Around the Nation

Gunman Kills 2, Injures 7 In Tennessee Church

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- A gunman opened fire at a church youth performance Sunday, killing two people, including a man witnesses called a hero for shielding others from a shotgun blast.

Seven adults were injured, five seriously, but no children were harmed at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church.

The gunman was tackled by church members and eventually taken into police custody. He was charged later with first-degree murder; his motive was not yet known.

Jim D. Adkisson, 58, was being held on a $1 million bond, according to a city spokesman.

KKR to Go Public Via Fund Merger

NEW YORK -- Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., the private equity firm that controls hospital operator HCA and many other companies, said Sunday it will go public on the New York Stock Exchange through a takeover of its Amsterdam-listed affiliate investment fund KKR Private Equity Investors LP.

The transaction is a big departure from the plans announced a year ago by founders Henry R. Kravis and George R. Roberts to tap equity markets for up to $1.25 billion through an initial public offering. Credit market turmoil torpedoed that plan.

Houses Burn Near Yosemite

MIDPINES, CALIF. -- An out-of-control wildfire burning near an entrance to Yosemite National Park has destroyed eight homes, threatened thousands more and forced authorities to cut power to the park.

-- From News Services