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Powell says U.S. should close Guantanamo

By TIMES WIRES
Published June 11, 2007

WASHINGTON - Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said Sunday that he favors closing the Guantanamo Bay military prison and moving its detainees to U.S. facilities.

The prison, which holds about 380 suspected terrorists, has tarnished the world's perception of the United States, Powell said.

"If it was up to me, I would close Guantanamo. Not tomorrow, but this afternoon. I'd close it, " he said. "I would simply move them to the United States and put them into our federal legal system. The concern was, well then they'll have access to lawyers, then they'll have access to writs of habeas corpus. So what? Let them. Isn't that what our system is all about?"

Fire at Amish school is ruled arson

BROWNSTOWN, PA. - One or more people broke into a one-room Amish schoolhouse in the middle of the night and set a fire that caused an estimated $20, 000 in damage, fire officials said.

Firefighters responded to the fire at the Pleasant Valley School in West Earl Township shortly after 3 a.m. Saturday, according to Jonas Reiff, chief of the Farmersville Fire Company. It was put out in about 15 minutes.

Firefighters said the school's doors were locked and there were signs of a break-in.

Deputy State Police Fire Marshal James DeWalt ruled the fire was arson. He said there were no signs of vandalism and nothing appeared to have been stolen.

Police said they did not immediately have any suspects.

The building is less than 20 miles north of Nickel Mines, where a gunman shot 10 girls - five of them fatally - at an Amish school in October; he killed himself as police closed in.

Elsewhere

HARTFORD, CONN.: The 15-year-old girl who was missing for a year until police found her locked in a tiny storage room in a home plans to return to school today to restore a sense of normalcy to her life, her parents said.

LONDON, KY.: Two brothers, 8 and 11, accidentally locked themselves in the trunk of their mother's car and were found dead about four hours after they were reported missing, state police said Sunday.

MELBOURNE: A union representing 570 space shuttle program workers at the Kennedy Space Center called off plans to strike Sunday, and members agreed to continue contract negotiations.

WASHINGTON: The White House on Sunday dismissed Senate plans to hold a no-confidence vote on Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and said the outcome will not change President Bush's support of Gonzales.

[Last modified June 11, 2007, 00:08:25]