Survivalist named as trooper's killer
BLOOMING GROVE, Pa. -- Hundreds of law enforcement officers fanned out across the dense northeastern Pennsylvania woods Tuesday as they tracked a survivalist with two high-powered rifles and a grudge against police, identified as the gunman who killed one trooper and injured another in a late-night ambush outside a state police barracks.
Eric Matthew Frein, 31, of Canadensis is "extremely dangerous" and residents in the area should be alert and cautious, State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan said at a news conference in which he revealed the suspect's name.
"He has made statements about wanting to kill law enforcement officers and also to commit mass acts of murder," Noonan said. "What his reasons are, we don't know. But he has very strong feelings about law enforcement and seems to be very angry with a lot of things that go on in our society."
Frein was charged Tuesday with first-degree murder, homicide of a law enforcement officer and other offenses. About 200 law enforcement officials were combing the rural area of northeastern Pennsylvania marked by dense forest, but "we have no idea where he is," Noonan said.
U.S., firms act to cut refrigerant gases
WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration Tuesday announced a series of moves aimed at cutting emissions of hydrofluorocarbons, powerful greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.
The White House has secured voluntary agreements from some of the nation's largest companies to scale down or phase out their use of hydrofluorocarbons, which are factory-made gases used in air conditioning and refrigeration. Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Red Bull, Kroger, Honeywell and DuPont, the company that invented fluorinated refrigerants, have agreed to cut their use and replace them with climate friendly alternatives.
Overall, the administration estimated that the agreements announced Tuesday would reduce cumulative global consumption of hydrofluorocarbons by the equivalent of 700 million metric tons of carbon dioxide through 2025. That is about 1.5 percent of the world's 2010 greenhouse gas emissions, or the same as taking 15 million cars off the road for 10 years.
The announcement came a week before President Barack Obama is expected to join more than 100 other world leaders at a United Nations climate change summit in New York.
Ferguson case adds time to grand jury
ST. LOUIS -- A judge has extended the term of the grand jury considering whether a white suburban St. Louis police officer should be charged in the shooting death of a black 18-year-old.
As expected, the grand jury investigation into the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson has gone past the panel's four-month term, which was to expire Sept. 10. On that day, St. Louis County Circuit Judge Carolyn Whittington granted an extension until January -- the longest allowed by Missouri law.
The extension does not mean the grand jury will meet until January but "just gives them that window," said St. Louis County Court Administrator Paul Fox. He noted the grand jury is focused strictly on the shooting death of Brown by Darren Wilson and is not considering any other cases.
Reid bolsters opposition to nuke dump
WASHINGTON -- As Congress debates action in the fight against Islamic State militants, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid found time Tuesday for an issue closer to home: ensuring that a nuclear waste dump in his home state of Nevada remains mothballed even after the government has spent $15 billion on it.
Reid devoted floor time to confirming two nominees to the agency that oversees the nation's nuclear reactors. That means a Democratic-appointed majority will weigh any further steps related to creating a national nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
The confirmations come as Republicans have begun talking about trying to revive the Yucca Mountain project if they retake the Senate in November. The Obama administration, under pressure from Reid, abandoned the project early in the president's first term.
Over Republican opposition, the Senate confirmed the nominations of Jeffery Martin Baran and Stephen Burns.
The votes were 56-44 for Baran and 60-40 for Burns. Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor of Arkansas supported both; Republican Sen. John Boozman voted against both nominees.
A Section on 09/17/2014