Man in at Kansas City International Airport bomb scare appears in court

Man in bomb scare appears in court

KANSAS CITY, Mo.

A man accused of trying to take a fake bomb through a security checkpoint at Kansas City International Airport on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks has a history of mental illness and recently quit taking his medications, the man’s mother told investigators.

Anthony Falco Jr., 47, shook his head in disagreement repeatedly Monday as U.S. Magistrate Judge John Maughmer read an FBI agent’s affidavit outlining actions that led to a two-count federal complaint.

Falco, whose last known address is East Petersburg, Pa., mumbled the word “lies” at one point, prompting a court attendant to ask him to remain silent while the judge spoke.

Officials: 22 Shiite pilgrims shot dead

BAGHDAD

Gunmen forced their way onto a bus of traveling Shiite pilgrims Monday and shot all 22 men onboard as they traveled through western Iraq’s remote desert on a trip to a holy shrine, security officials said.

The bodies were discovered late Monday, hours after the gang of gunmen stopped the bus at a fake security checkpoint and told all the women and children to get off, according to one security official who interviewed a survivor.

Libyan rebel leader calls for civil state

TRIPOLI, Libya

The chief of Libya’s revolutionary movement told thousands of cheering Libyans in Tripoli on Monday to strive for a civil, democratic state, while loyalists of the hunted dictator Moammar Gadhafi killed at least 15 opposition fighters in an attack on a key oil town in Libya’s east. From hiding, Gadhafi urged his remaining followers to keep up the fight, a sign that Libya’s six-month civil war is not over even though revolutionary forces now control most of the country and have begun setting up a new government in the capital.

Panel: Scrap strict school discipline

DENVER

Colorado lawmakers and police said Monday that strict disciplinary policies at schools created after the Columbine High School shootings should be scaled back or scrapped and that administrators should have more control over student punishment.

The state laws put in place after high-profile cases of youth violence have tied the hands of school administrators with zero-policy standard, said members of a panel looking at school discipline trends. In turn, the officials are left with no choice but to refer a high number of students to law enforcement for minor offenses that pose no threat to school safety, they said.

NC House OKs vote on gay-marriage ban

RALEIGH, N.C.

The North Carolina House of Representatives voted 75-42 Monday to let state voters decide whether a ban on same-sex marriage should be written into the state Constitution.

Supporters decided to put the question on the May primary ballot next year rather than the November 2012 general-election ballot, ensuring that the proposal would win support from enough Democrats to clear the 72 House-vote requirement for proposed constitutional changes.

Combined dispatches