stradivarius

MILWAUKEE - Three people were arrested in the theft of a multimillion-dollar Stradivarius violin stolen last week from the concertmaster of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, a prosecutor said Wednesday.

Kent Lovern, a Milwaukee County assistant district attorney, said he couldn’t reveal any information beyond the arrests. He said he didn’t expect a charging decision would be made before today.

Police Chief Ed Flynn said at an afternoon news conference that authorities have not recovered the violin and the search for it continues.

The nearly 300-year-old violin, which has been appraised at $5 million, was on loan to concertmaster Frank Almond. He had just finished performing Jan. 27 at Wisconsin Lutheran College when a robber attacked him with a stun gun, seized the instrument and fled to a waiting vehicle. The violin case was later found abandoned.

Front Section, Pages 4 on 02/06/2014

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