h Waiting for a tree

h Waiting for a tree
NEW ORLEANS -- Patrick Ellis and his son James smile as they wait for a free Christmas tree in downtown New Orleans. The Downtown Development District, the mayor's office, the Astro Crowne Plaza hotel and Evergreen Agriculture are hosting holiday festivities for residents of New Orleans. Approximately 500 free Christmas trees were handed out Tuesday on Canal Street.
Denver boy, 9, honoredfor shielding little brother
DENVER -- A 9-year-old boy who was shot in the back while shielding his little brother during an attempted break-in got a trophy from police and his school principal to honor his courage. Ricardo Caldera was shot when he threw himself over his 4-year-old brother, Esteban, after two masked men tried to break into their home Oct. 26, police and his family said. During an assembly at Oakland Elementary School on Monday, Principal Reggie Robinson presented him with the trophy. "Someone in this school, one of our fourth-graders, did something really, really brave and really, really smart," Robinson told the students. Asked why he did it, Ricardo answered, " 'cause he's my little brother."
School principal admitshe faked brutal beating
FAYETTEVILLE, Tenn. -- A school principal who claimed two masked men attacked him says he made up the story and inflicted the injuries himself, authorities said Tuesday. Authorities would not say why 37-year-old Steve Steelman faked the attack. Steelman was found beaten Nov. 7 in his office at Fayetteville Intermediate School after school hours. Police said he suffered head injuries and was treated at a hospital, but they would not give details of the injuries or say exactly how they were inflicted. Steelman, a principal for four years, was suspended without pay and could face criminal charges.
Power outage temporarilyhits Detroit's east side
DETROIT -- Thousands of customers on Detroit's east side temporarily lost power Tuesday, and a tunnel connecting the city with Canada was shut down for about two hours. The power outage, which affected about 20,000 customers, was caused by a malfunction at an electrical station that feeds several substations, said Scott Simons, a spokesman for DTE Energy Co. The Detroit-Windsor Tunnel reopened after power was restored. Gordon Jarvis, chief executive of the Detroit & amp; Canada Tunnel Corp., which owns the tunnel, said it was closed because it had no lights. Normally, it would have electrical feeds from both Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, but the Windsor lines were shut down because of construction, he said.
Proof of a miracle?
ROME -- Krakow's Roman Catholic archbishop spoke Tuesday of a possible miracle performed by Pope John Paul II in France that a church tribunal will focus on as the Vatican pursues its case for beatification. Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, who was personal secretary to John Paul, told reporters in Rome that "there are no problems with miracles because there are many, but they have picked one because they don't need more." Pressed further, Dziwisz added: "Maybe this I can say: they have picked [one in] France." The Vatican needs proof of a miracle before it can proclaim John Paul eligible for sainthood, and a church tribunal from the archdiocese of Krakow, Poland, has been gathering evidence from witnesses.
Bank employees arrested
DUBLIN, Ireland -- Two Northern Ireland bank employees were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of involvement in the robbery of their Belfast bank, raising questions about whether the British-record theft could have been an inside job. Chris Ward, 24, and a 22-year-old woman whom police refused to identify were being held at the Northern Ireland police's central interrogation center in Antrim, west of Belfast, where under anti-terrorist laws they could be held for up to a week before being charged or released. A detective familiar with the investigation into the $50 million robbery Dec. 20 confirmed that Ward was under arrest, as well as a female friend who also works for Northern Bank.
Associated Press