National news briefs

Engine fire grounds Delta flight in Atlanta

ATLANTA (AP) — A company spokesman says a Delta plane headed to Philadelphia had to return to the gate just before takeoff from Atlanta because of an engine fire.

Delta spokesman Carlos Santos said the MD88 was taxiing along the runway shortly after 3 p.m. Saturday when there were reports of "some flames coming out of the engine." He said airport fire trucks responded immediately.

The cause of the fire was under investigation.

Teen who balked at chemo cancer-free, kin say

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota teen who fled the state to avoid chemotherapy has finished his cancer treatment.

Daniel Hauser of Sleepy Eye underwent his final radiation session Friday, and his family says the 13-year-old is cancer-free.

Daniel gained national attention when he stopped treatment after one session in February and fled, citing his religious beliefs. After he returned, he underwent court-ordered chemo to treat Hodgkin's lymphoma, then started radiation therapy.

Family spokesman Dan Zwakman tells KSTP-TV everything is going as planned. A Brown County judge has asked for reports from Brown County Family Services and Daniel's doctor. If everything looks good, the case will likely be closed.

Man sought in officer slaying found, shot

SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle police on Saturday said they believe a man suspected of fatally shooting a police officer on Halloween night also firebombed police cruisers and other property nine days earlier.

At a news conference, Seattle Assistant Police Chief Jim Pugel identified 41-year-old Christopher Monfort as the man shot by police on Friday as he was sought in connection with the killing of Officer Timothy Brenton. Pugel also said investigators found improvised explosive devices at Monfort's apartment.

"This man, from everything we can tell is a lone domestic terrorist," Pugel said.

Detectives have asked the King County prosecutor's office for formal charges in the case.

Driver in fatal crash smoked pot regularly

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) — New York State Police investigators said in a written report that a woman who killed seven people plus herself in a crash on the Taconic State Parkway was a regular marijuana user.

The report says Diane Schuler's husband told police his wife "smoked marijuana once in a while to relieve the stress of work and the kids."

Schuler's sister-in-law told police she "didn't believe in medicine and used marijuana to relax," usually smoking after her children went to bed.

Schuler, her daughter and three of her nieces were killed when she drove the wrong way on the highway in July. Three men in the car she hit were also killed.

Woman killed while walking on freeway