NEWS OF THE DAY
From Across the Nation
1 Library stabbing: A Massachusetts man charged with fatally stabbing a woman studying to become a doctor in a public library has a severe mental illness, his lawyer said Monday. Jeffrey Yao, 23, was held without bail after not guilty pleas to charges including murder were entered on his behalf at his arraignment in Woburn District Court. Yao approached Deane Stryker, 22, from behind and stabbed her 20 times with a 10-inch hunting knife at the Winchester Public Library on Saturday, prosecutor Kate Cimini said. Yao’s attorney, J.W. Carney Jr., said he will have doctors examine Yao and may pursue an insanity defense.
2 Plane fire: A Southwest Airlines jet headed to Los Angeles made an emergency landing in Utah after one of the plane’s engines caught fire shortly after takeoff Monday. Salt Lake City International Airport spokeswoman Nancy Volmer said no one was hurt when the Boeing 737-700 with 110 passengers aboard returned to the airport. Southwest said in a statement the plane’s pilots decided to return to the airport after they received a cockpit indicator of “a potential performance issue” with one of the jet’s engines. The passengers were put on another plane to Los Angeles.
3 Misconduct probe: The federal Education Department said Monday that it has opened an investigation into how Michigan State University handled allegations of sexual assault against Dr. Larry Nassar, a longtime employee who has been sentenced to decades in prison for molesting young athletes. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said investigators will look at “systemic issues” with how the school in East Lansing has dealt with such complaints. The Education Department was already reviewing separate complaints about the school’s compliance with Title IX, the law that requires schools to prevent and respond to reports of sexual violence.
4 Climate change: New Jersey’s governor asked member states of a regional environmental group on Monday to let his state rejoin the coalition. Gov. Phil Murphy’s Republican predecessor, Chris Christie, pulled New Jersey out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative group in 2011. The capand-trade program is made up of nine New England and midAtlantic states working to reduce carbon emissions from power plants. Murphy signed an executive order in January to rejoin the group, but rules require that member states agree to let non-members join.
5 Teachers strike: A teacher’s walkout kept public schools closed for a third day Monday across West Virginia. Gov. Jim Justice has signed teacher pay raises of 2 percent next year and 1 percent the following two years. But the state’s teacher pay ranks 48th in the nation, and teachers say the increases are too stingy, especially as health care costs increase. Teachers headed to the state Capitol in Charleston on Monday to raise pressure on the Legislature and governor.
6 Arkansas politics: A gun rights advocate who declared her gun range “Muslim-free” has filed paperwork to challenge Gov. Asa Hutchinson in the Republican primary. Jan Morgan owns the Gun Cave Indoor Firing Range in Hot Springs. Her bid is a longshot. The incumbent governor reported this month he has more than $2.2 million in the bank for his re-election campaign. Morgan reported having around $22,000.