Obama picks lawyer as Guantanamo envoy

Obama picks lawyer as Guantanamo envoy

washington

President Barack Obama has chosen a high-powered Washington lawyer with an extensive government experience to be the State Department’s new special envoy for closing down the prison at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba.

Officials familiar with the decision tell The Associated Press that Clifford Sloan is the pick to reopen the State Department’s Office of Guantanamo Closure. The office was closed in January.

The move fulfills part of Obama’s pledge to renew efforts to close the prison.

Jet with Bush makes emergency landing

dallas

A private jet that had former President George W. Bush on board made an emergency landing after the smell of smoke was reported in the cockpit.

The Federal Aviation Administration on Sunday said the jet was flying Saturday night from Philadelphia to Dallas, where Bush lives, and was diverted to Louisville, Ky. No one was hurt.

Bush spokesman Freddy Ford was on board and said the plane continued to Dallas after a brief stop. He said he never saw or smelled smoke.

FAA spokeswoman Holly Baker said the Gulfstream 4 declared an emergency due to the “smell of smoke in the cockpit” and landed without incident. She didn’t elaborate.

Steady rain falls as crews battle wildfire

colorado springs, colo.

With evacuees anxious to return, firefighters worked Sunday to dig up and extinguish hot spots to protect homes spared by the most- destructive wildfire in Colorado’s history.

The labor-intensive work is necessary because extremely dry grass and trees could quickly ignite if wind stirs up hot spots in the densely wooded Black Forest near Colorado Springs.

Firefighters did get some help from the weather as steady rain moved through the area Sunday afternoon.

That weather came with some lightning, which sparked a small grass fire near one home.

Nearly 500 homes have been burned by the 22-square-mile fire, which is 65 percent contained. Crews hope to have it fully under control by Thursday.

Gunman shoots man during Mass

ogden, utah

A 35-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of walking into a Catholic church and shooting his father-in-law in the back of the head during Mass.

Charles Richard Jennings Jr., 35, was captured Sunday afternoon in Box Elder County after fleeing in a stolen pickup truck, investigators said.

Witnesses say they heard one gunshot during the 11:30 a.m. Mass on Sunday at Saint James the Just Catholic Church in Ogden, and that parishioners immediately hit the floor.

The victim was taken to a hospital, where he was listed in critical but stable condition. His name wasn’t immediately released.

Police said the victim was deliberately targeted by the gunman and it wasn’t a random act of violence.

Mexico reports severe flooding

PIEDRAS NEGRAS, mexico

Heavy weekend rains have caused severe flooding in the Mexican city of Piedras Negras on the border with Texas. Coahuila state officials say one person died and 10,000 houses are damaged, leaving 40,000 peoples homeless.

State government secretary Armando Luna Canales said Sunday that one of the hardest hit zones was the city center, where many businesses reported flood losses.

Associated Press