Washington, D.C.
Decision in Montana boosts GOP chances in Senate
WASHINGTON – Republicans received a boost in their attempt to win back the majority in the Senate next year when a former Democratic governor bowed out of Montana’s open Senate race, a development that could further hamper President Barack Obama’s agenda during his final two years in office.
Former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer said Saturday he would not run for the seat of retiring Democratic Sen. Max Baucus in 2014, dealing a blow to Democrats who considered the popular ex-governor their best chance of keeping the office. Republicans have not settled on a candidate in GOP-leaning Montana.
Republicans need to pick up six seats to recapture the Senate majority and are trying to take advantage of geography and history in their quest. Democrats must defend 21 seats, including seven in largely rural states that Obama lost in 2012, and the party that controls the White House typically loses seats during the midterm elections of a second-term president.
California
Police mum on motive in jewelry store killing
SAN FRANCISCO – A bloodied gunman suspected of killing two women and seriously wounding a man inside a jewelry store at a popular San Francisco shopping center is in custody, but police have yet to release a motive.
Officers encountered the suspect Friday outside the San Francisco Giftcenter & Jewelrymart in the trendy South of Market area. Initially, the officers were not sure if the man, who had blood on his clothes, was a shooting victim or a suspect, police Chief Greg Suhr said.
The man, whose name was not released, then opened fire at officers while retreating into a restaurant, Suhr said.
Officers did not return fire because the sidewalks were crowded with shoppers and residents, police said.
New Jersey
15th birthday party ends in gunfire; 1 dead
HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. – A 15-year-old girl’s birthday party in New Jersey ended in gunfire Friday night, leaving one teenager dead and four others hurt, authorities said.
It’s not yet clear what prompted the shooting at the party in Hamilton Township or whether the shooter was a partygoer or an uninvited guest.
Mercer County First Assistant Prosecutor Angelo Onofri said 17-year-old Shakir Williams of Trenton was shot multiple times, apparently in the living room, and was pronounced dead at the scene a short time later. Authorities were still working to determine whether Williams was the shooter’s intended target.
Massachusetts
Famously filthy river hosts community swim
BOSTON – The Charles River may be famous for its filth, but it’s clean enough now for its first public swim since the 1950s.
The Boston Globe reports dozens jumped into the river Saturday in swimsuits, not hazmat suits.
During the last eight years, the river has hosted a mile-long race for elite swimmers. But Saturday’s event was the first time in decades officials allowed a community swim.
The water quality meets standards for swimming most days, a big improvement since the EPA gave it a grade of D in 1995. But the bottom remains polluted, so the swimmers had to avoid it.
Some swimmers described the water as orange or resembling beef broth. Charles River Conservancy head Renata von Tscharner said she preferred to describe it as resembling tea.
Illinois
Hospital: Boy pulled from Ind. dune was responsive
CHICAGO – A 6-year-old boy who spent more than three hours underground after being swallowed by a massive Indiana sand dune was able to respond to “simple commands” when he arrived at a Chicago hospital, a spokesperson said.
The boy, whose survival was described as a “miracle” by a local coroner, remained in critical condition Saturday at Comer Children’s Hospital and has responded well to being on a ventilator, hospital spokeswoman Lorna Wong said in a statement.
Michigan City, Ind., Fire Chief Ronnie Martin told WSBT-TV on Saturday that an air pocket saved the boy’s life.
According to Bruce Rowe, a ranger at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore park along Lake Michigan, the boy’s family said he was playing on the dune Friday when he dropped partially into it. While they were trying to dig him out, the dune collapsed, burying the boy under 11 feet of sand, he said.
Associated Press
