FAIRBANKS, Alaska
6 students arrested in school-attack plot
Six middle school students were arrested Saturday on suspicion of plotting to take guns and knives to school and kill fellow students.
The arrests stem from an investigation into rumors reported to police about the students’ plans in North Pole, a town of 1,600 people about 14 miles southeast of Fairbanks, said Police Chief Paul Lindhag.
The unidentified students wanted to seek revenge for being picked on by other students, as well as disliking staff and students, Lindhag said.
The students had planned to disable North Pole Middle School’s power and telephone systems, and allotted time to kill their victims and leave town.
Authorities said the six could face charges of first-degree conspiracy to commit murder.
ATLANTA
Delta union endorses tentative contract
Delta Air Lines Inc.’s pilot- union leaders endorsed a tentative contract late Friday that will save the bankrupt company $280 million annually if the carrier’s pilots and bankruptcy court back the proposal.
The 3 1/2-year agreement will keep a 14 percent wage reduction in place, the Delta Air Line Pilots Association told its 6,000 members Saturday in a summary of the deal posted on its website. Pilots would receive a $2.1 billion claim in bankruptcy court for the pay cut if the pact is approved.
SCRANTON, Pa.
Cops: Girl, 10, tosses crack during raid
A 10-year-old girl has been charged with evidence tampering after authorities say she tossed bags of crack cocaine out a window during a drug raid.
As detectives raided a Scranton apartment Friday, they saw the girl’s arm extend from a second-floor window and drop several bags of crack, police said.
The girl is in the custody of youth services.
A woman at the home, Lashawna Bennett, 30, was charged with drug possession, corruption of a minor, child endangerment and other crimes.
WASHINGTON
NASA scrubs launch of scientific satellites
NASA again canceled the launch of two satellites designed to study the Earth’s atmosphere until today after it learned that a refueling plane wouldn’t be available Saturday for its C-130 Hercules tracking aircraft, a spokesman said.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration said a planned launch of the satellites Friday was scrubbed after communications between command centers failed.
HONOLULU
Group says beaches OK after sewage spill
Concerns that a sewage spill polluted Waikiki’s world-famous beaches all but washed away after a health group said the sand appears to be clean.
Almost a month after the city discharged millions of gallons of raw sewage into an open-ocean canal, leading to warnings being posted on some beaches, the group said tests on sand concluded that “it seems some of the areas are cleaner than what a lot of us worried they would be.”
DANVILLE, Va.
Funeral held for slain members of family
Six family members found beaten to death in a rural Pennsylvania home were buried Saturday in the hometown of the eldest victim, the grandmother of the suspected killer.
Hundreds of friends and family members packed a service at a funeral home, where the caskets of four adults, a teenager and a child were arrayed.
Relatives of Emily Wise, 64, proceeded down the aisle reading Bible verses as everyone stood, clapped and shouted.
