Gunman kills 4 in Wisconsin shootings
CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. -- A shooter killed three family members at a home in a small Wisconsin town, then went to a residence in a nearby community and opened fire on more people, sheriff's officials said Monday.
The shootings, some 9 miles apart, left five people dead, including the suspect, and two others wounded, authorities said.
Authorities found the shooter and another person dead while responding to a 911 call in Lake Hallie in about 10:30 p.m. Sunday, Sheriff James Kowalczyk told WQOW-TV. Authorities said the dead were a man and a woman, but Kowalczyk didn't say which one was the shooter or how authorities were able to determine who the shooter was.
Two other adults at the home in Lake Hallie were rushed to the hospital with gunshot wounds. There was no immediate word on their conditions.
Authorities looking to notify the shooter's relatives then went to a home in the Lafayette around 2:30 a.m. Monday and discovered three more bodies, Kowalczyk said. The dead there were a man, a woman and a boy.
The names of the victims and the shooter have not been released. Kowalczyk told WQOW that authorities were still trying to determine a motive.
Trump signs extension of 9/11 illness fund
WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump on Monday signed a bill ensuring that a victims' compensation fund helping those impacted by the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks never runs out of money, ending years of legislative gridlock as the number of first responders dying of Ground Zero-related illnesses mounted.
Appearing in the Rose Garden with more than 60 first responders from the 2001 terrorist attacks, Trump signed into law an extension of the fund through 2092, essentially making it permanent.
The $7.4 billion fund had been rapidly depleting, and administrators recently cut benefit payments by up to 70%. The bill passed Congress on a bipartisan basis but only after delays by some Republicans exposed the legislative branch to brutal criticism from activists, including the comedian Jon Stewart.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates the measure will result in about $10.2 billion in additional compensation payments over 10 years, including more than $4 billion for claims already filed.
More than 40,000 people have applied to the fund, which covers illnesses potentially related to being at the World Trade Center site, the Pentagon or Shanksville, Penn., after the attacks.
Officials say 2 U.S. troops shot, killed
WASHINGTON -- An Afghan soldier shot and killed two American service members in Afghanistan, U.S. officials said Monday.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak on the record about details that have not yet been made public.
U.S. Central Command confirmed that two U.S. troops were killed, but provided no details. It said additional information is being withheld until 24 hours after notification of next of kin is complete.
According to officials, the Afghan soldier was wounded and is in custody. The shooting took place in Kandahar in the country's south.
The U.S. formally ended its Afghan combat mission in 2014 but still provides extensive air and other support to local forces battling both the Taliban and an affiliate of the Islamic State group.
U.S. and allied forces have faced increasing insider attacks in recent years. In November, Brent Taylor, the mayor of North Ogden, Utah, and a major in the Utah National Guard, was killed by an Afghan soldier in Kabul.
Louisiana's medical marijuana out soon
BATON ROUGE -- Louisiana's first medical marijuana products are one step away from pharmacies, with final testing planned for this week.
Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain, whose department oversees the therapeutic cannabis program, said that if the product collected Monday from GB Sciences is free of contaminants, medical marijuana could reach patients early next week.
But the Agriculture Department warned that if any problems are detected with the sample, that could extend the testing -- and delay marijuana from reaching pharmacy shelves.
Patients have been waiting years for medical marijuana, after lawmakers created the regulatory framework for dispensing therapeutic cannabis in 2015. Only the LSU and Southern University agricultural centers are authorized to grow medicinal-grade pot.
Nine dispensing pharmacies across the state have been chosen by the pharmacy board and have readied their locations, waiting for a product.
-- Compiled by Democrat-Gazette staff from wire reports
A Section on 07/30/2019