Mosteller misses finals in Miss America pageant
Miss South Carolina Brooke Mosteller failed to make the semifinals of Sunday night’s Miss America pageant.
She was criticized for her introduction, in which she touted the number of mobile homes in South Carolina, according to The State.
“I’m from the state where 20 percent of our homes are mobile, because that’s how we roll,” said Mosteller, a law student at USC.
Contestants usually introduce themselves with some sort of joke, but many viewers were annoyed with Mosteller’s choice of statistics.
Twitter user Kimberly Pollard tweeted, “So much to be proud of in our beautiful state and #MissSouthCarolina chooses mobile homes in her introduction.”
Others, like Tabitha Bigbee, thought Mosteller’s intro was funny, tweeting, “‘Cause that’s how we roll!’ #MissSouthCarolina is funny! That’s one of the best qualities you could have, my friend. #MissAmerica”
— Sydney Patterson, Editor-in-Chief
13 killed in Naval Yard shooting Monday
At least 13 people were killed Monday morning in a shooting at a naval office building in Washington, D.C., multiple news outlets reported.
The gunman, identified by law enforcement officials as 34-year-old Aaron Alexis, was one of the deceased, according to multiple outlets. Alexis was a full-time Navy reservist from May 2007 to January 2011 and had been awarded the National Defense Service Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, The New York Times reported.
The police are looking for additional suspects in the shooting, which took place at the Washington Navy Yard. Two police officers were shot, and three people were in critical but stable condition as of Monday afternoon. All three wounded victims were expected to recover, The New York Times reported.
Officials said the gunman was carrying three weapons: an AR-15 assault rifle, a shotgun and a semi-automatic pistol. A federal law enforcement official told The Associated Press that Alexis is believed to have gotten in the Navy Yard using someone else’s ID card, but it was unknown whether that person was an accomplice or their card was stolen.
—Sydney Patterson, Editor-in-Chief
Violent crimes down in Richland, Lexington
Richland and Lexington counties saw fewer violent crimes in 2012 compared to 2011, The State reported.
FBI statistics released Monday showed there were 2,266 violent crimes reported in Richland County in 2012, down from 2,366. Despite the 4-percent overall drop in the county’s violent crimes, the statistics show there were two more murders and 12 more reported rapes, according to The State. Robberies and aggravated assaults were down.
Lexington County had 534 violent crimes reported last year, compared to 578 the previous year. Crimes in all categories were down, according to The State.
The number of violent crimes reported in Kershaw County, though, increased between 2011 and 2012 — up from 214 to 256, The State reported. Rapes and aggravated assaults were up, while murders and robberies were down.
The number of violent crimes nationally increased .7 percent from 2011 to 2012.
— Sarah Ellis, Assistant News Editor