Former state lawmaker fired for violating handbook

State officials released the termination letter of Rep. GusBarriero, a former state lawmaker, from his job at the Department of Juvenile Justice.

The letter, made public Jan. 20, stated Barreiro was fired for violations of the state’s employee handbook.

Barreiro cleaned out his desk Jan. 15 after receiving the termination letter. He was appointed to this position last March.

Stocks fall 4 percent during Obama’s inauguration

Widespread optimism about President Barack Obama’s inauguration celebration in Washington negatively correlated to Wall Street.

The major indexes plunged more than 4 percent Jan. 20, while the Dow slipped below 8,000, as new fears about the stability of America’s biggest banks roiled the markets.

Stocks fell more than 60 points during Obama’s address from the Capitol and deepened their losses during the last hour of trading. This inauguration’s stock market trading was the worst since 1900, according to J.P. Morgan Chase.

In the last minutes of trading, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 300 points or 3.7 percent, while the broader Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index and the technology-heavy Nasdaq composite were down close to 5 percent.

Gaza fighting ceases Jan. 18 after 1,313 deaths

More than 1,300 Palestinians died and another 5,400 were injured during Israel’s three-week offensive in Gaza, aimed at stopping Hamas militants from firing rockets into southern Israel.

The fighting caused more than $1.9 billion in damages, according to the Palestine’s Central Bureau of Statistics.

A cease-fire caused the majority of the fighting to stop Jan. 18.

Israel released a statement that 13 of its citizens – including 10 soldiers – were killed during the offensive, which started Dec. 27.

About 80 percent of Gaza’s crops were destroyed during the 22 days of war. It could take a year for the economy to recover, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency.