Dorothy Abernathy, The Associated Press bureau chief for West Virginia and Virginia, shares the 10 things you need to know Friday, March 14, 2014. Look for full stories on these late-breaking news items, upcoming events and stories in West Virginia newspapers.
1. SEARCH FOR MISSING PLANE TAKES ANOTHER TURN
India expands its search for the missing Malaysian jetliner to seas west of the Andaman Islands amid signs that the jet may have flown on for hours after last contact.
2. PAINSTAKING EFFORTS TO FIND SURVIVORS IN RUBBLE OF NYC GAS EXPLOSION
Rescuers use telescopic cameras and devices that probe for voices in their search for survivors of the blast that brought down two Harlem apartment buildings and killed at least eight people.
3. WHAT’S NEXT FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM
President Barack Obama yields to pressure from some of his staunchest allies to look for ways to act without Congress to ease the suffering caused by deportation.
4. THE WEST READIES SANCTIONS AGAINST RUSSIA OVER UKRAINE
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry meets with Russia’s foreign minister in London in a last-minute bid to stave off an East-West crisis over Ukraine.
5. MORE BLACK MARKS FOR AIRMEN
The failings of U.S. nuclear missile launch crews were worse than first reported, Air Force documents show.
6. FBI REFUSES POT BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR WASHINGTON STATE
The agency has, however, done such checks for Colorado, a discrepancy that illustrates the quandary the Justice Department faces as it allows states to experiment with a drug that is illegal under federal law.
7. POPE DEFENDS THE WORK OF “SLUM PRIESTS”
On his first anniversary as pontiff, Pope Francis supports the work of priests who work in the slums of Buenos Aires, saying their work is not ideological, “it’s apostolic.”
8. WHY COLLEGE WANTS TO PAY STUDENTS TO TAKE A YEAR OFF
Tufts University is hoping to remove financial barriers that keep cash-strapped students from taking a “gap year” after high school, offering to pay for housing, airfare and even visa fees that can often add up to $30,000 or more.
9. DEVOTED BRITISH SOCIALIST DIES AT 88
Tony Benn, who renounced his aristocratic title rather than leave the House of Commons, is remembered as a “champion of the powerless, a great parliamentarian” after a political career that spanned five decades.
10. WHERE LADY GAGA FINDS INSPIRATION
The pop provocateur began her appearance at the South By Southwest music festival at an Austin, Texas, barbecue spot, pretending to roast herself on a spit like a gutted pig as her dancers basted her.