12/6/07 News Update

National News
The 19 year-old gunman who, according to police, killed eight people and then himself at a Nebraska mall left a suicide note, recently discovered. The note stated that the 19 year-old gunman predicted that the shootings would make him famous. The note was discovered by the gunman's landlord, Maruca Kovac, who found the suicide note after receiving a phone call from him a few minutes before the shootings.
"He basically said how sorry he was for everything. He didn't want to be a burden to people and that he was a piece of s--- all his life and that now he'd be famous." Is what Kovac had to say about the note.
Chief Thomas Warren of the Omaha Police Department believes the shootings were "premeditated", but also "appeared to be very random and without provocation."
The gunman is identified as Robert A. Hawkins of Bellvue, Nebraska.

The weather forecast for Thursday afternoon in Cape Canaveral, FL, seems like it will be perfect for the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis, which will hopefully allow the continuation of on-time takeoffs. Fueling of the shuttle bean at daybreak. If the shuttle does launch on time today, it will make it the 4th on time launch in a row for Atlantis.
The shuttle will carry a crew of seven and Europes space station lab, named Columbus. NASA's Destiny lab went up in 2001, and Columbus will be the second laboratory added to the space station, Japan will follow with a huge lab Kibo, which will go up in three sections beginning with the next shuttle mission in February.
Scientific work in Columbus will start almost immediately.

Local News
A rollover accident on the Lowell Connector caused some problems during the commute this morning, around 8:05am. The motorist in the accident had minor injuries, and police were able to open the road to traffic at about 8:40am.

Lowell City Manager Bernie Lynch said last night that the average home in Lowell will see a $30 increase in taxes this year, amounting to a 1% increase. The state average for the tax hike is $170. "The city of Lowell only owing up $20 is a really remarkable achievement for us," Lynch said. He also mentioned that 40% of the nearly 23,000 residential properties in the city could see tax bills actually decrease this year.

Campus News
Beginning next fall, students who live within 20mi of UMass Lowell in Southern NH can save more than $6,000 per year on the cost of their education. For the 2007-2008 academic year, out-of-state tuition and fees total just over $20,000 annually. Under the new program, students who qualify will be able to pay just under $14,000 annually. The program, called Proximity Regional Rate Program is based on the New England regional program, which allows out of state students studying a major not offered at their home-state campus to receive a reduced tuition, and also provides a reduction of about $6,000 per year.
Participating students are also eligible for on-campus housing after their first semester.

Sports News
Five of the University's six varsity teams qualified for the NCAA championships this fall, which makes this a strong season for UML athletics. The field hockey team advanced the furthest, and competed in the Division II national championship game for the third time in five years.
The men's soccer team ended one of its bests seasons by losing to Franklin Pierce in the New England Region Championship game. The women's soccer teams were also qualified for the NCAA's, but were eliminated in the first round by Merrimack College.
The Menes cross country team finished 13th, and the women's cross country team finished 21st at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championship. Both were the top finishing team in the Northeast region, and Junior Ruben Sanca placed 24th overall to earn All-America status.

For all of UMass Lowell's sports details and schedules, visit GORIVERHAWKS.com

That's the latest on news and sports on WULM Lowell 91.5FM!