hSlaying in church leaves congregation in shock

hSlaying in church leaves congregation in shock

CLIFTON, N.J. — A gunman drove across the country to confront his estranged wife, then killed her in a church vestibule as Sunday services let out, authorities said. Two other people were critically injured after being shot in the head in the attack, which sent churchgoers scrambling for safety.

The gunman fled, and authorities were searching for him.

Police Detective Capt. Robert Rowan identified the slain woman as 24-year-old Reshma James and the gunman as 27-year-old Joseph M. Pallipurath of Sacramento, Calif.

Above, Nijith Kurian calls friends as he waits outside the St. Thomas Syrian Orthodox Kananaya Church.

Citigroup rescue weighed

WASHINGTON — The government was weighing a plan on Sunday to rescue Citigroup Inc., whose stock has been hammered on worries about its financial health.

The Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve have been in discussions over the weekend to devise a strategy to stabilize the company, according to people familiar with the talks.

What investors are worried about is that all the risky debt sitting on Citigroup’s balance sheet will eventually turn into losses as the economy worsens and the markets stay turbulent — losses that could be nearly impossible to reverse.

Military school protest

COLUMBUS, Ga. — Protesters who gathered Sunday to call for the closing of a controversial military school for Latin American military and government officials said they’re optimistic either the new president or a more sympathetic Congress will help them achieve their goal within the next year.

Roy Bourgeois, a Maryknoll priest who has been leading the demonstrations outside a gate to Fort Benning since 1990, said his supporters view president-elect Barack Obama as the “president who stands for peace” and will request a meeting with him.

Juanita Sherba of Canfield, Ohio, has been attending the demonstrations for 12 years.

“We believe that Obama’s words are true,” she said. “He seems to be a man of conscious and I think he’s going to look into the way our government does business and truly make it a democracy again.”

Stem cell research funds

WASHINGTON — When the Bush presidency ends, opponents of embryonic stem cell research will face a new political reality that many feel powerless to stop.

President-elect Barack Obama is expected to lift restrictions on federal money for such research. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., also has expressed interest in going ahead with legislation in the first 100 days of the new Congress if it still is necessary to set up a regulatory framework.

Recycling-system problem

HOUSTON — Astronauts tinkered Sunday on a troublesome piece of equipment which can convert urine and sweat into drinkable water once it’s functioning and allow the international space station to grow to six crew members.

Station commander Michael Fincke and Endeavour astronaut Donald Pettit changed how a centrifuge is mounted in the $154 million water recycling system. The centrifuge is on mounts and Mission Control asked Fincke to remove them and bolt it down without them.

Mall gunman sought

TUKWILA, Wash. — Police sought a young gunman Sunday after a shooting the day before at a busy Seattle-area shopping mall that killed one teenager and seriously wounded another.

At least four people were detained and questioned after the shooting Saturday afternoon at Southcenter Mall, police Officer Mike Murphy said.

Murphy said the shooting stemmed from a fight between two groups of people and may have been gang related. He said police expected to identify the gunman and make an arrest soon.

Associated Press