FCC program to help poor go online
FCC program to help poor go online
NEW YORK
Low-income Americans are expected to be able to apply for help from the federal government in paying for Internet access in December.
The Federal Communications Commissioners voted, 3-2 along party lines, Thursday to expand the $1.5 billion Lifeline program, a $9.25-a-month subsidy, to Internet as well as phone service. It can be used with cellphone Internet or home Internet.
It’s the latest federal-government attempt to close a “digital divide” between those who have access to the Internet and those who don’t, as the ability to go online becomes seen as an increasingly important part of modern life, key for looking for jobs and going to school.
Overpass collapse kills more than 20
KOLKATA, India
A long section of an overpass under construction collapsed Thursday in a crowded Kolkata neighborhood and sent tons of concrete and steel slamming onto midday traffic, killing at least 21 people and leaving scores of others injured, police said.
More people were feared trapped in the debris, and rescuers used saws, small cranes and their bare hands to search for survivors.
Miami cop becomes new Ferguson chief
FERGUSON, Mo.
A veteran Miami police officer with two decades of experience dealing with the media and community leaders will take over as police chief in Ferguson, hoping to help the St. Louis suburb heal as it rebounds after the fatal 2014 police shooting of Michael Brown.
Miami Police Maj. Delrish Moss was announced chief Thursday, putting a black man in charge of a mostly white department that serves a town where African-Americans make up two-thirds of the residents.
Trooper, suspect die in Va. shooting
RICHMOND, Va.
A gunman fatally shot a Virginia state trooper Thursday at a busy bus terminal in the capital city of Richmond before he was shot dead by two other troopers, police said. Two civilians also were shot but were expected to recover.
Trooper Chad P. Dermyer, 37, died after being shot multiple times, according to Virginia State Police Superintendent Col. Steven Flaherty. The civilians, both women, suffered injuries that were not life-threatening, State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said.
Flaherty said investigators don’t know what sparked the shooting. Dermyer had been participating with about a dozen other troopers in a training exercise at the bus station when a brief encounter with the gunman quickly turned violent, he said.
Governor carries on despite scandal
WETUMPKA, Ala.
Trailed by an unusually large crowd of reporters, Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley walked the halls of an overcrowded state women’s prison Thursday, trying to focus on his legislative agenda but still dogged by questions about his relationship with a former top aide.
Pressure has mounted around the governor ever since he acknowledged last week that he made inappropriate sexual remarks to his former confidante and adviser, with a few Republicans calling for his resignation or suggesting impeachment.
Bentley has denied having an affair with Rebekah Caldwell Mason, who stepped down from his office Wednesday. Former Law Enforcement Secretary Spencer Collier – a day after being fired by Bentley – accused the 73-year-old governor of having an inappropriate relationship with Mason, 44.
Associated Press