National News for Feb. 9 - 22

This is not original reporting. All information has been compiled from The Washington Post. Silver Chips Online posts this news summary to provide readers with a forum for discussion.

Feb. 20 - A complete lunar eclipse occurred, an event that will not happen again until 2010. Near the moon, Saturn and the star Regulus were visible.

Washington, D.C.

Feb. 20 - The Supreme Court decided not to hear a case challenging the Bush administration's domestic spying program, which the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) had brought. The ACLU wants to defend journalists, lawyers and others who have been victims of wiretapping since Sept. 11, 2001.

Feb. 12 - The Bush administration declared that they will try six men on capital murder charges in conjunction with the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The trials will be based on confessions made by the inmates to FBI agents without interrogation tactics.

Big Spring, TX

Feb. 19- An explosion at an Alon USA oil refinery injured five and shook the ground for miles. Nearby schools and interstates closed as tons of smoke was released into the air. Investigators were on standby in Dallas, TX waiting for the smoke to clear before they could investigate the cause of the blast.

Dekalb, IL

Feb. 14- A gunman entered a geology class at Northern Illinois University (NIU) and started firing at the students at random. Five students were killed and another 16 were injured. The gunman has been identified as a past graduate student from NIU.

International Falls, MN

Feb. 12- The temperature dipped to negative 40 degrees Fahrenheit in northern Minnesota. International Falls is known as the "Icebox of the Nation." The temperature was one degree warmer than the all-time record that was set in Minneapolis, MN in January of 1888.