U.S. Top News: Funerals begin for Newtown victims as schools confront tragedy

	Click to View in Browser 12/17/2012 Funerals begin for Newtown victims as schools confront tragedy NEWTOWN, Connecticut (Reuters) - Mourners in Newtown, Connecticut, headed for the first two of 20 funerals of schoolchildren massacred in their classroom as the rest of the nation on Monday anxiously sent children back to school with tightened security. Schools in another Connecticut town in lockdown over suspicious person (Reuters) - All schools in Ridgefield, Connecticut, were in lockdown on Monday because of a suspicious person who might be armed, police said. Analysis: An inspired Obama wants to target gun violence, but how? WASHINGTON (Reuters) - His words have been eloquent and sympathetic, as they typically are when he is the voice of a nation in mourning. Zurich puts Sandy storm damage claims at $700 million ZURICH (Reuters) - Zurich estimates that damage claims relating to tropical storm Sandy, which hit the United States in October, will amount to $700 million in its fourth-quarter earnings. Two Kansas police officers fatally shot outside store (Reuters) - Two police officers were fatally shot in Topeka, Kansas, on Sunday after responding to a suspicious vehicle report, and authorities said they were searching for a suspect believed to be armed and dangerous. In Newtown, an anguished debate over gun rights, controls NEWTOWN, Connecticut (Reuters) - Two days after a gunman opened fire in a Connecticut elementary school, killing 26 people, several dozen parents and children gathered in a circle at Newtown's public library to draw something positive from the town's sudden, tragic notoriety. Snapshots of children slain in Connecticut school (Reuters) - Mourners from close family to complete strangers grieved on Sunday over the loss of 20 children and six adults in a shooting rampage at a Newtown, Connecticut elementary school. Man with assault rifle shot dead by police after Alabama triple murder BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (Reuters) - A man armed with an assault-style rifle and suspected of killing three men in a domestic dispute was shot dead by police after a car chase and shootout that left an officer wounded, marking a second incident of deadly gun violence in Alabama in two days, officials said on Sunday. Man charged with threatening massacre at Indiana elementary school (Reuters) - A 60-year-old Indiana man found to have concealed dozens of firearms in his home has been jailed on charges he threatened to kill people at a nearby elementary school a day after one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history. Boehner opens door to tax hikes, shifts fiscal cliff talks WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The first real movement in the "fiscal cliff" talks began on Sunday, with Republican House Speaker John Boehner edging slightly closer to President Barack Obama's key demands as they try to avert the steep tax hikes and spending cuts set to take effect unless Congress intervenes by December 31. Related Video U.S. Morning Call: Apple shares fall below $500 in premarket Market Pulse: Japan, the land of the falling yen Great Debate How Obama seized the narrative Public agrees: Next step is gun control A daily digest of breaking business news, coverage of the US economy, major corporate news and the financial markets. Register Today   The latest Reuters articles on M&A, IPOs, private equity, hedge funds and regulatory updates delivered to your inbox each day. Register Today   » MORE NEWSLETTERS - 3 Times Square New York, NY 10036 USA © Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters Ensure delivery of Reuters Newsmails, add mail@nl.reuters.com to your address book. Details Subscribe to other Reuters newsletters. Unsubscribe from this newsletter. Follow us on Twitter Friend us on Facebook Forward to a friend