General: US will act if threatened by ISIS

General: US will act if threatened by ISIS

ABOARD A US MILITARY AIRCRAFT

Gen. Martin Dempsey says that once he determines the Islamic State militants in Iraq have become a direct threat to the U.S. homeland, he will recommend the U.S. military move directly against the group in Syria.

But the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said that right now, he still believes the insurgent group is still more a regional threat and is not plotting or planning attacks against either the U.S. or Europe.

Speaking on a military plane en route to Afghanistan on Sunday, Dempsey provided more detail into his thinking about the Islamic militants who have stormed across Iraq, operating out of safe havens in Syria.

Dempsey did not rule out strikes for any other critical reasons, but listed a homeland threat as one of the key triggers for any military action in Syria.

Amish plan garage for couple who returned girls

RICHVILLE, N.Y.

The Amish are famous for their barn raisings, when an entire community turns out to help a neighbor.

In northern New York, members of an extended Amish family plan to have a “garage raising” for the couple who returned two kidnapped Amish girls to their home.

Jeffrey and Pamela Stinson tell the Watertown Daily Times that the garage at their home in St. Lawrence County recently burned down while they were on vacation in Maine. The fire was believed to have been started by a stray cat knocking over a battery jump-start box inside.

Atlantic hurricane

KINGSTON, Jamaica

Cristobal strengthened into a hurricane in the Atlantic as it moved away from the Bahamas on Monday, leaving behind flooded communities across a swath of soaked Caribbean islands and at least three fatalities.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said that by Monday evening the hurricane was centered about 660 miles southwest of Bermuda. It had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph and was tracking east at 2 mph.

The storm was projected to later move on a slow north-northeastward track, with a gradual increase in forward speed. It was expected to pass to the west and north of Bermuda on Wednesday.

Obama backs flights over Syria

WASHINGTON

President Barack Obama has authorized surveillance flights over Syria, two U.S. officials said late Monday, a move that could pave the way for U.S. airstrikes against Islamic State militant targets.

Though the White House says Obama has not approved military action inside Syria, additional intelligence on the militants would likely be necessary before he could take that step. Pentagon officials have been drafting potential options for the president, including airstrikes.

One official said the administration has a need for reliable intelligence from Syria and called the surveillance flights an important avenue for obtaining data.

Soldier dies after shooting self in Va.

FORT LEE, Va.

An enraged soldier barricaded herself in a building at a Virginia Army base, threw objects around the office and then fatally shot herself in the head Monday as law-enforcement officials tried to negotiate with her, authorities said.

The soldier, who has not been identified, was pronounced dead after being taken to Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, according to a news release issued by Fort Lee, where the Monday morning shooting took place. No other injuries were reported.

Associated Press