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Monday, September 8, 2008
Waco police seeking stolen machine with radioactive material
Waco police are looking for a device stolen from a pick-up truck Sunday that contained radioactive materials.
The device was in a large yellow plastic case that resembles a tool box and was stored on the bed of a pickup truck parked at the 3100 block of North 30th Street Sunday. The device is used to measure moisture density in soil and contains small traces of radioactive material.
The case is marked “Troxler,” the brand of the machine, and “Radioactive.” The machine’s model number 3430 and serial number 29518.
Police said neither the box nor the device pose and immediate threat to the public. Anyone having information about this burglary or the whereabouts of this piece of equipment should contact the Waco Police Department at 750-7500 or Crime Stoppers at 753-HELP.
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Fort Hood soldier kills officer, then himself in Killeen
Killeen police are investigating a murder-suicide in which a Fort Hood specialist killed his lieutenant and then himself this morning.
According to a press release from the Killeen Police Department, the lieutenant and a staff sergeant had gone to a residence at 18074 N. Second St. to speak with the specialist. For reasons unknown at this time, a confrontation began between the two parties, and a gun was seen.
Police received a 9-1-1 call of the disturbance at 8:39 a.m. and went to the scene.
Officers who arrived at the residence witnessed the specialist assault the lieutenant and shoot him. Police then fired shots at the specialist, who turned the gun to his head and shot himself. The staff sergeant was not injured.
The lieutenant and specialist were pronounced dead at 9:50 a.m. and 9:51 a.m., respectively by Justice of the Peace Bill Cooke. An autopsy has been ordered on the bodies, and the cause of death will be determined after those results are in, the release said.
The names of the deceased have been withheld pending notification of the next of kin. The investigation is continuing.
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Cornyn announces grant for area police
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn’s office announced today that Waco and McLennan County will receive a grant of $32,649 from the Department of Justice to help prevent crime based on local needs and conditions.
The funding comes through the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program (JAG).
“These funds will equip local law enforcement with the necessary resources to crack down on crime in the area,” said Sen. Cornyn, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, in the e-mail release. “Having the proper tools to fight crime is critical to keeping our communities safe, and I applaud the local leaders for working to secure this funding.”
The funds will be used to purchase wireless data radios for patrol vehicles and to support the Waco Police Department’s cadet program, the release said. It wasn’t clear if other local police departments will receive funds.
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Bush scuttles civilian nuclear deal with Russia
In a pointed but mostly symbolic expression of displeasure with Moscow, President Bush today canceled a once-celebrated civilian nuclear cooperation deal with Russia.
Bush sent the agreement to Congress for approval in May, after a much-heralded signing by the two nations that capped two years of tough negotiations. Today, the president officially pulled it back, a move announced by Secretary of State Condoleeezza Rice.
“We make this decision with regret,” said Rice, in a statement read by spokesman Sean McCormack. “Unfortunately, given the current environment, the time is not right for this agreement. We will reevaluate the situation at a later date, as we follow developments closely.”
— Associated Press
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Ike back over water; odds of Texas landfall rise
Hurricane Ike is back over water south of Cuba, making it more likely to strengthen as it moves into and through the Gulf of Mexico. Ike is currently a Category Two storm with 100 mph winds, having done immense overnight damage to eastern Cuba.
Where it will eventually make U.S. landfall, at week’s end, remains up in the air. The official forecast track aims Ike toward Galveston, but this far out anywhere from Brownsville to Mobile is a potential target.
The Houston Chronicle’s Eric Berger is hosting a chat on Ike on his SciGuy blog at 2 pm.
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Murder trial to begin today
Jury selection is under way in the 54th State District Court this morning for the trial of Danny Eugene Daniels, who was indicted on murder charges.
Daniels, 21, was indicted in January in the killing of 22-year-old Michael Crawford Evans, whose death initially was attributed to a traffic accident.
Waco police had found Evans lying on the floorboard of a pickup truck that had crashed into a tree in the 1300 block of Bosque Boulevard. The man was later found to have a gunshot wound to the chest.
Daniels has two previous felony convictions, one for cocaine possession in 2005 and another for aggravated assault as a juvenile, making him eligible to be tried as a habitual criminal.
If convicted of murder as a habitual criminal, the minimum punishment he can receive would be bumped from five to 25 years in prison.
Daniels later was indicted for cocaine possession and for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The firearm he is charged with possessing — a .357-caliber pistol — is believed to be the weapon with which Evans was killed, officials have said.
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Report: U.S. missiles hit Taliban center; 9 killed
Missiles fired from U.S. drone aircraft hit a Pakistan seminary and houses associated with a top Taliban commander today, killing at least nine people, including militants and civilians, officials and witnesses said.
The explosions occurred in a village in North Waziristan, a militant stronghold in Pakistan’s northwestern wild tribal belt and a possible hiding place for Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri.
A Pakistani intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of his job, said three suspected foreign militants and two children were among the dead in what appeared to be part of a stepped-up U.S. campaign against militant havens in Pakistan’s tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan.
— Associated Press
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Police identify man dead at Waco YMCA
Police have identified the man who died at the YMCA Family Center as 68-year-old Edwin VanZant.
VanZant, a San Angelo resident who was visiting Waco, was found dead in the sauna of the facility around 5 p.m. Sunday, police said. He had a history of heart problems and was diabetic. Emergency personnel attempted to revive him but were unsuccessful. Police said the death is being investigated as a natural cause death.
The YMCA reopened today at 5 a.m., according to a woman who answered the phone there.
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Dead identified in Highway 6 wreck that killed 4
A Waco couple in their 60s and two 17-year-olds from China Spring were killed last night in a head-on collision on State Highway 6.
The Waco Police Department released the victims’ names this morning from the accident that involved two vehicles, a 1994 extended-cab Chevrolet pickup and 1997 Toyota 4-Runner.
The driver of the pickup has been identified as Richard Howeth, 66, and the passenger was his wife, Mary Howeth, 67, both from Waco, according to a release from police spokesman Steve Anderson.
The driver of the Toyota has been identified as Samantha Buis, 17, and the passenger was Donovan Rodriguez, 17. Both were listed as being from China Spring.
According to the release, officers and emergency personnel from Waco Police Department, McLennan County Sheriff’s Office and Texas Department of Public Safety, Waco Fire Department and East Texas Medical Center responded around 8:25 p.m. to the accident in the 1000 block of West State Highway 6.
The vehicles were found in the eastbound lanes, the release said. The driver and passenger of the pickup were still in their vehicle while the driver and passenger of the Toyota had been ejected. All occupants were pronounced dead at the scene by Justice of the Peace Kristi DeCluitt.
The release said the crash investigation was continuing into how the accident occurred.
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Latest O.J. Simpson trial to begin
Has it really been a year since O.J. Simpson made headlines again when he walked into a casino hotel room to reclaim some sports memorabilia and things turned nasty?
Apparently so, and today lawyers in the former NFL star’s robbery-kidnapping trial are set to begin picking a jury.
What figures to be a lengthy jury selection is scheduled to start this morning in a Nevada court for Simpson and his remaining co-defendant, Clarence “C.J” Stewart, a 54-year-old golfing buddy from North Las Vegas, the Associated Press reports.
Both men have pleaded not guilty to 12 charges stemming from a heated encounter last September with two sports collectibles dealers peddling Simpson memorabilia at a Las Vegas hotel-casino.
Simpson said last fall that he put his faith in the jury system and was confident of an acquittal. A conviction could put him away for life.
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Even Palin’s friends uncertain how they’ll vote
We’ll get a lot of stories in the coming weeks before the presidential election about the candidates; probably most of them will be about Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin because of the unknown factor she brings to the race.
“Good Morning America” today had an exclusive interview with four friends of Palin, and at least three said that they weren’t sure who they would vote for in the presidential election in November.
Some of these friends disagree with Palin over issues of abortion and certain topics Palin has dealt with as governor of Alaska. They’re probably a lot like the rest of us … finding common ground on some things with each of the candidates as well as issues where we differ.
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Cyanide leak at Massachusetts facility hospitalizes 1
Officials in Attleboro, Mass., say one person has been hospitalized after a cyanide leak at a business that makes gold and silver alloys.
Attleboro Fire Capt. Keith Jackson says the department was told of a “cyanide emergency” at the Stern-Leach Co. plant this morning.
The building was evacuated and one person was taken to a hospital in Providence, R.I., for treatment of cyanide burns.
Jackson says a dozen other people are being decontaminated at the scene by hazardous materials crews and then will be taken to hospitals for observation.
No one answered calls seeking comment from the company’s representatives.
— Associated Press
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YMCA reopens today after man’s death
A woman who answered the phone at the Waco Family YMCA said the facility is open today after a 68-year-old San Angelo man was found dead in the sauna Sunday evening and the facility was closed.
Police said the man had a history of heart conditions and was diabetic. He was found unresponsive in a sauna around 5 p.m., according to police. Emergency personnel and YMCA employees were unable to revive the man.
The center opened at about 5 a.m., the woman said. The man’s identity has not been released by police.
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Patriots’ Brady to have MRI on injured knee
New England Patriots fans — and let’s admit it, many fantasy football owners who have Tom Brady on their teams — are anxiously awaiting word on the quarterback’s left knee.
Brady, the NFL’s reigning MVP and one of the most consistent starters in league history, is scheduled for an MRI today amid reports that he sustained a season-ending injury to the knee, the Associated Press reported.
Brady left Sunday’s game against Kansas City after he was hit by Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard in the first quarter of New England’s 17-10 victory. Patriots coach Bill Belichick offered no information on the injury, and Brady was not available for comment after the game, but reports circulated around the league that he had torn his anterior cruciate ligament.
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Russia to send naval squadron, planes to Venezuela
Russia today said that it will send a naval squadron and anti-submarine patrol planes to Venezuela this year for a joint military exercise in the Caribbean, a deployment that comes amid increasingly tense relations with the United States.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said the exercise was planned before Russia’s war last month with Georgia “and it’s unrelated to the current political situation and the developments in the Caucasus.”
“If this exercise takes place, it won’t be directed against interests of any third party,” Nesterenko said at a briefing.
The announcement was made just a week after Prime Minister Vladimir Putin warned that Russia would mount an unspecified response to recent U.S. aid shipments to Georgia.
— Associated Press
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Good Monday morning, Waco
It’s back to the office for many of us today after the first full weekend of football now that the NFL regular season has begun.
Our weather today has a projected high temperature around 90 degrees. We’re supposed to have a 20 percent chance of showers this afternoon as the forecast calls for mostly cloudy skies. The wind will be between 5 and 10 mph and out of the south-southeast.
Residents in the Florida Keys and all along the Gulf Coast are watching Hurricane Ike closely, and with good reason after it slammed Cuba and is blamed for the deaths of at least 58 people in Haiti.
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