Good morning, and happy Thursday. Here are six of the top stories we are following this morning at NBC News:
1. Horror at Fort Hood: Iraq veteran goes on shooting rampage
The gunman, identified as 34-year-old Ivan Lopez, killed three colleagues and wounded 16 others, some critically, officials said. Lopez took his own life amid the carnage. He was being treated for depression and anxiety, and had been evaluated for post-traumatic stress disorder, according to reports. The shooting spree comes 4-1/2 years after 13 people died in a similar rampage at Fort Hood. Read more in NEWS.
2. Strong aftershock off Chile stirs new evacuations
A 7.6 aftershock sent fearful residents in northern Chile fleeing to safety late Wednesday — a day after a magnitude-8.2 earthquake shook buildings and led to at least six deaths. Strict building codes enforced during Chile’s history have been credited for minimizing the death toll. Read more in NEWS.
3. Chances of finding any mudslide survivors ‘almost nonexistent’
Thirteen bodies still remain missing in the fatal Washington state mudslide on March 22, although officials have basically ruled out finding any of them alive. The total number of positively identified fatalities now stands at 26 out of 29 bodies recovered. Read more in NEWS.
Meanwhile, members of Super Bowl champs the Seattle Seahawks visited the local community this week:
4. Appeals court overturns ruling on Texas execution drugs
The federal appeals court threw out a lower court’s decision that would have forced Texas to disclose where it gets its lethal-injection drugs. The state says the identity of its supplier must be kept secret to protect the company from threats. But defense attorneys for prisoners on death row argue that they should be able to verify what’s in the drugs. Read more in NEWS.
5. British sub joins search for missing Malaysia jet
The HMS Tireless, a British nuclear submarine, is the latest ship to join the hunt for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which has been missing for nearly a month in the southern Indian Ocean. Meanwhile, background checks on all passengers aboard the plane show none of them were involved in a hijacking plot, officials said. Investigators are still reviewing the crew. Read more in NEWS.
6. Price of peanut butter and jelly on the rise
Fans of good ol’ PB&J are finding the cost of ingredients in the popular brown bag staple have shot up over the past decade. Since 2004, prices of creamy peanut butter and a pound of white bread are up nearly 46 and 47 percent, respectively, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Read more in BUSINESS.
… What’s trending today?
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford made another faux pas on Wednesday after voting “no” to honor Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes, as well as against naming a street after the late South African icon Nelson Mandela. Ford later tried to ask for a re-vote but was denied.
The larger-than-life politician claimed he was stretching his back and voted quickly, not realizing his error.