Death-row fugitive captured in Louisiana

Death-row fugitivecaptured in Louisiana
HOUSTON -- A death row inmate who slipped out of a Texas jail wearing street clothes was captured Sunday in Shreveport, La., the U.S. Marshals Service said. Marianne Matus, a Marshals spokeswoman in Houston, confirmed Sunday night that convicted killer Charles Victor Thompson was in custody. No details about how authorities found him were immediately released, but Matus had said earlier in the day that they had received valuable tips about his possible whereabouts. A $10,000 reward had been offered for information leading to his capture. Thompson, 35, had been convicted in 1999 for the shooting deaths a year earlier of his ex-girlfriend, Dennise Hayslip and her new boyfriend, Darren Keith Cain. An appeals court threw out his sentence, but on Oct. 28, another jury sentenced him to death.
Pit bull attack leavesboy critically injured
CARY, Ill. -- A 10-year-old boy was in critical condition Sunday after three pit bulls escaped from a home and went on a rampage, attacking six people before police shot and killed the dogs, authorities said. No charges had been filed Sunday, but McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren said it was being investigated as a crime scene. Neighbors said the attacks started late Saturday afternoon when children going door-to-door for a fundraiser arrived at the home of Scott Sword, 41, who owned the dogs. "We had music playing, and I heard this bizarre sound," said Debby Rivera, who lives three houses away. "I looked out the window, and I saw a young boy. The dogs were just jumping on him." "The screams were horrible," she said. The dogs were "relentless, like they were possessed." The pit bulls attacked the two children, and when the dogs' owner tried to stop them, the dogs turned on him and bit off his thumb, Nygren said. The boy's father also tried to protect his son and was attacked. The dogs went after another neighbor as well. "The scene sprawled over a couple blocks, it was a very chaotic scene," said Lt. Michael Douglas of the Cary Fire Protection District. Residents threw rocks at the dogs and honked car horns to try to distract them from attacking before police arrived and shot the animals.
Toxic fumes kill 2 menat Delaware refinery
DELAWARE CITY, Del. -- Two workers died early Sunday at the Valero Energy Corp. oil refinery after they were exposed to toxic fumes, officials said. The men appear to have succumbed to nitrogen fumes inside a silo just after midnight, said state police Cpl. Jeff Oldham. Refinery spokeswoman Mary Jen Beach said the men were contracted through Matrix Services Inc. to work at the plant, but were not authorized to go inside the silo. "We are conducting a full investigation into this incident so that we can take steps to prevent a reoccurrence in the future," she said. Matrix Services didn't return a call seeking comment. State police identified the victims as John Ferguson, 29, of Westminster, Md., and John Lattanzi, 57, of Laurel Springs, N.J. The plant employs about 570 people and produces gasoline, diesel fuel and home heating oil.
Advanced music coursesat Yale will soon be free
NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- In most of America's top conservatories, the world's most promising musicians are often deep in debt and giving music lessons just to cover the rent and close the gap between their scholarships and graduate school tuition. But a $100 million donation is about to change that scenario at The Yale School of Music. The anonymous donation, announced this past week, will make advanced music education free beginning next year. Music scholars hope it will pressure other schools to do the same. "Money is a big factor," said Yale master's candidate Clara Yang, 24, who paid for her first year with loans, financial aid and by teaching piano lessons. The current year's tuition at the Yale School of Music is $23,750, and about 200 students are enrolled each year. Half the former art and music students surveyed by college lender Nellie Mae in 1998 had debts bigger than their salaries and most said that, in hindsight, they should have borrowed less.
Small plane crashes,killing pilot and grandson
SPRING, Texas -- A small plane trying to land at an airport Sunday struck power lines and crashed into a car, killing the pilot and his 10-year-old grandson and injuring a woman in the vehicle, authorities said. The plane was headed to David Wayne Hooks Airport, just northeast of Houston, said Roland Herwig, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration. Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman Tom Vinger identified the pilot as Robert James Little, 55, of Spring, and the passenger as his grandson Robby Austin Little, 10, of Pearland. He said the two were returning from a visit to family in Fredericksburg.
Associated Press