Suspect is arrested in death of pregnant Marine

Suspect is arrested in death of pregnant Marine

RALEIGH, N.C. — A Marine wanted in the brutal slaying of a pregnant colleague who had accused him of rape was arrested in Mexico, the FBI said late Thursday.

The FBI’s office in Charlotte said special agents and Mexican authorities arrested Marine Cpl. Cesar Laurean, who is charged with murder in the death of Marine Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach. The FBI did not say when or where in Mexico Laurean was arrested, but said he is awaiting extradition to the U.S.

“Laurean’s swift arrest in Mexico was due to the diligence and dedication of the Mexican government and our law enforcement partners,” Nathan Gray, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Charlotte office, said in a statement.

Maui becomes first area to see $4-a-gallon gas

WAILUKU, Hawaii — The average price of regular gasoline on Maui island has reached a record $4 a gallon.

Wailuku is the first area in the nation tracked by AAA’s Daily Fuel Gauge Report to hit the $4 mark. In the remote coastal town of Hana, the price is around $4.55 a gallon.

Maui’s average is up about half a cent from Wednesday, 5.7 cents from a month ago and about 74 cents from a year ago.

The national average price of gas climbed 1.4 cents overnight to a record just under $3.36 a gallon.

Baby survives after getting hit by train

MOEHLIN, Switzerland — A baby whose carriage was blown by the wind onto railroad tracks and run over by a train survived with little more than a bump, police said Thursday.

The 6-month-old was sitting in the buggy when a strong gust of wind blew it off the platform and into the path of an oncoming train, said Bernhard Graser of the Aargau police.

“The train went over the child but luckily it had fallen between the rails,” he said, adding that the driver made an emergency stop after seeing the carriage roll toward the edge of the platform.

Rescuers heard the baby’s cries and found it lying beneath the train, virtually unharmed.

Big Ben turns 150

LONDON — Happy Birthday, Big Ben. One of Britain’s last bell foundries on Thursday marked the 150th anniversary of its biggest creation — the massive bell whose bongs sound the hour at the Houses of Parliament.

It was made by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, which also made Philadelphia’s Liberty Bell and the Bell of Hope, given to New York by Londoners on the first anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

The 15-ton Big Ben was cast on April 10, 1858, at the foundry in east London, although it was another year before it first rang out from Parliament’s clock tower.

“We are going to toast Big Ben’s health at the end of the working day,” said Mike Backhouse, the foundry’s works manager. “Whether we’ll sing ’Happy Birthday,’ I don’t know.”

101st Airborne takes command in Afghanistan

BAGRAM, Afghanistan — The 101st Airborne Division took command of American forces in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday, helping to boost U.S. troop levels in the country to their highest number since the 2001 invasion.

Marching in step, paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne retired the unit’s flag during a ceremony under a light rain beside the main runway at Bagram Air Field. Then 101st paratroopers unfurled their flag, officially marking the start of their 15-month tour.

The 101st has 7,200 troops in Afghanistan, several hundred more than the 82nd. Its arrival, coupled with the deployment of some 3,500 Marines to the country’s south, has pushed the total number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan to over 32,000.

Settlement reached in Virginia Tech killings

ROANOKE, Va. — Most families of victims of the mass shootings at Virginia Tech have agreed to an $11 million state settlement that will compensate families who lost loved ones, pay survivors’ medical costs and avoid a court battle over whether anyone besides the gunman was to blame.

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine said Thursday that a “substantial majority” of families of victims of the Virginia Tech shootings agreed to the settlement.

Peter Grenier and Douglas Fierberg, who represent 21 families, said the settlement was worth more than $11 million, but neither they nor the governor would discuss its terms until final papers are drawn in a few days.

Associated Press