National Roundup

New York German wins Empire State Building race NEW YORK (AP) -- A German runner has won an annual race up 86 flights of stairs at the Empire State Building for a record seventh straight time. Stuttgart resident Thomas Dold completed the Empire State Building Run-Up on Wednesday in 10 minutes and 28 seconds. "Well, the good thing is that I've done better than all the others," said the 27-year-old Dold, who completed his last three run-ups in 10 minutes and 10 seconds or less. He said he didn't know why the finish was "so exhausting" this year because he's "really fit" and compares training techniques with other runners. Melissa Moon, of Wellington, New Zealand, was this year's women's winner in 12 minutes and 39 seconds. The 42-year-old Moon also won the race in 2010. "You can't start too fast too soon in a race like this," Moon said. "I knew I had it when I got to the 70th floor and I could no longer hear them breathing behind me." Athletes from around the world took part in the grueling-even-for-the-elite-athletes trek from the lobby to the observation deck, floor by floor, up 1,576 steps. New York Man shot, killed after opening fire at NY courthouse MIDDLETOWN, N.Y. (AP) -- A man killed in a gunfight with security officers at a courthouse on Wednesday was convicted a week ago of menacing the mayor's daughter and was angry at the mayor, according to authorities and court documents. Timothy Mulqueen, of Middletown, opened fire with a 12-gauge shotgun in the lobby of his hometown courthouse at about 9 a.m. Officers returned fired as people in the building dove under desks and scrambled for the rear door, authorities said. The 43-year-old Mulqueen died at a hospital. One of the officers suffered a graze wound to the arm, and two others were treated for shock. Mulqueen's motive wasn't clear, but court records show he had been arrested on menacing, trespass and harassment charges after an encounter with the 23-year-old daughter of Mayor Joseph DeStefano at their home in August. Colorado Student throws glitter at Romney at Denver rally DENVER (AP) -- A 20-year-old college student tried to throw glitter on Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney as he greeted supporters in Denver following Colorado's caucuses. Denver police said Wednesday that they charged Peter Smith with causing a disturbance, throwing a missile and unlawful acts. Smith is a student at the University of Colorado Denver. Security pulled Romney back from the crowd and Smith was immediately whisked away Tuesday night. "Glitter bombing" has been used by some activists to protest a politician's opposition to same-sex marriage. Georgia Video: Man tries to carry girl away in Walmart store BREMEN, Ga. (AP) -- Authorities say a 7-year-old girl recalled her stranger danger training and was able to get away from a parolee who tried to abduct her at a Walmart store in west Georgia. Police Chief Keith Pesnell says 25-year-old Thomas A. Woods of Austell, Ga., tried to take the girl Wednesday from a toy aisle while her mom was in a different aisle. Security video from the store shows a man carrying the girl away, releasing her after she struggled to get away. Pesnell says Woods faces a charge of attempted kidnapping and was out on parole after being convicted of voluntary manslaughter in a suburban Atlanta county. Atlanta TV station WAGA reports Woods said he is innocent and denied the abduction attempt as he was being led into jail. California Judge tosses case seeking rights for orcas SAN DIEGO (AP) -- An effort to free whales from SeaWorld by claiming they were enslaved made a splash in the news but flopped in court Wednesday. A federal judge in San Diego dismissed an unprecedented lawsuit seeking to grant constitutional protection against slavery to a group of orcas that perform at SeaWorld parks, saying the 13th amendment applies only to humans. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Miller stopped the case from proceeding two days after he became the first judge in U.S. history to listen to arguments in court over the possibility of granting constitutional rights for members of an animal species. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals filed the lawsuit in October and named five whales as plaintiffs. PETA says the wild-captured orcas are enslaved by SeaWorld because they are held in concrete tanks against their will and forced to perform in shows at its parks in San Diego and Orlando, Fla. Nevada Nevada Highway Patrol, city settle beating lawsuit LAS VEGAS (AP) -- A diabetic motorist and his wife have agreed to accept $292,500 from Henderson police and the state of Nevada to settle a federal civil rights, battery and negligence lawsuit stemming from his videotaped beating during a 2010 traffic stop. "The video is disturbing to watch," said Adam Greene, who doesn't remember the beating by Henderson police and Nevada Highway Patrol troopers who thought he was driving under the influence. Greene, 38, a retail manager who was on the way to work at the time, was left with broken ribs, cuts and bruises after police and Highway Patrol troopers stopped him at 4 a.m. with guns drawn then realized his erratic driving was caused by diabetic shock, not intoxication. "Police need to follow their training to recognize when someone is having a diabetic episode," said Greene's lawyer, Todd Moody, "You can't assume someone is under the influence." Mississippi Man executed for 1995 robbery spree killings PARCHMAN, Mississippi (AP) -- A man in the state of Mississippi was put to death Wednesday evening for killing two men in a December 1995 robbery spree after the courts declined to stop the execution based on arguments that the inmate was mentally ill at the time. Edwin Hart Turner, 38, died at 7:21 p.m. local time after receiving a chemical injection at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman, authorities said. Published: Fri, Feb 10, 2012