SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. – At the moment when shooters unleashed terror on San Bernardino a year ago, county employees remembered their fallen colleagues with a moment of silence late Friday morning.
A bell rang 14 times in memory of each person slain in the terror attack that also wounded 22 others at the Inland Regional Center.
“We will never forget that day or the victims of this senseless act of violence. We strive to move forward and search for the good that is in us all,” said Lavinia Johnson, executive director of the center.
During the ceremony outside the center, employees of nearby businesses who sheltered county workers during the chaos were thanked by Keith Melson, the center’s chairman.
It was one of a series of events scheduled in the hardscrabble city of 216,000 people east of Los Angeles to mark the anniversary of the Dec. 2, 2015, attack by husband-and-wife assailants on a holiday luncheon for county health employees. Investigators say the attackers were inspired by the Islamic State group.
WASHINGTON – The Obama administration has declared its support for requiring women to register for the military draft, a symbolic but significant shift that reflects the U.S. military’s evolution from a male-dominated force to one seeking to incorporate women at all levels.
President Barack Obama has been considering whether to adopt the position since last December, when Defense Secretary Ash Carter ordered the military to open all jobs to women, including the most arduous combat posts. Ned Price, a spokesman for the White House’s National Security Council, said Thursday that Obama believes women have “proven their mettle,” including in Afghanistan and Iraq.
“As old barriers for military service are being removed, the administration supports – as a logical next step – women registering for the Selective Service,” Price said, using the formal name for the military draft.
GATLINBURG, Tenn. – People in cars and trucks rolled into the wildfire-ravaged city of Gatlinburg on Friday to get a first look at what remains of their homes and businesses, and a mayor raised the death toll to 13, including a person who appeared to die of a heart attack while fleeing the flames.
Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters also increased the number of buildings damaged, saying it now approaches 1,000.
“I can’t describe to you the feelings we have over this tragedy,” he said during a news conference with the governor and U.S. senators.
Local officials, bowing to pressure from frustrated property owners, said they would allow people back into most parts of the city Friday morning.
Residents have to pass through a checkpoint and must show some proof of ownership or residency, Gatlinburg City Manager Cindy Cameron Ogle said.
Associated Press
