The nation in brief

Police-funds cut sparks call for ousters

NORMAN, Okla. -- A group of residents in Oklahoma's third-largest city has begun a petition drive seeking to oust half of the City Council and the mayor for cutting police funding, building on resentment over the mayor's order requiring people to wear masks in public to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

The group, "Unite Norman," is upset with the council over its decision last month to reallocate $865,000, or about 3.6%, of the Police Department's annual budget. The money was shifted to community development programs and to create an internal auditor position to track police overtime spending and outlays.

City leaders voted on the proposal during an 11-hour city council meeting held in the wake of nationwide protests over police brutality, racial injustice and the death of George Floyd, a handcuffed Black man who died May 25 at the hands of Minneapolis police.

[CORONAVIRUS: Click here for our complete coverage » arkansasonline.com/coronavirus]

"When this City Council succumbed to an angry mob at three o'clock in the morning and decided to undo months of budget discussions, we all said enough is enough," said Chris Dragg, one of the group's organizers. "We care too much about Norman and our law enforcement officers to let Norman be run this way."

Other Norman residents are also upset with Mayor Breea Clark's decision this week to impose a requirement that people wear masks in public following a surge in covid-19 cases.

2 officers wounded at house later ablaze

RENO, Texas -- Two law enforcement officers were shot when a suspect accused of threatening others opened fire on them in Texas and barricaded himself in a home, authorities said Friday.

The shooting happened when officers responded to the home Thursday night in Parker County, about 22 miles northwest of Fort Worth, Reno Police Chief Tony Simmons said in an emailed statement.

Authorities had responded to the home after a caller said her son had a gun and was making threats, Simmons said.

Early Friday, flames could be seen rising from the home, the Star-Telegram reported. The blaze was extinguished about 1:30 a.m., but authorities didn't immediately released details on the status of the shooter.

A Reno officer was shot in the arm and a Parker County deputy was also wounded, Simmons said. A bullet struck a second Reno officer's stun gun holster, preventing him from being shot.

Parker County Sheriff Larry Fowler said Friday that the deputy was shot multiple times but has been released from a hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.

Black man's hanging death ruled suicide

LOS ANGELES -- The death of a Black man found hanging from a tree in a Southern California city park last month was ruled a suicide following a police investigation prompted by outrage from the family who said authorities initially were too quick to rule out the possibility he was lynched.

The manner of Robert Fuller's death on June 10 in Palmdale increased tensions after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Family members said they couldn't imagine Fuller, 24, taking his own life and community activists noted the Antelope Valley area north of Los Angeles where the death occurred has a history of racist incidents.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, who ordered a review of Fuller's death, revealed Thursday that Fuller had a history of mental illness and suicidal tendencies. Sheriff's Cmdr. Chris Marks said that on June 12, detectives talked with a family member who reported a possible prior mental health history, and the death was deemed a suicide.

On Friday, Jamon Hicks, an attorney for Fuller's family, did not dispute investigators' findings.

"I have no information to suggest foul play. I have no information to suggest that anything was racially motivated," Hicks said.

Comet Neowise heading toward Earth

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A newly discovered comet is streaking past Earth, providing a stunning nighttime show after buzzing the sun and expanding its tail.

Comet Neowise -- the brightest comet visible from the Northern Hemisphere in a quarter-century -- swept within Mercury's orbit a week ago. Its close proximity to the sun caused dust and gas to burn off its surface and create an even bigger debris tail. Now the comet is headed toward Earth, with its closest approach in two weeks.

NASA's Neowise infrared space telescope discovered the comet in March.

Scientists involved in the space telescope mission said the comet's nucleus is about 3 miles across. It is covered with sooty material dating back to the origin of our solar system 4.6 billion years ago.

The comet will be visible across the Northern Hemisphere until mid-August, when it heads back toward the outer solar system. While it's visible with the naked eye in dark skies with little or no light pollution, binoculars are needed to see the long tail, according to NASA.

It will be about 7,000 years before the comet returns, "so I wouldn't suggest waiting for the next pass," said Joe Masiero of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

Upcoming Events