In brief: Obama chooses Secret Service director
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama on Wednesday chose the former Secret Service special agent he installed temporarily in the wake of security breaches to become the agency’s next director, brushing aside an independent panel’s conclusion that the job should go to an outsider.
Joseph Clancy will fill the position after four months as acting director. Clancy is a 27-year veteran of the agency and was previously the head of the service’s presidential protective division. He was hurriedly appointed on an interim basis last year after then-Director Julia Pierson was forced out.
A panel responsible for reviewing the Secret Service and making recommendations for improvements had concluded earlier this year that the agency was too “insular” and “starving for leadership,” recommending the hiring of an outsider as the next director.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Clancy was chosen in part because Clancy, as acting chief in the past few months, “has demonstrated that he was willing to conduct a candid, clear-eyed assessment of the shortcomings of that agency.”
Blast devastates refinery; ash rains in area
TORRANCE, Calif. – An explosion devastated a section of a major refinery on Wednesday morning, raining down ash in the area and, experts say, likely helping to increase California gas prices, which have been creeping up in recent weeks.
A huge smokestack flare – in which workers were burning off flammable product after the explosion – could be seen for miles around. Four contractors suffered minor injuries as workers fled the site of the blast, according to Exxon Mobil Corp., which owns the refinery.
The facility, a structure several stories tall, was shattered. Crews poured water onto the structure afterward, and a fire spokesman said at midday the situation was controlled.
The blast happened in a recently installed processing facility, and the material involved was gasoline, fire department spokesman Steve Deuel said. The facility’s flare system was triggered to burn off fuel that could add to the fire, Deuel said.
Illinois’ new GOP governor calls for cuts
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Illinois’ new Republican governor called Wednesday for deep spending cuts to Medicaid, pensions and other programs to fix the state’s budget mess without raising taxes – a pitch met with quick opposition from Democrats who control the Legislature.
Delivering his first budget address since winning office last fall, Gov. Bruce Rauner said his plan would end “the irresponsible and reckless practices of the past.” He said lawmakers must be willing to make politically unpopular decisions to close a more than $6 billion budget hole next year.
“This is our last, best chance to get our house in order,” Rauner said.
According to budget documents released Wednesday afternoon, Rauner is recommending $1.5 billion in Medicaid cuts, along with other reductions.
Official: Video shows Jenner started crash
LOS ANGELES – Video shows Bruce Jenner started a chain-reaction crash that resulted in a woman’s death on a Malibu highway, a law enforcement official told the Associated Press on Wednesday.
Jenner was hauling an off-road vehicle on a trailer behind his Cadillac Escalade on Feb. 7 when he steered to avoid cars slowing for a traffic light in front of him on Pacific Coast Highway, the official said.
Jenner’s SUV rear-ended two cars, pushing a Lexus into oncoming traffic, the official added.
The driver, Kim Howe, 69, was killed when it was struck head-on by a Hummer.
The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department is investigating the cause of the wreck and will consider whether to issue a citation that could result in criminal charges.
The official said the video taken by cameras on an MTA bus in the area showed Jenner’s vehicle continued forward and rear-ended a Toyota Prius. Officials initially said the Lexus had struck the Prius.
Investigators have sought cellphone records to see if any drivers were distracted, but the video appears to show that Jenner was not using his phone.