Newtown Victims: 'Hero' Teacher, Principal, 20 Kids





Twenty bright first graders with their entire lives ahead of them were gunned down on Dec. 14 at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Along with the students, the lives of six school staffers, including a devoted teacher and a proud principal, were lost. Click through to see the victims at Sandy Hook Elementary School.






Noah Pozner and his twin sister celebrated their sixth birthdays on Nov. 20. His sister, Arielle, who was in another class, survived.


Pozner's uncle Alexis Haller told The Associated Press that he was "smart as a whip," gentle but with a rambunctious streak.


Haller told the AP that Pozner called Arielle his best friend.


"They were always playing together, they loved to do things together," Haller said. When his mother, a nurse, would tell him she loved him, he would answer, "Not as much as I love you, Mom."


Funeral services Pozner are planned for Monday.



Emilie Parker, the little girl with the blond hair and bright blue eyes, would have been one of the first to comfort her classmates at Sandy Hook Elementary School, had a gunman's bullets not claimed her life, her father said.


"My daughter Emilie would be one of the first ones to be standing and giving support to all the victims because that's the kind of kid she is," her father, Robbie Parker said as he fought back tears, telling the world about his "bright, creative and loving" daughter who was one of the 20 young victims in the Newtown, Conn., shooting.


"She always had something kind to say about anybody," her father said. "We find comfort reflecting on the incredible person Emilie was and how many lives she was able to touch."


Emilie was a budding artist who carried her markers and pencils everywhere. Her grandfather recently passed away and Emilie paid tribute to him by slipping a special card she had drawn into his casket, her father said.



WATCH: Emilie's father speaks about his daughter



Jack's funeral is scheduled to take place Monday.
Jack was a fan of New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz, who paid tribute to the 6-year-old during Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons.


Cruz honored Jack Sunday on his cleats, writing on them the words "Jack Pinto, My Hero."


"I also spoke to an older brother and he was distraught as well. I told him to stay strong and I was going to do whatever I can to honor him," Cruz said after the game. "He was fighting tears and could barely speak to me."
Cruz said he plans to give the gloves he wore during the game to the boy's family, and spend some time with them.


The family released a statement saying, Jack was an "inspiration to all those who knew him."


"Jack loved school, reading, wrestling, skiing and football. Most of all Jack loved to play with his friends and keep up with his big brother," said his family. "He had a wide smile that would simply light up the room and while we are all uncertain as to how we will ever cope without him, we choose to remember and celebrate his life. Not dwelling on the loss but instead on the gift that we were given and will forever cherish in our hearts forever."



Like most first graders, Jesse Lewis was excited for the holiday season. The 6-year-old, who was in Victoria Soto's class, couldn't wait to go to school on Friday because they were making gingerbread houses, and his father had planned to join them.



Victoria Soto, 27, one of the adult victims, loved being a teacher, her cousin, Jim Wiltsie, told ABC News' Chris Cuomo Friday. In fact, her first-grade students' safety was such a high priority that Soto reportedly lost her life protecting them.


"The family was informed that she was trying to shield, get her children into a closet and protect them from harm, and by doing that put herself between the gunman and the children," Wiltsie said. "And that's when she was tragically shot and killed.


"I'm very proud to have known Vicki," Wiltsie added. "Her life dream was to be a teacher. And her instincts kicked in when she saw there was harm coming to her students.


"It brings peace to know that Vicki was doing what she loved, protecting the children," he said. "And in our eyes, she is a hero."

Grace Audrey McDonnell, 7


"We are overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support from so many people. Our daughter Grace was the love and light of our family. Words cannot adequately express our sense of loss."



As with so many, the ABC family has been touched directly by the tragedy in Sandy Hook.


One of the young victims, Catherine Hubbard, is the niece of an ABC News employee.


Here is a statement from the family:
"We are greatly saddened by the loss of our beautiful daughter, Catherine Violet and our thoughts and prayers are with the other families who have been affected by this tragedy.


"We appreciate the overwhelming support from our community that we have received over the past 24 hours.
"We also wish to express our gratitude for all of the emergency responders who responded to this tragic incident as well as the teachers and staff of Sandy Hook School. Our local police and fire departments and the other agencies who are working on this continuing investigation have been incredible.


"We also want to recognize outstanding work of The Connecticut State Police who have been supporting us from the very beginning of this ordeal and continue to provide unwavering support to our family.


"We have no further statement to make at this time and ask that we be afforded the opportunity to grieve with our friends and family.


"We ask that you continue to pray for us and the other families who have experienced loss in this tragedy.


"Jennifer and Matthew Hubbard"



Hochsprung became principal of Sandy Hook in recent years and by all accounts, was devoted to the students and teachers at her school.


"When we had our orientation, you could tell she loved her job," Brenda Lediski, a parent, told ABC News by phone.


Kristin Larson, a former PTA secretary, told the Boston Globe that Hochsprung was "always enthusiastic, always smiling, always game to do anything."


"When I saw her at the beginning of the school year, she was hugging everyone," Larson said.


The terrifying moment Hochsprung came into contact with the gunman were heard over the school intercom and may have saved lives.


It's not clear whether the intercom was turned on purposefully to alert the school's staff to the menace or whether the intercom was on for morning announcements.


Either way, it caught the initial moments of Adam Lanza's lethal fury and gave teachers and others life saving moments to lock their doors and try to hide their children.

Mary Sherlach, School Psychologist


Sherlach had been a school psychologist at Sandy Hook since August of 1994 and had experience working on committees devoted to school safety, according to her website.


Sherlach and her husband, Bill, had been married for 31 years and have two adult daughters.


"I truly enjoy working with the SHS staff, parents and children," she wrote. "And am always ready to assist in problem solving , intervention and prevention."


Her son-in-law, Eric Schwartz, said Sherlach felt she was "doing God's work by helping children."



Lauren Rousseau worked as a substitute teacher before landing a full time position this year at Sandy Hook Elementary School. For the 30-year-old, it was a dream job.


"We will miss her terribly," Lauren's mother, Teresa Rousseau , told the Delaware County Times. "And will take comfort knowing that she had achieved that dream."



The 6-year-old was just learning the rosary and would lead the family in grace every night before dinner, the New Haven Register reported. Her favorite colors were pink and purple. She leaves behind a 3-year-old brother.


Her family released a statement describing Olivia as "creative" and a fan of craft projects and art class. She was a patient big sister to 3-year old Brayden and would lead Grace each evening at the dinner table, according to her father, Brian.


"Olivia was smart, bubbly, and unbelievably entertaining. Her physical loss will be felt every day by those who loved her most, but her sparkly spirit will live on," the statement read.



D'Avino was a behavioral therapist who had only recently started working at Sandy Hook Elementary School, according to Lissa Lovetere, a friend who is handling her funeral planned for Friday.


D'Avino's boyfriend, Anthony Cerritelli, planned to ask her to marry him on Christmas Eve, Lovetere told The Associated Press.


Police told her family that she shielded one of the students during the rampage, Lovetere told the AP.



Jessica's parents, Rich and Krista Rekos, released a statement describing their daughter's love of horses. When she turned 10, they promised, she could have a horse of her own. For Christmas, she asked Santa for new cowgirl boots and hat.


"She devoted her free time to watching horse movies, reading horse books, drawing horses, and writing stories about horses," her family said in the statement.


The family described Jessica as "a creative, beautiful little girl who loved playing with her little brothers, Travis and Shane.


"We cannot imagine our life without her. We are mourning her loss, sharing our beautiful memories we have of her, and trying to help her brother Travis understand why he can't play with his best friend," they said.



The 6-year-old, with her beaming smile, was the daughter of a jazz musician. She sang in a home video with her brother, who was also at Sandy Hook Elementary School during the massacre.


The girl's grandmother, Elba Marquez, told The Associated Press the family moved to Connecticut just two months ago, drawn from Canada, in part, by Sandy Hook's sterling reputation. The grandmother's brother, Jorge Marquez, is mayor of a Puerto Rican town.



Charlotte's parents, Joann and Joel, had lived in Newtown for four or five years, Joann's brother John Hagen, of Nisswa, Minn., told Newsday.


"She was going to go some places in this world," Hagen told the newspaper. "This little girl could light up the room for anyone."



Daniel was the youngest of three children, his family said in a statement. The family described Daniel as "fearless in the pursuit of happiness in life."


"Words really cannot express what a special boy Daniel was. Such a light. Always smiling, unfailingly polite, incredibly affectionate, fair and so thoughtful towards others, imaginative in play, both intelligent and articulate in conversation: in all, a constant source of laughter and joy," the family said.



Josephine's father, Bob, said Sunday that the family will be releasing a statement soon.



"You couldn't think of a better child," neighbor Kevin Grimes told The Associated Press.


Grimes told the AP that he was recently speaking with Chase and the little boy was telling him about winning his first mini-triathlon.



James' mother, Cindy, is a native of Sherrill, N.Y.


"It's a terrible tragedy, and we're a tight community," Mayor William Vineall told the Utica Observer-Dispatch. "Everybody will be there for them, and our thoughts and prayers are there for them," he added.

Victims of Sandy Hook Shooting


As more information and images emerge of the victims from Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in coming days, here are the names of the other students and staffers killed:


Madeleine Hsu, 6


Dylan Hockley, 6


Anne Marie Murphy, 52


Caroline Previdi, 6


Avielle Richman, 6


Benjamin Wheeler, 6


Allison Wyatt, 6


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Disputed islands are Japan's: Shinzo Abe






TOKYO: Shinzo Abe, who piloted his Liberal Democratic Party to victory in Sunday's election, said there is no doubt about Japan's ownership of islands at the centre of a dispute with China.

"China is challenging the fact that (the islands) are Japan's inherent territory," said Abe, who is expected to become prime minister. "Our objective is to stop the challenge. We don't intend to worsen relations between Japan and China."

Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on Sunday conceded defeat in the general election and said he was stepping down as leader from his humbled governing party.

"I will resign as the head of the Democratic Party of Japan because I take this result seriously," he told a press conference. "I want to deeply apologise as I could not produce results."

Noda was speaking after NHK television, citing forecasts based on both official results and its own exit polls, said the Liberal Democratic Party had won at least 255 seats with 95 seats undecided, against 39 seats for the DPJ.

The LDP is expected to easily secure a majority of the 480-seat chamber with New Komeito, its junior coalition partner, which is expected to win at least 25 seats, NHK said.

Asked why the DPJ suffered such a haemorrhaging of support, Noda said: "We were unable to live up to people's expectations when we came into government (in 2009)."

"Politicians must take responsibility for results. The biggest responsibility for such a severe defeat lies with me as the party leader."

- AFP/xq



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West Bengal opposes direct cash transfer

KOLKATA: After Odisha and Tripura, West Bengal has opposed the Centre's direct cash transfer to bank accounts of beneficiaries claiming it would lead to breakdown of the existing public distribution system and closure of the Food Corporation of India.

"The basic objective of the public distribution system to arrest hunger among the poor will be defeated if the beneficiaries are provided cash instead of cheap food leading to closure of the Food Corporation of India," minister for food and supplies Jyotipriya Mullick said.

He said that the purpose of setting up the FCI to provide cereals and pulses at subsidised rates to the people, would be defeated since beneficiaries could use the cash for other purposes than food.

"The decision is wrong. FCI will close down if cash transfer is implemented," he said.

Noting that only 24 per cent of the population in the state have Adhar cards, he said, "How can it be possible when a large number of people in West Bengal do not have adhar cards?"

Earlier, Odisha Food minister PK Deb had dubbed the step as impractical saying many people in his state did not have bank accounts.

Tripura food and civil supply minister Manik De had said that he had written to the food and public distribution minister KV Thomas to withdraw the proposal and clarify how the new system would help the poor.

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Space Pictures This Week: Frosty Mars, Mini Nile, More

Photograph by Mike Theiss, National Geographic

The aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, illuminates the Arctic sky in a recent picture by National Geographic photographer Mike Theiss.

A storm chaser by trade, Theiss is in the Arctic Circle on an expedition to photograph auroras, which result from collisions between charged particles released from the sun's atmosphere and gaseous particles in Earth's atmosphere.

After one particularly amazing show, he wrote on YouTube, "The lights were dancing, rolling, and twisting, and at times looked like they were close enough to touch!" (Watch his time-lapse video of the northern lights.)

Published December 14, 2012

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School Safety Questioned After Conn. Shooting













Along with fire drills, schools have been conducting lockdown drills -- often known as active shooter drills -- since the Columbine massacre in 1999.


But safety officials do not agree yet on what teachers and students should do when a homicidal gunman invades their school.


At Sandy Hook Elementary School, teachers, staff and students had been drilled on how to handle such a situation.


"We practice it, and they knew what to do, and you just think about protecting the kids, and just doing the right thing," library clerk Mary Ann Jacob said.


She said had been drilled to send the kids in the library to a back closet between book shelves, a plan developed in advance.


"You have to have a certain amount of fire drills, and evacuation drills, and a certain amt of lockdown drills," she said. "Kids know the routine, and the teachers know the routine, and everyone has a spot in the room where they are supposed to go to."


Click here for more photos of the scene.


School safety expert Ken Trump told ABC News that he thinks the Sandy Hook teachers did what they could to protect their students.


"It does sound as though the teachers did everything humanly possible, down to risking their lives, to protect the children in this Connecticut school," Trump said.








Connecticut Shooting Tragedy: Two Brothers' Escape Watch Video









Connecticut Shooting Tragedy: The Investigation Watch Video









Connecticut Shooting Tragedy: Remembering the Victims Watch Video





The school's principal and five other adults died in the Sandy Hook school shooting in Newtown, Conn.


"Teaching kids to lock down, securing your rooms, and, in some cases, teachers stepping forth to protect the children at the risk of their own lives, is something that we see occurring more and more over the years in school safety," Trump said.


He and others particularly praised the actions of first grade teacher Kaitlin Roig, who locked her classroom door and barricaded herself and her 14 students in a locked bathroom.


But former SWAT officer Greg Crane told ABC News that he thinks existing lockdown procedures aren't sufficient.


"What she [Roig] did was a fantastic move," said Crane, who founded a school safety program called ALICE, which stands for alert, lock down, inform, counter, evacuate.


"Was she taught that move? Did every teacher know to lock the door and also barricade it? If that's the case, why weren't other teachers taught that?" Crane asked.


Most schools tell teachers to lock their doors and sit quietly until helps arrives, Crane said.


Typical are the procedures, obtained by ABCNews.com, outlined by a New Jersey school district that calls their drills "Lock Down Yellow."


Instructions to the students include:


"Go to the room nearest your location in the hallway.


"No one will be able to leave room for any reason.


"Silence must be maintained (Use of cell phones are not permitted).


"Make sure you are marked present.


"Do not leave the classroom until directed by PA System, telephone or by an administrator."


But Crane founded ALICE because he believed there was something wrong with the lock down-only policies in most schools.


"We've taught a generation of Americans to be passive and static and wait for police," said Crane, whose wife was an elementary school principal in Texas at the time of the Columbine attack.


"We don't recommend just locking a door because locked doors have been defeated before," Crane said. "Try to make yourself as hard a target as possible."


ALICE argues students and teachers should not be passive and that they should improvise. He even suggests they throw things are their attacker.






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Youths have similar ideals to govt, says ESM Goh






SINGAPORE: Singapore youths generally have the same ideals as that of the government, observed Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong at the end of a national conversation session at the Marine Parade constituency.

Mr Goh said this will make it easier for the government to work together with the generation of the future.

"Supposing they come up with very different ideals from what we think should be for the prosperity and stability of Singapore. It's going to be very troublesome," he said.

"Supposing they had all argued about welfare state and so on, then that's very troublesome for us because we know that without resources, without economic growth and so on, a welfare state will lead us to ruins."

Some of the goals set by participants during the conversation with Marine Parade residents included a more cohesive society and more sustainable economic growth.

The 45 participants comprised youths and working adults.

Mr Goh felt that the society has, in recent years, been drifting without a clear sense of direction.

He added that having the same ideals does not mean goals can be reached if the society is divided.

Mr Goh said Singapore has never been more politically divided, so the Singapore Conversation is a very serious effort to build a new compact between the people and the government.

"The worry is as we emphasise more freedom for the people, (society) becomes more cosmopolitan, takes in more foreigners, immigrants and so on, (and) our society begins to loosen as a result of these new trends," he said.

"The old (generation) is getting smaller in proportion. The young (generation) is getting bigger, with different experiences... and if they don't get a new sense of bonding in working as a group, can you imagine how we move into the future?"

Mr Goh also pointed out even though ideals may be similar, young Singaporeans may disagree with the processes and priorities in policy-making.

Youths felt that at this stage of the conversation, ideals that surface would naturally be similar to the government. But they believed there is still space for disagreements.

"When the conversation is couched in very generic themes and terms, of course, we have the same broad general ideals and there is a consensus," said Chris Lim, a participant at the session.

"But when the minute details of policies are discussed, that's when differences will start to appear, in the ways of how we do it. This is a question that remains to be answered in the course of our national conversation."

This is the first time Mr Goh has attended the national conversation session.

He has been conducting several community conversations with his residents at Marine Parade.

Mr Goh explained that these conversations were more unstructured, where residents could discuss policy issues.

Lawrence Wong, committee member of Our Singapore Conversation, said he is satisfied with the progress and outreach, three months after the initiative started.

Mr Wong was also present at the session in Marine Parade.

He said: "We've been trying to reach out to as broad spectrum of society as possible, and I think we've had very good representation of people who come enthusiastically to share, and we've got very good ideas. There's certainly more that we can do."

Separately, at a session of Our Singapore Conversation held with the Malay Muslim community at Bukit Batok East, participants raised the issue of cultivating patriotism in every Singaporean, especially the younger generation.

"What is important to me also is that they talk about patriotism, which is something I did not find in the other conversations," said Minister of State for Social and Family Development Halimah Yacob.

"In this conversation, they say it is important within the context of building a strong national identity, reinforcing multi-culturalism, multi-racialism, that we are patriotic Singaporeans and how we continue to project that."

- CNA/xq



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Tension in UP town over construction of religious structure

LAKHIMPUR KHERI (UP): Tension prevailed in Nighasan area of the district over construction of a religious structure on a disputed piece of land.

Members of one of the groups were against the construction work in Dubha village which led to the rival members staging demonstration against them, resulting in arguments between the two factions, SDM RP Singh said.

"It also came to the fore that a legal suite involving the same land was pending in the court. Also, no permission was obtained for construction of the structure," the SDM said.

In view of this, the construction work has been stopped and both the parties have been asked to maintain peace, he said, adding that adequate police and PAC men have been deployed in the village to avert any further tension.

Read More..

Space Pictures This Week: Frosty Mars, Mini Nile, More

Photograph by Mike Theiss, National Geographic

The aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, illuminates the Arctic sky in a recent picture by National Geographic photographer Mike Theiss.

A storm chaser by trade, Theiss is in the Arctic Circle on an expedition to photograph auroras, which result from collisions between charged particles released from the sun's atmosphere and gaseous particles in Earth's atmosphere.

After one particularly amazing show, he wrote on YouTube, "The lights were dancing, rolling, and twisting, and at times looked like they were close enough to touch!" (Watch his time-lapse video of the northern lights.)

Published December 14, 2012

Read More..

School Shooting: Officials Seek Details on Gunman













The FBI is in at least three states interviewing relatives and friends of the elementary school gunman who killed 20 children, seven adults and himself, trying to put together a better picture of the shooter and uncover any possible explanation for the massacre, ABC News has learned.


The authorities have fanned out to New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts to interview relatives of Adam Lanza, 20, and his mother, who was one of Lanza's shooting victims.


CLICK HERE for full coverage of the tragedy at the elementary school.


The victims died Friday when Lanza invaded Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., and sprayed staff and students with bullets, officials said. Lanza also was found dead in the school.


Lt. Paul Vance said 18 children died in the school and two more died later in a hospital.


Six adults also were slain, bringing the total to 26. Among them was the school's principal, Dawn Hochsprung, multiple sources told ABC News. Another adult victim was teacher Vicki Soto, her cousin confirmed.


In addition to the casualties at the school, Lanza's mother, Nancy Lanza, was killed in her home, federal and state sources told ABC News.


According to sources, Lanza shot his mother in the face, then left his house armed with at least two semi-automatic handguns, a Glock and a Sig Sauer, and a semi-automatic rifle. He was also wearing a bulletproof vest.


READ: Connecticut Shooter Adam Lanza: 'Obviously Not Well'








Newtown Teacher Kept 1st Graders Calm During Massacre Watch Video











Newtown School Shooting: What to Tell Your Kids Watch Video





Lanza then drove to the elementary school and continued his rampage, authorities said.


It appeared that Lanza died from what was believed to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The rifle was found in his car.


"Evil visited this community today," Gov. Dan Malloy said at a news conference Friday evening.


CLICK HERE for more photos from the scene.


In the early confusion surrounding the investigation, federal sources initially identified the suspect as Adam's older brother Ryan Lanza, 24. Identification belonging to Ryan Lanza was found at the shooting scene, federal sources told ABC News.


Ryan Lanza soon took to Facebook to say he was alive and not responsible for the shooting. He later was questioned by police.


During the rampage, first-grade teacher Kaitlin Roig, 29, locked her 14 students in a class bathroom and listened to "tons of shooting" until police came to help.


"It was horrific," Roig said. "I thought we were going to die."


She said that the terrified kids were saying, "I just want Christmas. ... I don't want to die. I just want to have Christmas."


A tearful President Obama said Friday that there was "not a parent in America who doesn't feel the overwhelming grief that I do."


The president had to pause to compose himself after saying these were "beautiful little kids between the ages of 5 and 10."


As he continued with his statement, Obama wiped away tears from each eye. He has ordered flags flown as half staff.


It is the second worst mass shooting in U.S. history, exceeded only by the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007 when 32 were killed before the shooter turned the gun on himself. The carnage in Connecticut exceeded the 1999 Columbine High School shooting in which 13 died and 24 were injured.


Friday's shooting came three days after masked gunman Jacob Roberts opened fire in a busy Oregon mall, killing two before turning the gun on himself.


The Connecticut shooting occurred at the Sandy Hook Elementary School, which includes 450 students in grades K-4. The town is located about 12 miles east of Danbury, Conn.


The massacre prompted the town of Newtown to lock down all its schools and draw SWAT teams to the school, authorities said.






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Two dead, 10 missing after South Korea barge capsizes






SEOUL: Two construction workers were confirmed killed late Friday and 10 others missing after a barge carrying a crane capsized off South Korea's southeast coast, the coastguard said.

The 2,600-ton barge sank off the city of Ulsan after the 80-metre (264-foot) crane collapsed, Yonhap news agency quoted coastguard officials as saying.

Twelve people have so far been rescued with two others confirmed dead, and a search is underway for the 10 missing workers.

The accident happened during construction of a new port.

- AFP/lp



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