Six dead as gunman ‘goes to war’ with Missouri city
In Kirkwood, Mo. on the night of Feb. 6, lone gunman Charles Lee Thornton killed two police officers, a councilwoman and a public works director. He critically wound Mayor Mike Swoboda. The gunman’s brother Gerald Thornton told CNN, “The only way that I can put it in a context that you might understand is that my brother went to war tonight with the people that were of the government that was putting torment and strife into his life.”
Congress sends stimulus bill to Bush
The economic stimulus package was approved by the Senate and on Feb. 6 the House passed it also. The bill is now sitting on the president’s desk waiting for his signature. The package is a rebate check for people who have an income between $3,000 and $75,000 in the amounts of $300 to $600 , plus $300 per child. Couples earning up to $150,000 would get $1,200. Other groups to recive rebate checks are 20 million Social Security beneficiaries and 250,000 handicapped veterans and their widows.
N.C. High School Dropout Rate Increases In 2006-07; CMS Dropout Rate Up
The North Carolina dropout rate of 5.24 percent in 2006-2007 was the highest in five years. The number of dropouts during the 2006-2007 school year was the highest in seven years among N.C. high school students. The numbers indicate that Charlotte-Mecklenburg School dropouts are growing. They also show that most dropouts are African-American. Superintendent Peter Gorman said the district must do a better job of reaching out to at-risk children.
— Kia Moore
This article appears in Feb 6-12, 2008.
