NEWS OF THE DAY
From Across the Nation
1 Suspicious fire: A fire that erupted Monday at a Los Angeles construction site and damaged adjacent residences is considered to be of suspicious origin. Fire Capt. Erik Scott said arson investigators examined the scene and a person of interest has been detained for questioning. The fire erupted around 6 a.m. at an east Hollywood site where two apartment buildings were in the wood frame stage of construction. Flames damaged an occupied apartment building on one side of the fire and a single-family home on the other. Twenty people were displaced from their homes and are being assisted by the American Red Cross. Another structure fire occurred about a block away and it is also under investigation.
2 Newtown massacre: The families of some Sandy Hook shooting victims are angered by a TV interview with a conspiracy theorist who has claimed the massacre was a hoax. The family of slain first-grade teacher Vicki Soto posted a letter to NBC and interviewer Megyn Kelly on Facebook, saying they are disgusted and disappointed in the decision to air an interview with “Infowars” host Alex Jones next Sunday. They say Jones and his supporters “have done nothing but make our lives a living hell for the last 4½ years.” Soto was one of six educators killed along with 20 first-grade students in the December 2012 shooting at the Newtown, Conn., elementary school.
3 Soldiers identified: The Defense Department on Monday said the three U.S. soldiers who were fatally shot last week in Afghanistan were part of the 101st Airborne Division based at Fort Campbell, a sprawling Army post on the Kentucky-Tennessee line. A statement identified the soldiers as Sgt. Eric Houck, 25, of Baltimore; Sgt. William Bays, 29, of Barstow (San Bernardino County); and Cpl. Dillon Baldridge, 22, of Youngsville, N.C. The soldiers died Saturday in Nangarhar province of gunshot wounds in a shooting that remains under investigation. 4 Women killed: A mother and her two adult daughters were found slain at a home in Ohio. Police said a family friend found the three Sunday night at a home in North Royalton, south of Cleveland. The victims were identified as Suzanne Taylor, 45, and her daughters, Taylor Pifer, 21, and Kylie Pifer, 18. All three suffered gunshot wounds, police said. A motive for the shootings was not known, and no arrests have been made. 5 Melania Trump: The first family is together again under the same roof: the White House. After nearly five months of living apart, President Trump’s wife, Melania, and the couple’s young son have finally moved into the executive mansion. Mother and son broke with tradition by living at Trump Tower in New York City since the inauguration so that Barron, now 11, could finish the school year uninterrupted. “Looking forward to the memories we’ll make in our new home! #Movingday,” the first lady tweeted Sunday evening after she and Barron arrived at the White House.