Obama expresses 'heartbreak'...Wind and rain...Fire was set

Washington (AP) President Barack Obama says he wants to "personally express the incredible heartbreak" that Americans feel over the deaths of 13 people in a shooting rampage at Fort Hood in Texas last week. His comments to ABC came in advance of today's trip to Fort Hood, where Obama will meet with families of those who died and attend a memorial service.

DAUPHIN ISLAND, Ala. (AP) It's windy and rainy along parts of the U.S. Gulf Coast, but there aren't reports of serious damage from what's left of Tropical Storm Ida. It came ashore in Alabama early this morning before losing tropical storm strength. One man on Alabama's Dauphin Island says the only harm done is from power outages.

WASHINGTON (AP) Officials at the Federal Reserve say unemployment will probably remain high for the next several years.

They say that's because the economic recovery won't be strong enough to spur robust hiring. The assessment is the first public one from Fed officials since last week's news that unemployment rose to 10.2 percent.

PINE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) An official says a former student has surrendered to police after taking a school administrator hostage at an upstate New York high school. The gunman is described as a man in his 40s. A town official in Pine Plains, about 90 miles north of New York City, says no shots were fired.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Police in Oklahoma City say a fire that swept through a home where four people were found dead was intentional. They say they're now searching for a fifth person they believe was at the house when the blaze began. Firefighters discovered the bodies of three women and one man early yesterday inside the burning home.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 11-10-09 0954CST | save this article / add to your favorites list