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Hubble pinpoints changes on Jupiter

By TIMES WIRES
Published October 12, 2006

WASHINGTON - Just a little more than a year ago, the small spot on Jupiter was a pale white; now it matches the reddish hue of its bigger sibling, the Great Red Spot, and boasts 400 mph winds, according to new data from the Hubble Space Telescope.

Both spots are actually fierce storms in Jupiter's atmosphere. While the red spot - three times the size of Earth - is more noticeable, strange things are happening to the smaller spot.

Scientists aren't quite sure what's happening to the smaller storm, nicknamed the Little Red Spot or Red Spot Jr. but officially called "Oval BA." It probably gained strength as it shrunk slightly, the same way spinning ice skaters go faster when they move their arms closer, said NASA planetary scientist Amy Simon-Miller.

Man charged after three relatives found dead in home

CHICAGO - A man was arrested on a first-degree murder charge Wednesday in the deaths of his mother, grandmother and uncle, whose battered bodies were found in their South Side home, authorities said. Police say it appears money was the motive.

Larry Countee, 30, was charged in the deaths of Elnora White, 80, and her children Curtis White, 56, and Elnoria Countee, 52, who were found stabbed or beaten to death on Saturday.

Amish school to be razed in wake of shootings

NICKEL MINES, Pa. - The Amish school where a gunman shot 10 girls last week, killing five of them, is expected to be demolished today, officials said.

Private contractors are scheduled to start demolishing the school before dawn, they said.

The West Nickel Mines Amish School has been boarded up since Oct. 2, when Charles Carl Roberts IV stormed the one-room schoolhouse, tying up and shooting the girls. Roberts, who had come armed with a shotgun, rifle, handgun and a stun gun, then killed himself.

[Last modified October 12, 2006, 01:36:32]