The nation in brief

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“It’s a nor’easter. It will be a snowstorm across the entire area.”

Tim Morrin, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service on Long Island, N.Y., on a winter storm that pushed into the Northeast, closing highways in the area and affecting air travel across the U.S.

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Fire at Chinese Consulate called arson

SAN FRANCISCO - Federal officials said Thursday that a fire at the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco was ignited at the front of the building, leading to an arson investigation and calls from the Chinese government for better protection of diplomats in the U.S.

No one was hurt in the Wednesday night blaze, which the FBI said was not being investigated as an act of terrorism.

Consulate workers said surveillance footage showed a person coming out of a van parked outside the compound with two buckets of gasoline, pouring it on the front of the building and setting it on fire, said Wang Chuan, a spokesman for the Chinese consulate in San Francisco.

The consulate is awaiting results from the investigation and will not speculate on who is behind the attack, Wang said. He said they don’t yet know how much repairs will cost.

Bakken crude more volatile, U.S. warns

BILLINGS, Mont. - Following a string of explosive accidents, federal officials said Thursday that crude oil being shipped by rail from the Northern Plains across the U.S. and Canada may be more flammable than traditional forms of oil.

A safety alert issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation warns the public, emergency responders and shippers about the potential high volatility of crude from the Bakken oil shale patch. The oil reserve is fueling the surging industry in eastern Montana and western North Dakota, which is now the nation’s second-largest oil producer.

The warning comes after an explosion caused by an oil train derailment Monday near Casselton, N.D. No one was hurt, but worries about toxic fumes prompted the evacuation of hundreds of residents from the small, eastern North Dakota town.

Thursday’s safety alert resulted in part from results of preliminary tests on Bakken oil to determine just how dangerous it is, said Jeannie Shiffer with the Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration.

2 shot in robbery of strip-club employees

PHOENIX - The armed robbery of $18,000 from two employees of a strip club led to the shooting of a police officer and a civilian on an east Phoenix street, authorities said Thursday.

The officer and the civilian, who is a volunteer for the Maricopa County sheriff’s office, remain hospitalized in critical condition.

Their names haven’t been released, but police said the 34-year-old officer is a seven-year veteran and the citizen is 63.

Roger Allen Sharp Jr., 26, of Phoenix was being held on suspicion of attempted murder, burglary, unlawful flight, resisting arrest and illegal possession of a weapon. Court records show he was previously convicted of two counts of criminal possession of a forgery device, and his right to have a gun has not been restored.

David Lee Murray, 36, of Tempe, was booked into jail on suspicion of armed robbery.

Bail for each man was set at $500,000.

Authorities allege that Sharp and Murray robbed two employees of Pink Rhino Cabaret at gunpoint as they left a restaurant about 2 p.m. Tuesday.

Man arrested in California priest’s death

EUREKA, Calif. - A suspect was arrested Thursday in the killing of a priest and educator who was found dead in a church rectory in Northern California.

Gary Lee Bullock, 43, of Redway was taken into custody by Humboldt County deputies in the killing of the Rev. Eric Freed, according to a statement released by Eureka police.

Freed’s body was found at St. Bernard Church on Wednesday after he failed to show up for morning Mass. Officials were still seeking a motive in the killing.

Bullock initially was arrested Tuesday for public intoxication in Garberville and taken 67 miles north to jail in Eureka.

His erratic behavior led police to send him to a hospital for an evaluation. He was booked into jail for about eight hours then released shortly after midnight.

At 2 a.m. Wednesday, Eureka police responded to a call about a suspicious person a couple blocks from the jail and about 5 yards from the site where Freed was found. Police said Bullock wasn’t intoxicated then and didn’t qualify for an emergency psychological hold.

An arrest warrant was issued Thursday for Bullock, who was found again in the Garberville area.

Front Section, Pages 5 on 01/03/2014

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