Sunrise Rock Has It's Cross Again

The longtime cross

For decades a cross stood atop Sunrise Rock in the California Mojave Desert.

It had stood there since 1934 as a promise to a WWI veteran.

In 1994, the area became part of the Mojave Desert Preserve, and then trouble started in 2001.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed in court against the cross, saying that it's placement in a national park violated separation of church and state.

Several court battles took place over the cross, during which the cross was kept covered up, until in 2003 Congress ordered a land swap.

Under the land swap, Sunrise Rock, and the surrounding acre of land would be traded for five acres of land on the edge of the park.

Ownership of the Rock and it's acre would then be transferred to veteran's organizations in Barstow.

That however wasn't acceptable to the ACLU, and eventually the case made it all the way to the Supreme Court, who in April of 2010 backed Congress's decision and ordered the cross to be kept where it stood.

But to make matters worse, within weeks of the win, and it's uncovering, the cross was stolen.

Earlier this month, the cross was found in the San Fransisco area, and was to be returned.

However, the veterans have decided that they would create an all new cross.

On this Veteran's Day they dedicated it in a special ceremony.

The US Park Service plans to put a fence, with entrances and signs, around the acre, and a plaque will be placed to note that the cross is a veteran's memorial.

Michigan Man Killed After Pulling Gun in Police Station

Sunday afternoon a man walked into the Southfield, Michigan police station and pulled a gun.

His first shot, aimed at the desk sergeant, did not go off.

Police, with guns drawn, demanded he drop his weapon.

He not only refused, but managed to fire it at the gathering officers, wounding one of them.

Responding fire, from the officers, struck the man several times, killing him.

 The wounded officer is in the hospital, in stable condition, with a shoulder wound.

Indianapolis Explosion Kills 2

A Saturday night explosion left two dead and seven injured, in Indianapolis.

None of the injuries were life threatening.

Two houses were completely destroyed and at least eighteen more damaged.

Firefighters were eventually able to put out the blaze, that the explosion started.

The cause of the fire is at this time unknown and under investigation.

Italy Drenched by Rain

Rain has soaked Italy over the weekend, leading to flooding in several areas.

Venice saw water levels rise by over five feet, flooding many streets and squares.

City officials say seventy percent of they city is under water.

Hundreds of people were evacuated from Tuscany, as water levels rose to life threatening levels.

Mudslides have taken out homes in the area, luckily no deaths have been reported.

The government is celebrating their new weather systems which gave them a couple days of warning.

Gaza Fires Dozens of Rockets at Israel

Dozens of rockets, aimed at Israel, have flown from the Gaza Strip, on Sunday.

Hamas and other groups are retaliating for Israeli shelling, which happened on Saturday.

The Israeli shelling was in turn in retaliation for an attack, out of Gaza, that injured Israeli border troops.

Israel has responded to the rockets, with airstrikes and more shelling.

At least two Gazan militants have been killed for their attacks on Israel.

Residents in Gaza say that several civilians have been injured in the fighting.

So far the rockets have not caused any injuries or damage on the Israeli side of the border, but cities in the area have been paralyzed by the constant threat.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that, "The world needs to understand that Israel will not sit with arms crossed when faced by attempts to hurt us. And we are prepared to harshen the response."

His statement ignited worries that Israel is considering moving ground troops into Gaza, which it has been forced to do so before.

Syria and Israel Exchange Fire

Sunday morning, a mortar round crossed over from Syria, into the Golan Heights of Israel.

Israel quickly responded by firing a warning shot right past a Syrian border post.

Neither round caused any damage or injury.

It marks the first time since 1973 that the Israeli Defense Forces fired into Syria.

The incident happened just eight days after Israel caught three Syrian tanks entering the demilitarized zone.

Argentinian Sailors Refuse to be Moved

Argentinian sailors remaining on the ARA Libertad took to the side of their ship with rifles, on Saturday.

Ghana seized the ship in October, and announced their intent to move the ship.

Her sailors refused, and showed their readiness to use force to repel any would be boarders.

Officials in Ghana have yet to comment on the refusal.

The ship was seized as part of payment due NML Capital Ltd., and appeals by Argentina have gone nowhere.

Argentina has until December 1 to begin paying what it owes.

It is unclear what will happen with the ship, if Argentina continues to refuse to pay.

Military Joins Portugal's Austerity Protests

Thousands of members of Portugal's military, and their families, joined austerity measure protests, in Lisbon, on Saturday.

Both former and current members of the military took to civilian clothes as they shouted their resentment of what the government plans.

They joined their fellow citizens in decrying the austerity measures planned by the government.

But they also demanded better equipment and training for the military.

The Portuguese had met the austerity measures more with complaints than marches, until the government increased the amount of social security being taken from people.

Still, Portugal's protests have been mostly peaceful, unlike other countries where violence has become the norm.

New York Residents Protest Lack of Power, Two Weeks After Sandy

Hundreds of residents came out Saturday to protest the Long Island Power Authority, in Hicksville, New York.

They are angry that the company still has yet to turn their power on, after Sandy struck the area, nearly two weeks ago.

Others, who have gotten their power back, came out to support their neighbors and protest the company's lack of communication, with residents.

Between New York and New Jersey, well over a hundred thousand are still without power.
 
LIPA and other power companies say they are just struggling with too much damage.

Michael Hervey, LIPA Chief Operating Officer, says that compared to a normal two hundred linemen, they are still running with sixty-four hundred linemen.

Despite their efforts, some counties have announced they will no longer work with LIPA, and would attempt to work directly with the people who run the substations.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Representative Peter King have called for investigations into LIPA.

Myanmar Quake Now a 6.8 With a Dozen Dead

Myanmar's deadly 6.6 quake, from Sunday morning, has been upgraded to a 6.8.

Aftershocks as high as 5.8 have followed.

During the shaking bridges fell, mines collapsed, roads split, and homes crashed down.

At least a dozen people have been killed in the quake, with more than a hundred injured, and others missing.

The national government is reporting different figures than local sources are, making real numbers hard to come by.