NEWS OF THE DAY
1Officer shot: Tucson police Sgt. Robert Carpenter suffered a bullet wound to the head Sunday after responding to a break-in call at a residence. Officers were standing outside the house when they heard a loud noise and Carpenter fell wounded. His prognosis for recovery was uncertain following surgery. No arrests were made.
2Helicopter accident: Federal officials are investigating a collision involving two police helicopters in the Los Angeles area that left five officers and a civilian with minor injuries. Saturday’s crash occurred when a chopper that was landing came into contact with one that was taking off at a helipad in Altadena. The collision caused extensive damage to both aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.
3Pump prices: The average price of a gallon of regular gasoline has dropped 7 cents over the past two weeks to $3.47, according to the Lundberg Survey of fuel prices released Sunday. Memphis has the nation’s lowest price for gas at $3.04, while the Long Island region of New York — still recovering from the impact of Superstorm Sandy — has the highest at $4.18.
4Oil platform fire: Crews resumed their search Sunday for a worker still missing after an oil platform explosion and fire in the Gulf of Mexico. Divers on Saturday found the body of a second crew member who was also missing after Friday’s blaze. Four others on the platform about 25 miles southeast of Grand Isle, La., suffered burns. The Philippine Embassy in Washington said all the workers are from the Philippines. The company that owns the platform said no oil was leaking.
5Shopkeepers slain: Ballistics evidence shows that three New York City shopkeepers were fatally shot by the same gun, police said. All the victims were of Middle Eastern descent. Their stores were within a 5-mile radius, and none had surveillance cameras. The latest slaying came Friday, when Rahmatollah Vahidipour, 78, was killed at his store in Brooklyn’s Flatbush section. Police say they don’t know the motive behind the killings and no arrests have been made.
6Rail collision: Three people were hospitalized after a collision in Sacramento involving a light-rail train and a truck hauling almonds on Saturday evening. Two passengers and the train’s operator were taken to a hospital for treatment of nonlife-threatening injuries after the accident. The truck driver said he didn’t see the northbound train approaching when he started making a turn.
7Credit card debt: Americans cranked up their use of credit cards in the third quarter. The average credit card debt per borrower in the United States grew 4.9 percent in the July-to-September period from a year earlier to $4,996, according to TransUnion, the Chicago credit reporting agency. The pickup in credit card debt may reflect improved confidence in the economy on the part of consumers.