INTERNATIONAL
$120 million of US rebuilding money finally headed to Haiti
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — The first portion of U.S. reconstruction money for Haiti is on its way more than seven months after it was promised to help the country rebuild from the Jan. 12 earthquake. The U.S. government will transfer $120 million — about one-tenth of the total amount — to the World Bank-run Haiti Reconstruction Fund.
Michelle Obama honors US troops and their relatives in Germany
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (AP) — First lady Michelle Obama surprised a group of U.S. servicemen and women based in Germany on Thursday, jumping in to serve them a special Veterans Day meal.
The first lady spent time with 200 people during a refueling stopover on the way home from her tour of Asia with President Barack Obama.
“It is a thrill to be here with you guys because we are so grateful to all of you,” she said. “Not just our servicemen and women, but their kids, wives, husbands and parents.”
 
Chinese porcelain vase fetches $69.3 million at London auction
LONDON (AP) — An 18th century Chinese porcelain vase discovered when clearing a house was sold Thursday at a London auction for 43 million pounds ($69.3 million).
Bainbridges, the auction house, said the final price for the 16-inch vase — an imperially commissioned piece decorated with a fish motif — far exceeded the pre-auction estimated price, which was about 1.2 million pounds.
The final amount was thought to be among the highest ever paid for any Chinese artwork sold at auction. After fierce competition among Chinese buyers, the vase was bought by a Chinese bidder who turned up to bid on behalf of an undisclosed buyer.
 
NATIONAL
Owner: 5 North Carolina nursing home deaths under scrutiny
MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. (AP) — The owner of a North Carolina nursing home where five residents have died from hepatitis B says public health investigators are examining whether a shared blood testing needle may have spread the disease.
NC man accused of scaring an old woman to death gets life sentence
GASTONIA, N.C. (AP) — A bank robbery suspect who authorities accused of scaring an elderly woman to death after hiding in her home has been sentenced to life in prison.
Larry Whitfield of Charlotte, N.C., was sentenced Wednesday in federal court, authorities said. Whitfield, 22, had been convicted of attempted bank robbery, weapons offenses and seeking to avoid arrest for attempted bank robbery.
Prosecutors say Whitfield forced his way into the home of Mary Parnell, 79, to elude police.
ACLU challenging half-pay for discharged gays in military
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union is suing the government on behalf of a gay former Air Force sergeant denied full separation pay after he was forced out under the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.
Former Air Force Staff Sgt. Richard Collins says he only wants what is given to other military veterans who leave involuntarily.
The Air Force paid Collins $12,351 instead of the expected $25,702 when he was honorably discharged in March 2006 after nine years.
The ACLU, which filed the suit Wednesday in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims in Washington, D.C., argues the Department of Defense cannot unilaterally cut the amount for people discharged for homosexuality. The lawsuit, which is not a challenge to “don’t ask, don’t tell,” seeks full pay for Collins and others affected by the policy.
STATE/LOCAL
FEMA forgives New Orleans airport’s $10.8M disaster loan
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Federal Emergency Management Agency is forgiving $10.8 million in community disaster loans to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.
New Orleans CityBusiness reports that the airport used the money for repairs after Hurricane Katrina.
Baton Rouge police arrest one  of their own on drug charges
(AP) — Baton Rouge police have arrested one of their own officers on drug charges.
An arrest warrant says Cpl. John Conrad Dauthier, a nine-year veteran of the police department, allegedly used prescriptions he obtained online to illegally receive a painkiller from five separate out-of-state pharmacies. Sgt. Don Kelly said Dauthier was placed on administrative leave Wednesday pending an internal investigation.
 
 
 
—
Contact The Daily Reveille’s news staff at [email protected]