The Daily Oklahoman from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma • 9

THE OKLAHOMAN NEWSOK.COM 9A THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2011 NATION Storm pounds Southeast, 4 dead, many more hurt BY JEFFREY COLLINS AND BOB JOHNSON Associated Press AP PHOTO TUNNEL FOUND, MARIJUANA SEIZED SAN DIEGO An estimated 17 tons of marijuana were seized in the discovery of a cross-border tunnel that authorities said Wednesday was one of the most significant secret drug smuggling passages ever found on the U.S.-Mexico border. The tunnel discovered Tuesday stretched about 400 yards and linked warehouses in San Diego and Tijuana, authorities said. U.S. authorities seized about nine tons of marijuana inside a truck and at the warehouse, shown above, in San Diego's Otay Mesa area, said Derek Benner, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agent in charge of investigations in San Diego.

Mexican authorities recovered about eight tons south of the border. Authorities spoke at a news conference near packages of seized dope festooned with labels of Captain America, Sprite and Bud Light. The markings are codes to identify the Auburn University student Tabitha Welch helps a friend search her home for valuables Wednesday after a storm blew several trees into her home in Auburn, Ala. AP PHOTO ROCK HILL, S.C. A strong storm system that produced several possible tornadoes hit the Southeast on Wednesday, damaging dozens of homes and buildings.

At least four people were killed and more than a dozen others were injured. Suspected tornadoes were reported in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and South Carolina, and thousands of people were without power as trees and power lines were downed. In South Carolina, three people were killed and five injured when a likely tornado swept through a rural community near Rock Hill, about 20 miles south of Charlotte, N.C. In north Georgia, an unidentified person was killed when a tree fell on a sport utility vehicle In eastern Alabama, a suspected twister splintered trees and demolished mobile homes at a pair of housing parks near the Auburn University campus. Less than seven months ago, a massive tornado roared past the campus of archrival University of Alabama in the western part of the state.

It was the worst bout of weather for the state since about 250 people were killed during the tornado outbreak in April. Both campuses were spared major damage this time. tornado damage," said DeGeer, who wasn't home at the time. "It's kind of hit or miss. There will be two or three (trailers) that are bad and then a few that are OK." DeGeer's dog Jack rode out the storm in her mobile home without injury, but the trailer itself didn't fare as well.

"It looks like I redecorated with a wilderness theme. There are trees through my house," she said. A similar scene occurred in southeastern Mississippi, where Jones County emergency director Don McKinnon said some people were briefly trapped in their homes as trees fell on In Rock Hill, Simone Moore told The Herald newspaper that she was sitting on her back porch when she saw the tornado touch down and then quickly move back up. After the storm passed, she noticed a nearby trailer had vanished. "Everything's gone," Moore said.

"Even the cows in the pasture." As weather service experts fanned out to assess damage, Auburn graduate student Staci DeGeer didn't have any doubts about what sent a pair of trees crashing through her mobile home at Ridge -wood Village. "It's tornado damage. I'm from Kansas; I know them. Mobile homes were tossed off their foundations. In all, 15 people were hurt in the area.

Forecasters said a cold front stretching from the Gulf of Mexico to the Northeast was to blame. Temperatures dropped in some areas from the low 70s to the 50s as the front passed, and winds gusted to near 30 mph. Damage was reported in several parts of Alabama. In Sumter County, in the west -central part of the state, an elderly woman was in her home as a tree crashed into it. She had to be taken to the hospital.

In southern Louisiana, a suspected tornado hit a neighborhood in Houma. MAN ARRESTED IN D.C. SHOOTING WASHINGTON A man wanted in an investigation of shots fired near the White House was arrested Wednesday in Pennsylvania, a day after agents discovered two bullets had struck the executive mansion while President Barack Obama was away, the U.S. Secret Service said. One of them apparently cracked a window on the level of the president's living quarters, while Obama and his wife Michelle were on a trip to California and Hawaii.

The discovery of bullet holes followed reports of gunfire near the White House on Friday night, although the bullets have not been conclusively connected with that shooting, authorities said. An assault rifle and an abandoned vehicle were found Friday, which led authorities to disclose they had linked Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez to the reported gunfire. Ortega, 2L was arrested Wednesday afternoon. SURVIVOR DOG GETS A NEW HOME NUTLEY, NJ. The dog that survived an Alabama dog pound's gas chamber has found a permanent home in New Jersey.

Daniel, a beagle mix named by animal control workers in Alabama after the biblical figure who survived the lion's den, joined four other rescued dogs last Thursday at the home of Joe Dwyer and his family in Nutley about 10 miles west of New York City. "He's in extremely good shape, especially in light of what he went through," Dwyer said Wednesday after returning from a trip to the veterinarian. "His attitude is just incredible." Daniel surprised workers at the Animal Control facility in Florence, on Oct. 3, when he emerged frightened but unscathed from a gas chamber. Dwyer said Daniel has become fast friends with the Nutley family's other four pooches two dachshunds, a beagle mix and a pit bull mix.

"By Thursday evening they were all lying down together," he said. "It was wonderful to see." CHEATING ALLEGED IN NAVY'S SUBS HARTFORD, Conn. The Navy's inspector general for the Atlantic submarine force is investigating claims that pervasive cheating has tainted exams administered to enlisted sailors and officers as part of their nuclear training. The official leading the inquiry, Pat Urello, told The Associated Press that it began in August in response to a complaint that originated in Groton, the home port of an attack submarine that was rocked by an exam-cheating scandal last year. The investigation could lead to changes for the submarine force, said Urello, the force inspector general.

After the cheating ring was discovered aboard the Groton-based USS Memphis last November, the Navy fired the commanding officer and kicked off 10 percent of the crew. Navy officials said it reflected a rare lapse in integrity, but several former submarine officers told the AP for a story in August that it is not uncommon for sailors to receive answer keys or other hints before training exams. ASSOCIATED PRESS Energy Secretary Chu faces test from House GOP on Solyndra Tulsa congressman finds no wrongdoing by Kaiser in solar company loan. BUSINESS PAGE IB Steven Chu Energy Secretary by two major Obama campaign donors, Steve Spinner and George Kaiser. Chu, in remarks prepared for delivery Thursday, was ready to play defense.

He said the Solyndra loan was subject to "proper, rigorous scrutiny and healthy debate." "While we are disappointed in the outcome of this particular loan, we support Congress' mandate to finance the deployment of innovative technologies and believe that our portfolio of loans does so responsibly," Chu said. Kaiser, an Oklahoma billionaire, invested $400 million in the solar company through an investment vehicle connected to a family foundation. Kaiser has said he played no part in helping Solyndra win the 2009 loan. BY MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON Energy Secretary Steven Chu won a Nobel Prize in physics, but his handling of a solar energy loan has some critics calling him clueless. Chu undoubtedly will face hostile questioning Thursday from House Republicans who are investigating the $528 million federal loan received by solar panel maker Solyndra before it went belly up, laying off 1,100 workers.

Some Republicans have called for Chu to be fired. Newly released emails show the White House considered doing just that earlier this year as the Obama administration braced for a political storm. The White House says the Department of Energy and the White House decided to put taxpayer funds at risk," said Rep. Cliff Stearns, who is leading the GOP investigation. "I look forward to asking Secretary Chu why these warnings were ignored." Chu also will be asked to explain why he approved a restructuring of Solyndra's debt that allowed two private investors to move ahead of taxpayers for repayment in case of default.

He also will be asked about possible political influence Chu retains the president's confidence, but that trust could be challenged when the energy secretary faces GOP critics. Chu is scheduled to be the sole witness as the House Energy and Commerce Committee continues a nine -month investigation. "Although several red flags were raised over So-lyndra's financial stability, TV Weekly magazine The best source for local TV cable listings Odd details emerge in case of missing Washington boy Subscribers to The Oklahoma can gel TV Weekly magazine, delivered to their home, for as little as per week a huge savings off the cover price of Even ion-subscribers con save over 50 off the cover price. Begin enjoying the nation's leading magazine for localized print TV listings. gas station and calling a friend for help.

Biryukova's estranged husband the two are in a bitter divorce and custody fight said her story was full of holes and bore similarities to a recent episode of her favorite show: "Law Order: Special Victims Unit." He also claimed in divorce documents that Bi-ryukova had dreamt of strangling the boy. Police were also looking into whether Biryukova was a member of an online dating service that connects women with "sugar daddies." It all adds up to an unusual story that has become a top priority for authorities in Bellevue, just east of Seattle, and provided plenty of fodder for cable TV news in the past two weeks. Biryukova has refused to speak with detectives since the day of the disappearance, but she did acknowledge she sometimes left her children alone for extended periods, police say. Nevertheless, detectives have yet to arrest the 30-year-old Ukrainian immigrant for any crimes they might be able to pin on her, such as making a false police report or recklessly endangering the boy. By giving her some space, they say, they hope to encourage her to cooperate beyond the limited help she's given.

BY GENE JOHNSON Associated Press BELLEVUE, Wash. From the moment a Washington toddler was reported missing days ago, police had serious questions about his mother's story that she left him alone in an unlocked car after running out of gas. The case has become even stranger since. For starters, Julia Biryu-kova's car had plenty of gas and was running fine, police determined. She had told them it stalled as she was driving her 2 -year -old son to the hospital because he wasn't feeling well, and that she left him inside as she and the boy's sister spent an hour walking to a A-Z Movie Listings 44 Page Magazine Local TV Cable Listings Puzzles, Articles, Horoscopes A-Z Movies, Reviews and More! www.twantmytvmagazine.com 1-888-603-0008.