In brief: House panel head to speak for GOP

Washington – House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, a rising Republican star who’s stirred controversy with his approach to budget-cutting, will give the GOP response Tuesday to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address.

The choice is aimed at showcasing the commitment of Republicans to deficit reduction.

Ryan, 39, a seventh-term Wisconsin Republican, is known for his “Roadmap for America’s Future,” a plan for reducing federal budget deficits that includes permitting younger workers the option of setting aside Social Security tax payments for “personal retirement accounts.”

In addition, Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., will deliver a separate reaction to Obama’s speech on behalf of the Tea Party Express.

Man sentenced in movie attack

Lancaster, Calif. – A Southern California man was sentenced Friday to more than 40 years in state prison for stabbing a moviegoer in the neck with a meat thermometer during a screening of the film “Shutter Island.”

Landry Boullard, 40, also was ordered to pay $21,000 in restitution to the victim who became comatose due to a brain injury.

Boullard was convicted last month of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm by a felon.

Prosecutors said Boullard stabbed the victim in the neck with a digital thermometer after the victim asked a female companion of Boullard’s to stop talking on her cell phone. Two good Samaritans who intervened in the attack suffered minor injuries.