December 25, 2012
Afternoon Update |
 TOP NEWSTea Party, Its Clout Diminished, Turns to Fringe IssuesBy TRIP GABRIEL
The November election significantly weakened the once-surging movement, and its activists have not been front and center in the fiscal debate consuming Washington.
Gunman in Firefighter Ambush Left Chilling NoteBy LIZ ROBBINS and N. R. KLEINFIELD
William Spengler, 62, a man with a lengthy criminal record, expressed his passion for killing and a desire to destroy as much of a Webster, N.Y., neighborhood as possible.
"--- WEBSTER, N.Y. — On Monday morning when darkness was still raw, William Spengler Jr. armed himself with a rifle, a revolver and a shotgun. He had killed before. Harboring a deep-seated hatred of his sister, who lived with him, and a desire to harm his neighbors on a beachfront strip off Lake Ontario, Mr. Spengler composed a rough, typewritten plan that foretold of the destruction to come. “I still have to get ready to see how much of the neighborhood I can burn down and do what I like doing best — killing people,” Mr. Spengler, 62, wrote, in a note the police recovered.
It had been 32 years since he beat his grandmother to death with a hammer in the Lake Road house next to his.
As Christmas Eve dawned in this suburb of Rochester, local authorities say, Mr. Spengler set fire to a car, as a trap. When an engine company came roaring down the street, he started shooting at the first responders, most likely from his Bushmaster .223-caliber rifle. It was the same type of semiautomatic weapon used in the school shooting 10 days earlier in Newtown, Conn.
“He was equipped to go to war to kill innocent people,” the Webster police chief, Gerald L. Pickering, said of Mr. Spengler. ---"
Real and Virtual Firearms Nurture a Marketing LinkBy BARRY MEIER and ANDREW MARTIN
The makers of firearms and the producers of violent video games have quietly forged a mutually beneficial marketing relationship.
Celtics 93, Nets 76Celtics Subdue Nets in Christmas Day Opener in N.B.A.By HOWARD BECK
The Nets were bullied on their home court by the Boston Celtics on Tuesday in a rout that drained whatever Christmas cheer they might have had.
Motive Unclear in Killing by Woman in Afghan ForceBy ROD NORDLAND
Sergeant Nargis's killing of an American police adviser in Afghanistan was the 62nd insider killing this year, but also one of the strangest.
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Fashion & StyleOpinion | ||
BUSINESS
For Healthier Chickens, Farms Use OreganoBy STEPHANIE STROM
Chicken farms including Bell & Evans are using oregano-based products as substitutes for antibiotics, but research on their effectiveness is scant and many remain skeptical.
DealBookThe Triumphs and Failures of Deal Makers in 2012By STEVEN M. DAVIDOFF
It was a busy year for Wall Street, and the Deal Professor offers his choices for the best and worst deals of 2012.
Mexico Finds Unlikely Allies in Trade FightBy ELISABETH MALKIN
A battle over the North American Free Trade Agreement highlights the interlocking interests between the United States and Mexico.
California Law Tests Company Responses to Carbon CostsBy FELICITY BARRINGER
Beginning Jan. 1, under the terms of a groundbreaking law known as AB 32, companies will pay for greenhouse gas emissions.
DealBookLondon Stock Exchange Revises Offer for ClearinghouseBy JULIA WERDIGIER
Citing the changing regulatory environment, the London Stock Exchange Group said on Monday that it had revised the terms of its takeover proposal for LCH.Clearnet, cutting its offer to 15 euros a share.
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