Lower Ninth Ward finally reopened
New Orleans The last neighborhood in New Orleans that had remained closed after Hurricane Katrina reopened Thursday, with some residents of the Lower Ninth Ward saying they planned to abandon the area and others vowing to rebuild.
Residents were allowed in for the day to gather what belongings they could. Until now, people had been able to view the destruction only on bus tours. Residents still cannot stay in the neighborhood, which has no electrical power.
Sailor, two superiors shot at Texas base
Fort Worth, Texas A sailor who was apparently trying to commit suicide Thursday shot and wounded himself and two superiors as they struggled for the gun in an effort to stop him, the base commander said.
The sailor’s weapon went off as they struggled, grazing both superiors and injuring the sailor, said Capt. John McCormack, the commander at Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base at Carswell.
The gunman was in critical condition with a single gunshot wound to the neck; his supervisors received stitches and were expected to be discharged Thursday from the hospital.
Jewel thieves blamed for heists in 10 states
Washington Jewel thieves in hooded sweat shirts have knocked over nearly five dozen stores from New Hampshire to North Carolina in the past two-and-a-half years, eluding capture with an efficient operation that has netted $5.1 million in men’s watches, chains, bracelets and rings, the FBI said Thursday.
Targeting jewelers in malls and passing up high-end merchandise, the thieves cut through security gates and clean out display cases filled with men’s gold jewelry and watches, FBI officials said at a news conference intended to enlist the public’s help in dismantling a group informally labeled the gate-cutters crew.
Investigators said the crew almost certainly is responsible for 51 burglaries in 10 eastern states and may be involved in four others in Florida and one in Illinois.
The FBI has set up a telephone hot line, (800) 225-5324, and is offering a $25,000 reward.
Bank robber’s had enough, pleads guilty
Washington The saga of a man who may be the city’s unluckiest bank robber ended Thursday with a guilty plea.
Michael V. Donahoe got $2,000 from a teller at a downtown bank he robbed Oct. 14. But he didn’t get far, because a witness followed him out of the bank and blocked the way when he tried to escape in a taxi.
It only got worse after that.
The teller had put a dye pack in with the stolen money. It exploded in front of the lunchtime crowd, including two FBI agents who happened to be eating nearby. They marched Donahoe back to the bank, where employees identified him.
Donahoe, 53, could get more than four years in prison when he is sentenced March 9.