Recently in National News Category

by Kendall Mark

The Discovery's landing has been postponed til Monday night because of rain in Florida, MSNBC said.

NASA's seven astronauts were scheduled to land at Kennedy Space Center at 8:48 a.m., ET after a 14-day mission to resupply the International Space Station, MSNBC said.

NASA prefers to land in Florida due to costs of bringing a shuttle back to base after landing, Reuters said.

The Discovery has supplies to last them until Wednesday, but the will land regardless sometime Tuesday even if that means landing in Edwards Air Force Base in California, Reuters said.

by Kendall Mark

The four men killed in a shooting at a Mediterranean resteraunt in North Hollywood Saturday are believed to have been targeted, not random victims, USA Today reported.

The dead all had Armenian names and were ages 25 to 31, USA Today said. Two other victims were hospitalized after the shooting, and one remains in critical condition.

The Hot Spot Cafe was usually empty or closed, a man that lives near the restaurant where the shooting took place told the Associated Press. Another resident said people were always outside but never eating.

The Los Angeles Police Deputy Cheif said there was no immediate danger to people in North Hollywood, but that the shooting was an intentional act, the Associated Press said.

by Kendall Mark

An 82-year-old woman drove into a hair salon in Plainfield Township, Mich., after her foot slipped off the break and hit the accelerator, the Grand Rapids Press said.

Marion Zock was parking her car before her hair appointment before the accident and so stuck around to finish the job after two minor injuries were assessed, the Star Tribune said.

Zock told local news that she is a local customer and was so embarrased after the incident, Star Tribune said.

The Grand Rapids Press said authorities planned on giving Zock a ticket, and the Star Tribune reported the hair salon would be staying open during repairs.

by Kendall Mark

The top officer of the Marine Corps said he does not believe homosexuals and heterosexuals should have to share housing on base should the ban on gays openly serving in the military be lifted, CNN said.

Gen. James T Conway has spoken out against the efforts to repeal the "don't ask don't tell" policy instilled since 1993, saying we should keep the law as it is, the Washington Post said.

Conway also said the Marine Corps is the only branch of the military that does not have single rooms, CNN said.

President Obama and his staff plan to allow gays to openly serve in the military as soon as possible, leading to less expulsion of gays from the service, Washington Post said.

by Kendall Mark

For the second time this year, police are investigating a sexual assault accussation against Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger after a Saturday night stint in a college town in Georgia, the Associated Press said.

Milledgeville police were told by a 20 year-old college student that Roethlisberger had assaulted her Friday night at a club but are not commenting further until Monday morning, Associated Press said.

Roethlisberger has already been accused of sexually assaulting a resort hostess in his hotel room at a gold tournament in Lake Tahoe in 2008, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said.

Roethlisberger has adamently denied both accusations but they are both still under investigation, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said.

by Kendall Mark

Investigators and firefighters alike are trying to put together the missing pieces of why a man flew his plane into an IRS building in Austin Friday, MSNBC reported.

Joseph Stack had long held a grudge against the IRS, MSNBC reported, had also set his home on fire and was killed in the crash.

The remains of two people have been found but not identified in a building with nearly 200 employees, CNN reported.

Clues have begun to spring up, CNN said, like an online message Stack had posted before the incident where he raved about the government, particularily the IRS.

by Kendall Mark

Forty-nine of the 50 states have seen snowfall so far this year, and two-thirds of the United States land mass had snow on the ground Friday morning, the Associated Press reported.

This unusual weather pattern has left scientists stumped, expecially since Canada and some northern states have such little precipitation, the Associated Press said.

A winter weather advisory has been issued for some of these same southern states, reported CNN, sending in round two of heavy snowfall.

The snowfall has caused two massive pileups, cancelled flights, highway closures, and a roof collapse, CNN said.

by Kendall Mark

Apolo Ohno scraped out a silver medal after two South Korean skaters lost control in the last lap of the men's short track 1500 meter, the Chicago Tribune reported.

After earning his sixth Olympic medal, Ohno is now tied with Bonnie Blair as the most decorated American athlete in the Winter Olympic games, the Chicago Tribune said.

Ohno was under the impression he would place only because one of the South Korean's would be disqualified after a tussel in an earlier lap, the Associated Press reported. The South Korean's would, eventually, do it themselves.

J.R. Celski took the bronze, making it the first time America would have two skaters on the podium in an Olympic short track event, Associate Press said.

by Kendall Mark

Eight fires in eastern Texas have put church members on edge, reported the Dallas Morning News.

The Associated Press reported, the fires began on New Year's Day and are all within 150 miles apart.

Authorities have concluded seven of the fires were intentional and are investigating the fire the broke out Thursday as possible arson, the Associated Press said.

Several churches have stepped up security standards in fear their church could be next, said the Dallas Morning News. The Associated Press reports, the churches have varying sizes and denominations, keeping everyone on edge.

by Kendall Mark

The Obama administration is looking to make significant changes to the education law "No Child Left Behind" while also eliminating the date 2014 as being the date for all American proficiency the New York Times reports.

The administration's main interrest is in changing the budgeting methods and reforming state's standardized testing that show if a school is successful or not, but keeping the general ideals in the original bill reports the New York Times.

The administration plans on developing a proposal for the bill in the next few months after hearing recommendations from stakeholders ABC News reports.

ABC reports the administration hopes that states will continue to play a large roll in holding education standards high.