Last week began badly for students at a suburban Cleveland, Ohio school when a lone teen gunman walked into a crowded cafeteria before 8 a.m., pulled out a pistol and began firing. Three boys died and two others were injured. The shooter was taken into custody.
Another student, Nate Mueller, was in the cafeteria, and told WKYC.com that when he looked away from the gunman, one of the bullets grazed his ear.
“He didn’t say anything the entire time,” Mueller said. “He took one shot, and then that’s when we looked to see what was happening because it sounded like a firecracker almost, and at that point, I looked back, I saw him shoot – which hit one of my other friends that was sitting at the table with us. And then, as I was turning around ... that’s when he hit me.”
“It all feels like a movie. ... I am sure tomorrow I’ll be devastated.”
Mueller said the gunman had been a friend of his through junior high. Then he entered what Mueller called a “gothic” phase.
“He still had friends. He was still a nice kid … we didn’t think he would hurt anybody,” he said.
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The country’s largest bank was charged on Monday with discriminating against three disabled borrowers in Michigan and Wisconsin. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development charged Bank of America Corp. with violating the federal Fair Housing Act in 2009 and 2010. In the act, lenders are prohibited from discriminating against disabled borrowers.
A statement from HUD said that Bank of America put in place “unnecessary and burdensome requirements” on borrowers who count on their disability income to qualify for their home loans.
Bank of America has denied any wrongdoing, saying they went by different but tougher FHA guidelines in the loans in question. They blame “inconsistencies” in the different laws that regulate discrimination in lending.
“There is no basis to allege that Bank of America has engaged in a systemic practice of discriminating on the basis of disability in connection with mortgage lending,” the statement said.
The Justice Department is also reviewing the case.
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Just a little over a month after Eastman Kodak Co. filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11, the company has requested a federal court to allow it to cut health care benefits for thousands of retirees.
In a letter to employees, Kodak said that since filing for bankruptcy, it has attempted to “balance the needs of our retirees with the needs of the Company.”
The letter continued by saying it is “clearer than ever that in order to remain a participant in the market tomorrow, we must put Kodak on a sustainable financial path today.”
The company will make a motion in Bankruptcy Court on March 20 and request to stop benefits in their medical plan for all retirees 65 and over and any who are under 65 but are eligible for Medicare.
Kodak said the changes would affect about 16,000 retirees. The company would save about $13.5 million this year and about $20.5 million a year afterward, it said.
Kodak said that the change is “one of many difficult but necessary decisions the Company needs to make in order to establish a financially sustainable course for the future,” telling retirees that their health care payments were “legacy costs” that shouldn’t transfer to whatever new company emerges from bankruptcy proceedings.
Three weeks ago, Kodak said it was getting out of the film and camera business altogether, focusing on printing and licensing its brand to other camera makers.
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The turnout of Republican voters is sharply down from four years ago. Experts say this is due to lukewarm voter feelings toward the choices they have and negative advertising, which usually causes voter turnout to decline.
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Another Academy Awards has come and gone. This year’s winners in the major categories were –
Best Documentary – “Undefeated” TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay and Richard Middlemas
Best Foreign Film – “A Separation” (Iran)
Best Original Screenplay – “Midnight in Paris” Written by Woody Allen
Best Supporting Actress – Octavia Spencer in “The Help”
Best Supporting Actor – Christopher Plummer in “Beginners”
Best Actress – Meryl Streep in “The Iron Lady”
Best Actor – Jean Dujardin in “The Artist”
Best Director – “The Artist” Michel Hazanavicius
Best Picture – “The Artist” Thomas Langmann, Producer