NEWS OF THE DAY
From Across the Nation
1. Wildfires: Wind-whipped wildfires have killed two people and burned more than 625 square miles in western Oklahoma, and dry conditions already hindering firefighting efforts will only get worse as the week progresses, officials said Monday. State Department of Emergency Management spokeswoman Keli Cain said a 61-year-old man died from injuries suffered in a fire that began Thursday near Leedey, about 110 miles northwest of Oklahoma City. Cain said a woman also died near Seiling, about 90 miles northwest of Oklahoma City. The largest fire began near Leedey and has burned more than 245,000 acres in Dewey County. The National Weather Service issued Red Flag Fire warnings for the region through Tuesday.
2. Vegas shooting: Police searched Monday for a man accused of opening fire on a picnic for a group of employees of a Las Vegas Strip resort, killing a woman and critically injuring a man. Anthony Wrobel, 42, walked up to a table and fired Sunday, striking an executive and an employee of the Venetian, police said. Lt. Ray Spencer said Wrobel is also a Venetian employee. His vehicle was found at the airport. Venetian spokesman Ron Reese said the company is cooperating with authorities.
3. Fatal stabbing: A 19-yearold freshman was fatally stabbed on the campus of Binghamton University in upstate New York and his suspected attacker was taken into custody Monday, authorities said. Engineering student Joao Souza was attacked late Sunday in a residence suite. Police didn’t release any information about the suspect at a news conference Monday evening. University officials said investigators believed the attack was not a random act and Souza was targeted.
4. EPA violation: A government watchdog said Monday the Environmental Protection Agency violated federal spending laws by purchasing a $43,000 soundproof privacy booth for Administrator Scott Pruitt to make private phone calls in his office. The Government Accountability Office issued its findings in a letter to Senate Democrats who had requested a review of Pruitt’s spending. EPA spokeswoman Liz Bowman said the agency is “addressing GAO’s concern, with regard to congressional notification about this expense, and will be sending Congress the necessary information this week.” Democrats and a few Republicans have called on Pruitt either to resign or be fired.
5. Fugitive search: Newly released surveillance video shows a woman in a Florida bar smiling and talking with a fellow patron whom police say she later killed so she could steal her identity. The video shows Lois Riess, 56, of Bloomberg Prairie, Minn., talking to Pamela Hutchinson, 59, on April 5 at the bar in Fort Myers Beach. Police say Riess is also wanted for the March slaying of her husband, David Riess, in Minnesota. Authorities say she may have targeted Hutchinson because the two women looked alike. Riess is still at large. Authorities say she stole Hutchinson’s car, which has been seen in Louisiana and Texas.