FORT CARSON, Colo. (AP) — A Fort Carson soldier has been charged with murder in the shooting death of another soldier while they were deployed to Jordan in May.

The Army said Tuesday that Spc. Jeffery T. Page of Perrysburg, Ohio, is accused in the death of Spc. Adrian M. Perkins of Pine Valley, California.

Charging documents say Perkins was shot with an M4 rifle.

A hearing is scheduled at the Colorado post Wednesday to determine whether there’s enough evidence for a court-martial.

Page and his attorneys didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment through Fort Carson officials.

If convicted of murder, he could face life in prison without parole. Page is also charged with manslaughter and negligent homicide.

He’s assigned to the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team at Fort Carson, outside Colorado Springs.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Brittany Maynard’s mother is responding angrily to the Vatican’s criticism of Maynard’s decision to end her life early under an Oregon law written to let terminally ill patients die on their own terms.

Days after Maynard’s Nov. 1 death at age 29, the Vatican’s top bioethics official called her choice “reprehensible” and said physician-assisted suicide should be condemned.

Maynard’s mother, Debbie Ziegler, issued a sharp written response Tuesday. She says the Vatican official’s comments came as the family was grieving and were “more than a slap in the face.”

Her response was made through Compassion & Choices, an advocacy group that Maynard worked with.

Maynard had brain cancer and used her story to speak out for the right of terminally ill people like herself to end their lives on their own terms. Some religious groups and social conservatives also have criticized her decision.

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — A lawyer for Tracy Morgan says the actor-comedian is still recovering from a brain injury sustained in a highway crash in New Jersey more than five months ago.

Lawyer Benedict Morelli said Tuesday the former “Saturday Night Live” and “30 Rock” star is recovering from a traumatic brain injury suffered in the June 7 crash on the New Jersey Turnpike.

Lawyers were in court in New Jersey for a scheduling conference in Morgan’s lawsuit against Wal-Mart.

A Wal-Mart truck slammed into the back of a limo van that was carrying Morgan and several friends on their way from a show in Delaware. One person was killed, and Morgan suffered a broken leg, broken nose and broken ribs and spent several weeks in the hospital and in rehab. Three others were injured, two seriously.

FARMINGTON, Utah (AP) — A Utah woman whose 4-year-old son was malnourished, beaten and then killed has been sentenced to at least 20 years in prison for her role in the boy’s death.

A judge on Monday sentenced 31-year-old Stephanie Sloop to 20 years to life behind bars for Ethan Stacy’s 2010 death.

Sloop pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and obstructing justice under a deal with prosecutors.

Prosecutors say Sloop failed to stop her husband and Ethan’s stepfather, Nathanael, from abusing her son and didn’t call for help.

A medical examiner testified last year that the boy died of too many over-the-counter medications, severe burns and pneumonia.

Authorities say Nathanael Sloop then used a hammer to disfigure Ethan’s face before burying his body. The stepfather is serving 25 years to life in prison.

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A 9-year-old girl was shot and seriously wounded by her 12-year-old brother as he played with a handgun in their Newark, New Jersey home, and the children’s mother faces child endangerment charges.

33-year-old Catrease Thomas also faces a weapons count. But they haven’t said if she or any other adult was in the home when the shooting occurred around noon Saturday.

The girl, who was shot in the chest, remained hospitalized Sunday in critical but stable condition. She was shot with a 9 mm handgun, but authorities haven’t said how the boy got hold of the weapon.

Authorities say the gun had been reported stolen in Alabama, and charges are pending against another adult. But they did not disclose further details.

NEW YORK (AP) — Health officials say high schools students’ use of electronic cigarettes tripled over three years.

In a large national survey last year, 4.5 percent of high school students said they had used an e-cigarette at least one day the previous month. That’s up from 1.5 percent in 2011 and 2.8 percent in 2012.

It’s not known how many only tried it once that month and didn’t do it again.

E-cigarettes heat liquid nicotine into a vapor. Experts say nicotine is especially harmful to children. Dozens of states outlaw the sale of e-cigarettes to minors, and federal officials have proposed a nationwide ban on such sales.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report Thursday also found 13 percent of high school students recently smoked regular cigarettes.

WAUKESHA, Wis. (AP) — A state doctor says the mental condition of one of two girls accused of repeatedly stabbing a classmate to please the fictional horror character Slender Man has improved, and that the 12-year-old is fit to stand trial.

Judge Michael Bohren summarized the doctor’s report during a brief hearing Wednesday. But he didn’t act on the report after defense attorney Anthony Cotton said he hadn’t had a chance to discuss it with his client.

Bohren had ordered the girl to undergo mental health treatment in August, after a psychologist testified the child claimed to see and hear things others could not, including Slender Man.

Court documents say the two girls attacked the victim following a May 30 sleepover, stabbing her 19 times during a walk in a park. The victim survived.

 

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Police have arrested an 18-year-old man on suspicion of shooting and killing an Army veteran on a sidewalk in the San Fernando Valley.

Los Angeles police spokeswoman Officer Nuria Vanegas says Vincent Estrada was arrested Tuesday in the Sylmar area. He was booked on suspicion of murder.

Vanegas says she had no information on the motive behind Sunday’s attack.

Police and witnesses said 21-year-old Francisco Garcia had left a party at his girlfriend’s house when two cars pulled up to him. A man in one of the cars jumped out, smashed a beer bottle on the ground and yelled at Garcia.

Investigators said the killer then walked to the other car, grabbed a handgun and began shooting at Garcia.

Garcia had returned from Afghanistan over the summer.

 

WESTMINSTER, Mass. (AP) — Health officials in Westminster are holding a public hearing on a draft regulation that would make the central Massachusetts town the first in the nation to ban sales of all tobacco products.

Westminster’s Board of Health says it’s expecting such a strong turnout, it will hold Wednesday evening’s hearing in a school cafeteria rather than in its usual cramped conference room at Town Hall. A final decision is expected later.

Officials in the town of 7,700 say they’re fed up with bubblegum-flavored cigars, electronic cigarettes and other products that appeal to young people. They say the easiest course of action is a total ban on sales within town lines.

The American Lung Association says Westminster would be the first community in the U.S. to take such sweeping action.

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of people carrying small amounts of marijuana may no longer be arrested or face criminal charges in New York City under a new policy.

Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio (dih BLAH’-zee-oh) and police Commissioner Bill Bratton announced it Monday. Instead of being arrested on a misdemeanor charge, many people will get summonses and face non-criminal violations.

The change marks a significant shift in how the nation’s biggest city treats possession of up to 25 grams — about a sandwich bag — of pot. De Blasio has faced pressure to keep campaign promises to reduce the more than 20,000 such arrests per year.

State law makes it a misdemeanor to have up to 25 grams of marijuana in public view. The mayor and police commissioner characterize stopping such arrests as an enforcement choice.