World/Nation Briefs September 18, 2013
Navy Yard gunman said he heard voices
WASHINGTON - A month before he went on the shooting rampage that killed 12 people, Washington Navy Yard gunman Aaron Alexis complained to police in Rhode Island that people were talking to him through the walls and ceilings of his hotel rooms and sending microwave vibrations into his body to deprive him of sleep.
The account, contained in an Aug. 7 report from Newport, R.I., police, adds to the picture that has emerged of an agitated and erratic figure whose behavior and mental state had repeatedly come to authorities' attention but didn't seem to affect his security clearance.
Alexis, a 34-year-old information technology employee at a defense-related computer company, used a valid pass Monday to get into the Navy Yard and then killed 12 people before he was slain by police in a shootout that lasted more than a half-hour.
A day after the assault, the motive was still a mystery. U.S. law enforcement officials told The Associated Press that investigators had found no manifesto or other writings suggesting a political or religious motivation.
GOP opposition to health care law flares
WASHINGTON - Implacable Republican opposition to Obamacare has Congress once more veering closer to gridlock.
In the House, more than 60 conservatives support tacking a one-year delay in implementing the health care law onto a bill needed to prevent a partial government shutdown on Oct. 1.
Senior leaders warn the GOP could suffer significant political reverses if the party goes along with the plan and President Barack Obama and Democrats resist, as they have made clear they will, but it is strongly backed by senators with tea party ties and their influential allies outside Congress. Its leading advocate, Rep. Tom Graves of Georgia, said the proposal unifies the rank and file "around two objectives we have, keeping the government open and protecting our constituents from the harmful effects of Obamacare."
Across the Capitol, where energy legislation is under debate, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell is proposing to add a one-year delay in the requirements for individuals to purchase coverage and for businesses to provide it to their employees. Obama has already ordered the postponement for businesses.
Some mountain residents turn away helicopters
BOULDER, Colo. - In the days right after floodwaters rushed through the Rocky Mountain foothills, the helicopter crews that lifted stranded people to safety were greeted like heroes. Nearly a week later, they are often being waved away by stubborn mountain residents who refuse to abandon their homes.
Caleb Liesveld hiked several miles into tiny Pinewood Springs, midway between Longmont and Estes Park, to try to convince his parents to leave. His mother relented, but his father refused. The elder Liesveld was determined to use heavy equipment from the family's granite quarry to resurrect an old stagecoach road that would let residents get vehicles in and out.
"He wants to be productive, and I don't think he'd really know what to do with himself off the mountain," Caleb Liesveld said Tuesday.
Boardwalk fire linked to electrical wiring
TOMS RIVER, N.J. - The massive fire that destroyed part of a Jersey shore boardwalk and dozens of businesses began accidentally in wiring damaged in Superstorm Sandy, and should prompt coastal property owners to get their own equipment inspected for similar danger, officials said Tuesday.
The boardwalk fire in Seaside Park and Seaside Heights started Thursday in aged wiring that had been compromised by salt water and sand during the Oct. 29 storm, federal and county investigators said at a news conference. The wind-whipped blaze destroyed more than 50 businesses in the two towns.
Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph Coronato said the fire should be a cautionary tale.
Former hiccupping teen on trial on murder charge
CLEARWATER, Fla. - A Florida woman who appeared on several national television programs as a teen because of her uncontrollable hiccupping went on trial on a murder charge on Tuesday.
After a day of questioning dozens of people, prosecutors and attorneys for Jennifer Mee selected a jury of 12, plus four alternates. Pinellas County Judge Nancy Moate Ley told potential jurors that the trial would probably wrap up by the end of the week, and opening statements are scheduled for Wednesday morning.
Mee, who is 22, suffered from prolonged hiccups of up to 50 a minute in 2007. Videos of her hiccupping gained her national attention, as did her attempts to quell the problem. She tried home remedies and consulted medical specialists, a hypnotist and an acupuncturist, until the hiccups finally stopped on their own.
She appeared on several TV shows and while on the "Today" show, was hugged by fellow guest and country music star Keith Urban.
Her 2010 arrest was her first.
The 22-year-old Mee is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Shannon Griffin, a 22-year-old Wal-Mart worker. Prosecutors say Mee lured Griffin to a St. Petersburg home under the pretense of buying marijuana - but instead, two of Mee's friends robbed him at gunpoint. Griffin struggled with the suspects and was shot several times.
Review: Fingerprint sensor, better camera worth the extra $100 cost of iPhone 5S over 5C
CUPERTINO, Calif. (AP) - Passcodes are such a pain that I've relaxed the security settings on my Android phone. I'm willing to forgo the extra safety, just so I'm asked to punch in the code less often. When I got my hands on Apple's new iPhone 5S, one of the first things I tried was a feature that allows you to bypass the passcode using a fingerprint.
I had a lot of fun unlocking the phone over and over again. Who knew biometric authentication could be such a blast?
The fingerprint sensor alone is worth the extra $100 you'll pay for the 5S over an iPhone 5C. Both phones will come out Friday. In the week I've had with both, I've also been impressed with the better camera and slow-motion video in the 5S.
The 5C, meanwhile, is largely last year's iPhone 5 with a plastic casing instead of aluminum and glass. This isn't cheap plastic, but a type offering the slippery feel of a shiny ceramic tile. It comes in five colors.
Both phones come with iOS 7, the most radical change to Apple's operating system software for mobile devices since its 2007 debut. Many of the changes are cosmetic, but there are functional improvements such as easier access to frequently used settings and apps.
Conn. man who has cancer, AIDS gets 27 months for role in priest's methamphetamine operation
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - A man who helped a priest sell methamphetamine was sentenced Tuesday in federal court to 27 months in prison.
The defense attorney for Kenneth DeVries had sought a reduced sentence of time he's already spent in jail. He said DeVries, 53, has advanced prostate cancer and full-blown AIDS and was influenced by his drug addiction and respect for the priest.
DeVries, of Waterbury, pleaded guilty in June to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He could have faced up to four years in prison under sentencing guidelines.
Prosecutors had said "some accommodation" for DeVries might be appropriate because he had a limited role in the operation run by Monsignor Kevin Wallin, who has been nicknamed Monsignor Meth by media outlets.
DeVries was a neighbor of Wallin's and sold meth for him when Wallin was unavailable, prosecutors said.