Only Valium found in mall killer's body

Only an anti-anxiety medication turned up in tests done on the body of Robert Hawkins, 19, who fatally wounded eight people before killing himself last month at a shopping mall.

The autopsy report on Hawkins revealed diazepam, better known by its market name, Valium, in his system.

Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine told the Omaha World-Herald in a copyright story Tuesday that it didn't appear Hawkins had abused either drugs or alcohol before his rampage. His blood revealed only therapeutic levels of the diazepam, Kleine said.

The autopsy report also said Hawkins killed himself Dec. 5 by a single shot from his assault rifle from under his chin. Before committing suicide, Hawkins went into the mall's Von Maur store and opened fire, fatally wounding eight people. Five other people were injured.

Denver

Stray shot kills girl, aunt; man arrested

A single bullet that may have been fired in celebration of the new year ripped through the wall of a Denver home early Tuesday, killing an 11-year-old girl and her aunt who were at a party, investigators said.

A 25-year-old man was arrested later at his home on investigation of two counts of first-degree murder, police spokesman Sonny Jackson said.

Denver police identified the slain girl as Angelica Martinez and her aunt as Rebecca "Becky" Yanez, 48, of Fort Collins, north of Denver.

Police suspect it was a "tragic accident" and think the shot from a high-powered rifle was fired across a gulch from a distance of up to 300 yards.

Modesto, Calif.

Students to probe Chandra Levy death

Criminal-justice students at Bauder College in Atlanta are preparing to investigate the 2001 slaying in Washington, D.C., of Chandra Levy, the Modesto resident whose death tainted a congressman's career.

The students also will look into the disappearance in Aruba three years ago of Natalee Holloway, 18, of Alabama, a case prosecutors closed Dec. 18.

The 50 students plan to turn their findings over to D.C. police and prosecutors at the end of the term.

Levy, 24, had just finished working as an intern for the U.S. Bureau of Prisons in May 2001 when she disappeared. Her body was found in a park a year later and her death ruled a homicide, but no one has been charged.

The case attracted attention over allegations that Levy had been romantically involved with married U.S. Rep. Gary Condit. It was cited as the main cause of his re-election defeat in the March 2002 primary.

Santa Barbara, Calif.

Judge: Newspaper broke labor laws

The Santa Barbara News-Press and its owner violated federal labor laws in firing eight reporters for union activities, and the workers are entitled to return to their jobs with back pay, a judge has ruled.

The newspaper demonstrated "widespread, general disregard for the fundamental rights of the employees" and ordered the reporters reinstated with back pay, administrative law Judge William Kocol ruled last week.

The National Labor Relations Board had alleged in a 15-count unfair-labor practices complaint that the paper fired the eight workers, who had no history of disciplinary action, only after they began to fight for union representation.

Attorneys for the newspaper and owner Wendy McCaw, ex-wife of Seattle cellphone magnate Craig McCaw, said they were "extremely disappointed" with the ruling and "will exhaust all possible appeals."

Washington, D.C.

Iraq, mortgage crisis top '08 Bush agenda

President Bush returned to Washington on Tuesday with an ambitious agenda for 2008, including tackling the mortgage-lending crisis and securing more money from Congress for Iraq.

Before boarding Air Force One after a week of vacation at his Crawford, Texas, ranch, Bush said, "I'm looking forward to getting back to Washington to work on policies to keep this country safe and to keep this country prosperous."

Those policies, White House counselor Ed Gillespie said, include making permanent tax cuts set to expire in 2011 and doing more to help stabilize the housing market.

The president also will push to permanently revise the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, to give the federal government more latitude to go after terrorists, Gillespie said.

Seattle Times news services.