Things You Need to Know Today

1 dead, 5 injured in Orlando office shooting
6:16 p.m.

ORLANDO, Fla. - Orlando police confirmed today that a man suspected in a deadly mass shooting inside a downtown Orlando office building has been taken into custody.

The suspect, Jason Rodriguez, 40, is a former employee of Reynolds, Smith & Hill, a construction engineering firm with offices on the eighth floor of the Gateway Center, the site of the shooting.

One person is dead and five are confirmed shot in the attack, which took place about 11:45 a.m. EST. The shooter used a handgun, police said.

A SWAT team spotted the suspect more than two hours after the attack through a window at his mother’s residence.

Rodriguez came out of the home without incident, Orlando Police Chief Val Demings said.

Waukesha deputy shoots inmate at hospital
4:56 p.m.

WAUKESHA (AP) - Authorities say a Waukesha County Sheriff’s deputy shot an inmate at a hospital after the inmate began a scuffle. The inmate is in critical condition.

A spokeswoman for Waukesha Memorial Hospital says the inmate was at the hospital for treatment when he became unruly. Authorities say the officer was not hurt.

Officials aren’t yet releasing the identities of either person or details of the inmate’s injuries.

Hospital spokeswoman Kathy Allen says all patients and visitors are safe and there was never a threat to their safety.

Waukesha Memorial Hospital closed after incident
4:20 p.m.

WAUKESHA (AP) - Police say an officer was involved in an incident at Waukesha Memorial Hospital that temporarily locked the facility down.

Waukesha County Sheriff’s Capt. Kevin McDonald declined to say what happened at the hospital this afternoon, but said that the situation was ‘‘stabilized’’ and there was no danger.

McDonald says ‘‘the public is safe, they’re fine there. There’s no further risk to the public.’’

Officials at Waukesha Memorial Hospital did not immediately return messages seeking comment.

For complete coverage, pick up a copy of Saturday's Freeman.

Doyle says vote on education reforms positive step
3:45 p.m.

MADISON (AP) - Gov. Jim Doyle says the Legislature’s approval of removing a ban on using student test scores to evaluate teachers puts the state in better position to qualify for federal stimulus money.

Wisconsin is one of only two states with the ban, which President Barack Obama’s administration has said will make it ineligible for the nearly $4.5 billion Race to the Top education grants.

Doyle said today that even though the student test data couldn’t be used to discipline teachers, he believes removing the ban is a critical step to qualifying for the money.

Doyle again said he plans to call a special session to consider the bill to give control of Milwaukee schools to the mayor.

Traffic deaths in October tied for lowest for month
3:44 p.m.

WAUKESHA - Traffic deaths in Wisconsin last month were tied for the lowest on record for the month of October. Last month, 40 people were killed in 38 traffic crashes, which tied the record low set in October 1944, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

Waukesha County Board to vote on 2010 budget Tuesday
2:46 p.m.

WAUKESHA - The Waukesha County Board will vote Tuesday on the 2010 proposed Executive Budget after more than a month of calm discussions.

The proposed budget, which would raise the tax bill on a $272,100 home to $508, which is only a $5 increase from last year, has been met with little resistance since it was introduced by Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas.

For more on this story, pick up a copy of Saturday's Freeman.

Canada plans Afghan withdrawal
2:45 p.m.

TORONTO (AP) - Canada has begun preparations to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan in 2011.

Maj. Cindy Tessier said today that the chief of Defense staff, Gen. Walter Natynczyk, has ordered preparations to get under way that would see Canada’s 2,800 troops removed from southern Afghanistan in the summer of 2011.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government has said it will not extend Canada’s military mission even if President Barack Obama asks.

Since 2002, 133 Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have died.

Canada first sent troops to Afghanistan after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States and increased its deployment after declining a U.S. request to dispatch troops to Iraq.

Parliament has mandated that the military mission must end in 2011.

Jobless rate tops 10 pct. for first time since ‘83
1:43 p.m.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The unemployment rate has hit double digits for the first time since 1983 - and is likely to go higher.

The 10.2 percent jobless rate for October shows how weak the economy remains even though it is growing. The rising jobless rate could threaten the recovery if it saps consumers’ confidence and makes them more cautious about spending as the holiday season approaches.

The October unemployment rate - reflecting nearly 16 million jobless people - jumped from 9.8 percent in September, the Labor Department said Friday. The job losses occurred across most industries, from manufacturing and construction to retail and financial.

Economists say the unemployment rate could surpass 10.5 percent next year because employers are reluctant to hire.

President Barack Obama called the new jobs report another illustration of why much more work is needed to spur business creation and consumer spending. Noting legislation he’s signing to provide additional unemployment benefits for laid-off workers, Obama said, ‘‘I will not rest until all Americans who want work can find work.’’

1 dead, 5 hurt in Orlando shooting; gunman caught
1:41 p.m.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Police in Orlando say a gunman has been apprehended after killing one person and injuring five others at a downtown office building where he was let go two years ago.

Police Chief Val Demings says 40-year-old Jason Rodriguez surrendered to police at his mother’s home after officers saw him through a window and asked him to come out.

She confirms that one person was killed in the shooting at the Legion Place office building downtown. Five others were hurt.

Uncle says Wis. nephew among Fort Hood casualties
1:03 p.m.

KIEL (AP) - The uncle of a Wisconsin soldier says his nephew is among the soldiers killed in the Fort Hood shootings.

The death raises Wisconsin’s toll to two soldiers killed and two others injured.

Larry Seager of Mauston says his niece told him this morning that 51-year-old Russell Seager of Racine died.

He says his nephew joined the Army a few years back because he was a psychiatrist who wanted to help returning veterans adapt back to civilian life. He says he still can’t believe the news.

Also killed was 29-year-old Amy Krueger of Kiel. The injured included 23-year-old Army Reserve Spc. Grant Moxon of Lodi and 19-year-old Amber Bahr of Random Lake.

The shooting at the Texas base Thursday left 13 dead and 30 injured. The suspect was hospitalized today in a coma.

Former employee opens fire at Orlando office tower
1:02 p.m.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Officials searched today for a gunman who opened fire in a downtown office building. At least eight people were hurt.

People streamed out of the high-rise building around lunchtime and some told local television stations they had barricaded themselves inside their offices.

Orlando Fire Department District Chief Michael Droege said an unknown number of people were still in the building and could be injured. He said the SWAT team was still trying to pull people out.

‘‘The building is not secure now,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s still unfolding.’’

Orlando police spokeswoman Barbara Jones identified the gunman as Jason Rodriguez, 40, and said he might be in a 2002 silver Nissan SUV with license plate D119UX. She said he used to work at the building.

‘‘I would consider him armed and dangerous,’’ Jones said. She said multiple people were hurt but she could not say how many. She said five people were taken to the hospital and another had chest pains but did not go to the hospital.

Gerry Gilgo, who works on the floor where the shooting occurred, told The Associated Press she was meeting a co-worker at the elevators for lunch.

‘‘She yelled there are gun shots! There are gun shots! Get back in your office,’’ Gilgo said.

Will Halpern, an attorney works on the building’s 17th floor, was among the last group to be evacuated. He said the lobby was filled with about 20 officers in SWAT gear, carrying assault weapons, ready to search the building.

The Orlando Fire Department told WESH-TV that at least eight people were injured. Interstate 4 was closed in both directions through downtown and nearby schools were locked down.

Rows of ambulances lined up outside the building as police snipers took up positions around the building and officers on foot and horseback searched the area.

Moment of silence set for today for Fort Hood victims
9:45 a.m.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has declared a moment of silence for U.S. military forces worldwide as a show of respect for the Fort Hood victims.

The moment of silence is planned for 2:34 p.m. EST today - exactly 24 hours after the shooting in Texas. All U.S. forces worldwide are being asked to participate in the show of respect.

A spokesman says Gates has no immediate plans to travel to Fort Hood.

Army Chief of Staff George Casey and Army Secretary John McHugh arrived at the base today.

Doyle to visit with Mercury Marine employees
9:44 a.m.

MADISON (AP) - Gov. Jim Doyle plans to meet with employees and company leaders at Mercury Marine in Fond du Lac.

The governor’s office says the purpose of his visit today is to thank the community, the company and others for working to keep the boat engine manufacturer in Wisconsin.

Mercury Marine agreed in September to keep its Fond du Lac plant open after workers there agreed to a series of concessions. Workers from a plant in Oklahoma will be moved to Wisconsin within two years.

Doyle says Mercury Marine is a great Wisconsin company and source of pride for the state.

Mercury Marine president Mark Schwabero will be at the event.

Random Lake soldier praised after Fort Hood shooting
8:52 a.m.

RANDOM LAKE (AP) - A military spokesman has praised the heroics of a soldier from Random Lake who helped other soldiers injured in the Fort Hood shooting before tending to her own wounds.

Lt. Gen. Bob Cone told NBC’s ‘‘Today’’ show today that 19-year-old Amber Bahr of Random Lake helped apply a tourniquet to an injured soldier. He says Bahr then attended to other soldiers before realizing she’d been shot.

Bahr was one of 30 soldiers injured in the shooting at the Texas base Thursday, which left 13 dead. Her family was originally told Bahr had been shot in the belly, but Bahr later told them she’d been shot in the back.

Her mother says it’s a big relief to hear Bahr is OK.

Shooting suspect Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan was shot four times. He’s hospitalized in stable condition.

Suspect arrested in Milwaukee theft of flu vaccine
8:50 p.m.

MILWAUKEE (AP) - Milwaukee police have arrested a local man accused of stealing a truck carrying 900 doses of swine-flu vaccine.

The suspect is a 38-year-old man with a criminal record. Police are looking for two other men who were seen in the vehicle with him.

The truck was taken Thursday about 7:50 p.m. as it idled outside a swine-flu clinic.

Officers found the abandoned truck less than an hour later with the vaccine apparently intact. As they investigated, a witness pointed to the 38-year-old leaving a nearby liquor store and identified him as one of the three men in the truck.

City health official Raquel Filmanowicz says even if the vaccine hasn’t been tampered with, it’s still considered ‘‘compromised’’ because it was out of city possession. She says it can no longer be used.

Report: Knife-wielding woman threatened teen
4:34 a.m.

WAUKESHA - A 47-year-old Waukesha woman was taken into police custody after she was reported as being suicidal and armed with a knife in the 1900 block of Bonnie Lane at 3:25 p.m. Wednesday. She was threatening the life of a 17-year-old girl, according to police log information.