10 things to know in news Thursday
Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:
Rachael Cundey, 14, of Evans, Ga., is among the 42 semi-finalists to advance in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. She's in the national bee for the fifth time. The competition began with 281 spellers, including Tucker's Nicholas Poulos, who was appearing in his first national competition. The semi-finals begin today at 2 pm. The finals are at 8 p.m. Both are televised on ESPN.
RALLY FOR INDICTED STATE LEGISLATOR
Robert Bales' lawyer says the Army staff sergeant was "crazed" and "broken" when he left his post and attacked a village, killing 16.
HISPANIC STUDENT ENROLLMENT SURGES IN METRO SCHOOLS
Enrollment of Hispanic students rose dramatically between 2000 and 2012 while enrollment of white students in metro Atlanta declined by about 30,000. Hispanic students have become 16 percent of the student population, as the proportion of white students declined to 37 percent. Asian and African-American enrollment numbers also rose.
RICIN LETTERS TARGET NEW YORK MAYOR
The threatening posts containing traces of the deadly poison were addressed to Bloomberg and to his gun-control group in Washington.
Tea party members deride tax agency's unusual scrutiny of conservative groups' applications for tax-exempt status at rally that attracts hundreds.
WHY OBAMACARE COULD CANCEL YOUR HEALTH PLAN
The AP's Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar reports that many private policies could be canceled because they don't measure up.
CONCERTS BENEFIT OKLAHOMA TORNADO, BOSTON BOMBING VICTIMS
Aerosmith, James Taylor, Jimmy Buffett and other musicians with ties to Massachusetts will perform Thursday at a benefit concert for Boston bombing victims. Wednesday, Blake Shelton, Reba McEntire, Vince Gill, Usher and others appeared in Shelton's "Healing for the Heartland" concert to raise money for victims of a tornado that killed 24 in Moore, Okla.
WHO'S CHARGED WITH DRY-ICE BLAST AT DISNEYLAND
A 22-year-old park employee was arrested on suspicion of putting the device in a theme park trash can, where it exploded.
3 MORE DEATHS ATTRIBUTED TO NEW VIRUS
MERS, a virus which causes respiratory infection and sudden kidney failure, is responsible for the deaths of at least 30 people globally. World Health Organization's Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan, said her greatest health concern is MERS, which was first spotted in the Middle East. She called ongoing outbreaks "alarm bells" and said the virus "is a threat to the entire world."
The Associated Press and George Mathis contributed to this article.
