Train-attack hero stabbed near bar
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Airman 1st Class Spencer Stone, who helped stop a terror attack on a French train over the summer, was stabbed and seriously wounded Thursday in a fight outside a bar -- the latest tragedy to befall him and his buddies since they returned home as heroes.
On Thursday, Stone, 23, was stabbed repeatedly in the upper body outside a nightclub in a neighborhood in his hometown of Sacramento in what police described as an alcohol-related fight that had nothing to do with terrorism. He was listed in stable condition at UC Davis Medical Center, and officials said he was expected to survive.
Police searched for the two assailants, who fled in a car, and said there is no evidence they knew who he was.
"This incident is not related to terrorism in any way," Deputy Police Chief Ken Bernard said. Bernard said the fight was "related to a nightclub incident" involving Stone's circle and a second group, but he would not say what sparked the argument.
Police said they do not know whether the Travis Air Force Base airman was drinking, but others in his group were. In a statement, the hospital said Stone's family "appreciates the outpouring of love and support" and requests privacy.
Ex-schools chief faces fraud case
CHICAGO -- The former chief executive of Chicago Public Schools has been indicted on charges that she was involved in a scheme to steer $20 million worth of no-bid contracts to education companies in exchange for bribes and kickbacks.
Barbara Byrd-Bennett, who resigned earlier this year as leader of the nation's third-largest school district, "takes full responsibility for her conduct," Chicago-based lawyer Michael Scudder said in a statement. Scudder said Byrd-Bennett would plead guilty and will continue to cooperate with the government, including testifying if called upon to do so.
Byrd-Bennett, 66, who was appointed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel in 2012, stepped down during a federal investigation into a contract between the district and SUPES Academy, a training academy where she once worked as a consultant.
Byrd-Bennett is charged with several counts of mail and wire fraud that each carry maximum 20-year prison sentences. U.S. attorney Zachary Fardon said the indictment accuses her of "abusing her power to line her own pockets and those of her co-defendants."
SUPES Academy and a related company, Synesi Associates LLC, also are charged, as are their owners, Gary Soloman and Thomas Vranas. Both men are charged with bribery and conspiracy to defraud, along with mail and wire fraud.
Memphis' mayor says election lost
MEMPHIS -- Incumbent A C Wharton Jr. has conceded defeat in Memphis' mayoral election.
Wharton's loss Thursday means City Council member Jim Strickland becomes the first white mayor in the majority-black city in nearly a quarter-century.
Wharton's concession at a campaign event came before complete results for the nonpartisan election were posted. Election officials reported a technical glitch in disseminating results to the public. Totals that had been reported Thursday night showed Strickland with a lead.
Strickland couldn't immediately be reached for comment.
Wharton was first elected as the city's mayor in 2009. He had sought another chance to work on repairing problems such as crime, poverty, blight and the city's troubled financial situation.
-- Compiled by Democrat-Gazette staff from wire reports
A Section on 10/09/2015