Americans for Prosperity has been outspoken against the bill, which looks to cover 36 million more Americans at a cost of $1.2 trillion.

The group said the bill being debated doesn't do enough to bring down costs of the nation's healthcare system.

"This 2,000 page bill does not really address cost," said Chris Farr, with Americans for Prosperity North Carolina. "There are so many things that could be done instead of throwing out our whole healthcare system."

Farr also said the bill would hurt private insurers who would not be able to compete with a less expensive, government-run insurance option.

The bill proposes a marketplace where private insurers compete with government-backed plans.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina CEO Bob Greczyn released an internet statement that said new fees on insurers will result in higher premium costs for consumers.

"We don't need more government intervention in the insurance business, and we certainly don't need new taxes that make healthcare more expensive," he said.

The AARP recently endorsed the plan, saying it helps make coverage affordable for Americans both young and old.

"That's what this is about, providing adequate, strong, affordable coverage for everybody in the country," said Bob Jackson, with AARP North Carolina.

Jackson said the plan also protects Medicare and forces insurers not to deny coverage because of preexisting conditions.

The NAACP held a rally in support of the healthcare bill on Thursday, saying it will help get coverage to many Americans who now can't afford it.

"To wonder or not if you're going to go bankrupt if someone in your family gets sick, is a worry that we don't have to have our brothers and sisters facing in this country," said North Carolina NAACP President Rev. William Barber.

But Kito, who often sniffs out drugs or tracks down suspects, recently faced his most dangerous situation yet.

In late September, Kito became sick and was taken to N.C. State's Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

"He was totally just miserable," said Kito's handler of five years, Raleigh Police Senior Officer K.A. Adams. "He was in a lot of pain."

Adams soon learned that Kito had contracted a dangerous and sometimes fatal bacteria called leptospirosis, which is often found in soil or water.

Doctors believe Kito, a Belgian Malinois, may have contracted it after walking through the woods.

In Kito's case, the bacteria was so severe it caused kidney failure and damage to his liver.

He was admitted to the hospital and given a feeding tube, antibiotics and other medications.

"Honestly, we were always hopeful, but pessimistic that he wouldn't survive," said Dr. Ashley Cruse with the hospital.

Then, after spending some time in the hospital, doctors said Kito turned a corner.

"From that point on, his kidney values started to improve," Cruse said. "He's certainly the worst case of kidney failure in a dog that I've ever seen, and certainly worse than what most of the literature would say. Most say, severe as he was, he shouldn't have survived."

But Kito did survive, and after some rehabilitation, returned to full-time duty Friday.

"It was not an option to give up on him," Officer Adams said. "He was fighting the whole time and that's what we were going to do, whatever it took to get him back."

Doctors recommend most dogs be vaccinated for leptospirosis at least once a year. Many times the vaccine can be included in a pet's yearly vaccine regimen, doctors said.

While the bacteria is rare, vaccinations are especially important for outdoor and active dogs, doctors said.

Hundreds of families came to the Magnet Fair in southeast raleigh Saturday, looking for the perfect school for their children.

Kevin and Tricia Hazzard's daughters are a little too young for magnet schools, but they still spent their Saturday jumbled with other parents.

"We wanted to get an early start, just to see what the magnet schools were all about and see if it was something we would consider," Tricia said.

The couple has done their fair share of research on the Wake County schools that offer an enhancement to the regular curriculum.

But they've also heard rumors that those recently elected to the school board plan to stop the program.

"It's a little concerning," Tricia said, "Especially since i've heard such good things about the magnet programs."

However, the new board members said those rumors aren't true.

"Catch your breath," recently elected board member John Tedesco said. "The magnet programs aren't going anywhere tomorrow."

Learning about robots built at Southeast Raleigh High School, Tedesco and board member Debra Goldman said they feel there should be some changes.

However, neither said they plan to shut down the magnet schools.

"I am amazed at what the different schools have to offer," Goldman said.

Tedesco said magnet schools are part of the changes he wants to make.

"We want to build a choice model that empowers parents and children and the magnet schools will be a compliment to that," he said.

The application process for magnet schools starts February 1.

The parade was an effort spearheaded by UNC Student Body President Jasmin Jones. The homecoming parade was a popular event that stopped some 16-years ago.

The return of the homecoming parade could not have better timing. This year the event was even more special as Carolina takes on perpetual arch-rivals, the Duke Blue Devils! This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the famous Carolina football victory over Duke - 50 to 0!

The parade showcased the UNC Marching band, cheerleaders, Rameses, Chancellor Holden Thorp and Mayor Kevin Foy, Homecoming Royalty, The Heelraiser, and much more.

An autopsy report obtained Friday by The Gaston Gazette found 41-year-old Patrick Burris was shot three times when he was confronted by officers July 6 in a Gastonia home.

The report finds the fatal bullet broke two ribs and punctured Burris' heart before lodging in a kidney. One bullet went through his scalp without hitting his brain and another grazed his thigh.

Prosecutors cleared the officers last month, saying they feared for their lives after Burris shot at them.

Authorities say Burris killed five people about 30 miles away in Gaffney, S.C., over six days.

Officials indicated it was unlikely the two missing had been taken captive.

NATO forces headquarters in Afghanistan said the two paratroopers from the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, went missing on Wednesday.

During the search operation to locate them, more than 25 NATO and Afghan national security forces members were wounded, said Lt. Col. Todd Breasseale, a NATO spokesman.

"Initial reports indicate they were wounded due to insurgent activity," Breasseale said.

He could not say how many of the wounded were Afghan and how many were NATO, nor was the nationality of the NATO soldiers released.

The wounded were being treated in a coalition forces facility in Afghanistan, the alliance said in a statement. Local police said the two were Americans who were swept away by a river in the western province of Badghis.

NATO did not specify where the incident took place, or provide any details of the mission.

Military officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to command policy, indicated that they did not suspect the case was similar to that of an American soldier who was captured by insurgents in eastern Afghanistan on June 30.

"We continue exhaustive search and rescue operations to locate our missing service members," spokeswoman Navy Capt. Jane Campbell said in the NATO statement. "We are doing everything we can to find them."

Western regional police Chief Gen. Ikram Uddin Yawar said two American soldiers were swept away by a river while trying to save two boxes that had fallen into the water while being airdropped during a resupply mission in the Bala Murghab district of Badghis province.

The deputy police chief of Badghis province, Abdul Jabar, said a helicopter had airdropped food parcels at a coalition base, but that strong winds had blown one box into the river and that two soldiers had been swept away by strong currents while trying to recoup the parcel. He said Afghan police had been helping coalition forces in the search Thursday and Friday but had been unable to find the two soldiers.

NATO could not confirm whether the missing paratroopers had been swept away by a river, and said it could release no further details.

The soldier who disappeared on June 30 near Afghanistan's border with Pakistan has still not been found. He was shown as a Taliban captive in a propaganda video in July. U.S. military officials have said little about the search for 23-year-old Pfc. Bowe R. Bergdahl for safety reasons, and it is unclear whether he is being held in Afghanistan or Pakistan.

Separately Friday, NATO said two American service members were killed Thursday by a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan. The statement gave no further details.

The deaths bring to three the number of U.S. service members killed in the Afghan war so far this month. October was the deadliest month of the eight-year war for U.S. forces with 59 deaths reported.

The Raleigh Flea Market opens its doors again Saturday morning at the State Fairgrounds. The year-round market closed in early October for the State Fair.

Vendors are expected to sell everything from antiques to video games. Other weekend events include a handbell festival and furniture consignment sale.

The market is open every Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

And they aren't the only ones who are concerned -- so are Army officials.

"I do worry slightly about a potential backlash," said General George Casey, the Army chief of staff.

"We don't want people to be afraid of us. We're ordinary people," said Khalilah Sabra of the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation of North Carolina.

Many are afraid that the references to Major Nidal Hasan's Muslim background will create problems for all Muslims in this country.

"Even though we're Muslims, we're Americans too, and we would like to be able to detach Islam from this situation because one has nothing to do with the other," explains Sabra.

Fort Bragg has a large Muslim population of soldiers and their families.

"This incident has affected them as it would any other soldier regardless of the religion," said Ft. Bragg spokesman Tom McCollum.

And Ft. Bragg wants its soldiers to realize there was no religious connection to actions attributed to Major Hasan.

"He happened to be Muslim. He could have been Baptist, Jewish or Catholic. His religion is not the issue," said McCollum.

But some Triangle residents believe media reports have implied that his religion was connected to the shootings.

"I guess it would lead people to believe that had something to do with it, and if it's not the case they should not be saying it," said Scott Loyek of Raleigh.

"I think the media looks for anything these days," said Kelly Reid. "I don't know there's a connection between the incident and his name, but the media sees a candied apple and hands it to their audience."

Reid says her brother is in the Army and ironically left Ft. Hood just six hours before the shootings.

And Reid says the stresses on her brother and other soldiers who've seen combat are difficult for most people to imagine because their lifestyles are so different from what most folks are used to.

Senate President Pro Tempore Marc Basnight wrote a letter Friday to Senate Democrats asking them to support Nesbitt as the next majority leader. The Asheville Citizen-Times obtained a copy of the letter.

A Basnight spokesman didn't immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

The majority leader's job is open because Sen. Tony Rand announced this week he was leaving the Legislature to become head of the state patrol commission.

Basnight said Nesbitt had worked tirelessly during his 30-year legislative career to bring jobs and economic opportunity to the entire state and has done it with "compassion, commitment and integrity."

The state and local tax exempt products-including appliances like washers, freezers, refrigerators, air conditioners, dishwashers, and thermostats-meet federal guidelines for energy efficiency.

Generally, the Energy Star appliances cost more than less efficient models, but they should save money in the long run by trimming utility bills and making owners eligible for tax credits.

Energy Star appliances that are intended to be used for a business or as rentals are not part of the Tax Free Holiday offer.

The holiday runs from 12:01 a.m. on the first Friday in November, through 11:59 the following Sunday.

Click here to learn more.

Friday, college presidents, community members and students met in Durham to try to turn that around.

"Truthfully we need more college graduates," NC Community College System President Scott Ralls said. "As a nation we've fallen behind."

The state community college system held its Fifth Annual Minority Male Mentoring Conference Friday.

More than half of all Hispanic and African-American high school graduates enroll in community colleges.

You don't have to tell Cedric Bettis that mentoring can make a difference.

The Durham Tech alumnus had already dropped out of college once when he went back and decided to enroll in their minority mentoring program.

"It made me feel welcome," Bettis said of the experience. "It gave me an opportunity to engage with like minded people in a similar situation."

The goal of the conference was simply to fine tune the mentoring programs at different colleges to graduate more minority students.

"We're there to serve all of our students," James Sprunt Community College President Lawrence Rouse said. "We want to make sure our minority males are just as successful as any other students on our campus."

The state community college system estimates that if graduation rates of minority students rose to that of white students by 2020, the state would add over $5 billion to the economy.

The development is now called Olive Chapel Park after being taken over by the GreenHawk Corporation in Raleigh.

Homeowner Catherine Kelly said it's been a long time coming.

"So far my impression had been good and I'm excited they're taking the project over," Kelly said.

Craig Briner of GreenHawk Corporation said they have already knocked down three townhomes that were unsafe, cut down all the weeds and cleaned up the property.

"There were a lot of storm water issues, a fair amount of landscaping and there was mold in the club house and pool," Briner said.

They are also in the process of renovating anything inside the home that was damaged because of the neglect.

Briner said the townhomes will be on the market by the end of the month and the existing homes by mid-December. He said the next step is to build new houses.

Town Planning Director Dianne Khin said they're working with the developers on plans.

"The town has been working with the developers in getting the plan ready to move forward with new buildings," Khin said.

And those new buildings Briner said will be a bit smaller than the original homes like the one Kelly lives in.

Although Kelly said she's relieved and excited to soon see some new neighbors she does have a concern.

"When we bought this house it was the smallest floor plan but now it's going to be one the biggest houses so property value is a concern," Kelly said.

Briner said once completed, the 100 new homes will range from $200 thousand to $400 thousand dollars.

The average cost of the original homes was around a half a million dollars and up.

The state Supreme Court ruled Friday that Philip Morris, Lorillard and R.J. Reynolds tobacco companies could stop making payments to those growers through a 1999 agreement. The agreement says the companies could reduce their payments when Congress agreed to a buyout for quota owners in 2004.

The justices ruled the states entered the agreement knowing the payments would end as a result of a quota buyout.

Maryland's Department of Agriculture says farmers in that state and in Pennsylvania would have received $22 million had a trial court ruling been upheld.

Cumberland County Sheriff's Detectives say 50-year-old Joseph Clayton Southerland allegedly drove his truck along side a school bus while exposing himself and masturbating.

Students on the bus, who range between the ages of five and 11, said they witnessed the crime on several separate occasions.

Southerland was identified after a witness wrote down the license plate number of the vehicle and reported the incident to police.

He is being held in the Cumberland County Detention Center under a $60,000 secured bond. Southerland is expected to make his first court appearance on Nov. 9.

Police say Masjid Ibad Ar-Rahman, located at 3034 Fayetteville Street, sustained damage to the property during the morning of November 2.

Several windows and doors were broken. Reports indicate that two flat screen monitors, a printer and a personal computer were taken.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call Investigator K.D. Emanuel at 560-4415 ext. 29306 or CrimeStoppers at 683-1200.

Wanda McPhaul, spokeswoman for Cumberland County Schools, said Terry Sanford High School principal Diane Antolak was suspended Wednesday and is cooperating with the investigation.

School officials did not provide further details about the allegations. The Fayetteville Observer reports that the allegations do not involve student-athletes.

Assistant Principal Robert Guzman has been appointed to take over until the investigation is complete.

The wreck report states a truck owned by WCA of NC was attempting to make a left turn onto Wake Forest Rd. when the top of the bed made contact with a traffic light. The truck driver admitted that the lift bed was not working properly, but still drove the vehicle.

Police directed cars and small trucks through the intersection and traffic flow was generally being maintained in all directions.

Due to the low-hanging wires, tall vehicles -- such as 18-wheelers -- could not pass through a portion of Wake Forest Road near the intersection for several hours.

As of 4:23 p.m., normal traffic flow had been restored in the area of the accident.

Jason Rodriguez, 40, surrendered to police about three hours later, after officers saw him through the window of his mother's home and asked him to come outside, Orlando Police Chief Val Demings said.

Click here for Live Coverage from WESH

She said investigators did not know why Rodriguez targeted the engineering firm where he once worked.

"This is a tragedy no doubt about it, especially on the heels of the tragedy in Fort Hood that is on our minds," she said. "I'm just glad we don't have any more fatalities or any more injuries than we currently have."

People streamed out of the 16-story Legion Place office building around lunchtime and some told local television stations they had barricaded themselves inside their offices while the gunman was on the loose.

Mike Bernof, a spokesman for Reynolds Smith & Hill, the transportation engineering consulting firm where Rodriguez was an engineer, told CNN Rodriguez was released in June 2007 for performance issues. He could not say what those issues were. The firm performs transportation engineering work for the Florida Department of Transportation.

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 gunshots! There are gunshots! Get back in your office,"' Gilgo said.

Will Halpern, an attorney 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.

Interstate 4 was closed in both directions through downtown and nearby schools were locked down until the gunman was caught.

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.

Fayetteville Police Department spokeswoman Theresa Chance said Friday the 74-minute delay in dispatching officers is part of an internal investigation.

Authorities say William Maxwell shot and killed 43-year-old wife Kathryn and their two teenage children on Monday. The first of two 911 calls captured someone quietly moaning before a gunshot erupts.

Chance said officers were ordered to the scene nine minutes before Kathryn Maxwell's parents made a second 911 call reporting they saw bodies and blood through a window.

Wanda Barbour told The Star-News of Wilmington that she knew Sgt. Kimberly Munley was involved when she heard a female officer at Fort Hood had shot and wounded Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan.

"When they said a female officer, a little part of me just knew," Barbour told the newspaper. "She is a very great person with a great spirit."

Officials say 34-year-old Munley, who was wounded, ended the crisis. She was recovering Friday in stable condition.

"We're just so grateful and thankful to the Lord that she's safe," Barbour said. "Our hearts just ache for the loss of others, too, and hers, too. She's still upset about that."

Lt. Gen. Bob Cone said Munley and her partner responded within three minutes of reported gunfire Thursday afternoon. Cone said Munley shot the gunman several times despite being shot herself.

"She happened to encounter the gunman. In an exchange of gunfire, she was wounded but managed to wound him four times," Cone said. "It was an amazing and aggressive performance by this police officer."

Munley is the daughter of Dennis Barbour, a former mayor of Carolina Beach. The coastal town is about 15 miles south of Wilmington.

Wrightsville Beach Police Chief John Carey said Munley, who worked for the force from 2000 to 2002 before moving away from the area, was a petite officer who worked well with others.

"She was a very personable officer. She got along good with everyone," he said. "She wasn't afraid of anything."

Carey said Munley joined the force in March 2000 as a reserve officer. She later became a permanent employee in fall of that year.

"She was a good shot," Carey said of Munley's shooting and training. "Her abilities and the training that she got here hopefully had a lot to do with preparing her for that situation."

Carey said several of his officers, who have kept in touch with Munley over the years, spoke with her earlier Friday. He said she's still recovering from her wounds, which include a shot to her thigh. But he said everyone on the force is proud.

"I think everybody here is," he said. "We're just thankful she was able to intervene."

Authorities said the 39-year-old Hasan went on a shooting spree Thursday that left 13 people dead at the Texas post. He was among 30 people wounded and remained hospitalized on a ventilator on Friday. All but two of the injured were still hospitalized, and all were in stable condition.

Wanda Barbour told the newspaper she and her husband are heading to Texas.

A message left by The Associated Press at the Barbour home was not immediately returned.

Dave Spencer, principal at John T. Hoggard High School in Wilmington, N.C., said he knew Munley as a student athlete who was involved in several academic and community service-oriented clubs before graduating in 1993.

"She was just a very well-rounded student athlete," Spencer said of Munley's participation in volleyball and softball. "She's the type of kid that stands out, even 16, 17 years later."

Spencer said the school will briefly honor Munley during a football match against a rival team Friday night.

"Anyone is going to be surprised when they know someone who takes such a heroic step," he said. "But if you remember the kind of young person she was, you could easily understand it."

WECT: NC Native Credited With Stopping Ft. Hood Shooter 

Officials at the Onslow County base said 21-year-old Pvt. Jonathan Law was in military custody Friday for a homicide that happened earlier in the day.

Officials gave no other details of what happened, the name of the victim, the suspect's home town or the specific charge. The base said information about the victim will be made available after the slain Marine's family has been notified.

Law is a supply administration clerk who joined the Marines in August 2006. He served in Iraq from August 2007 to March 2008.

Johnston Communications say the accident was reported shortly before 11:30 a.m. Friday. The accident occurred on Hwy 301 just north of the I-95 Interchange.

All lanes in both directions were closed after a logging truck and tractor trailer collided. The roads were re-opened at 3:45 p.m.

No other information about the accident was provided by officials.

One lane of Kildaire Farm Road will be closed Friday for sewer line work.

The area affected is northbound lanes of the road, between Loch Highlands Drive and Steep Bank Drove.

Crews will shut down the outside lane at 9 a.m. Friday and will remain closed until Saturday night.

Read Full Story

According to investigators William "Billy" Maxwell shot and killed his wife Kathryn and children Cameron and Conner inside their home.

The investigation is ongoing but some questions were answered during the funeral.

With the family's permission, Reverend John Cook shared that Billy Maxwell had seemed troubled and thought someone was monitoring his phone calls and might be tracking him. As of late Monday afternoon, Cook said Billy had agreed the thoughts might not make sense and would get professional help.

"We had every indication that there would be a Tuesday for the Maxwell family," Cook said. "All of us, even those closest to Billy, did not know just how sick Billy was."

Cook said the family is not angry.

"The absolute last thing that the real Billy Maxwell would do is hurt his wife or the children that he loved," Cook said.

Snyder Memorial Baptist Church in Fayetteville was packed with family and friends attending the funeral.

Cameron and Connor Maxwell's best friends gave their eulogy. Connor's best friend, Ashton Hurley, said they shared their dreams with each other.

"She loved the beach and the mountains, and we wanted to attend Appalachian State together next fall," Hurley said.

Cameron's best friend, Tyler Reitz, said Cameron told him the two of them would play basketball for Carolina one day.

"I know cam is in a better place right now, looking down on us playing basketball with his dad," Reitz said.

The Maxwell family was laid to rest during a private ceremony.

Fayetteville police are investigating why there was more than an hour long delay in sending officers to the scene of the triple murder-suicide.

There were two 911 calls reported; and 9 minutes before the second 911 call, officers were ordered to the Maxwell home but they arrived 74 minutes later after the second call.

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Read Coverage From The Fayetteville Observer
Full Coverage: Fayetteville Family Found Dead

Officers responded to call at 314 West Park Dr. around 8 p.m. on Monday.

Upon arrival, officers found a woman, a man and two teenagers dead in the home. The victims had been identified as William Maxwell Jr., who would have turned 48 this month, Kathryn Maxwell, 43, Conner Maxwell, 17, and Cameron Maxwell, 15.

Conner and Cameron Maxwell attended Village Christian Academy in Fayetteville and the family were members of Synder Memorial Baptist Church in the Haymount area. 

"Billy, if you knew him, loved his family. Everybody knew that. That's what makes this so tragic," said John Cook, pastor of Snyder Memorial Baptist Church, where every member of the family was active. "Obviously something tragic was going on for this to happen."

Friends and neighbors say the Maxwells were a friendly family who kept a meticulous yard and were active in their church and their children's religious high school.

William Maxwell was a builder and land developer who built residential subdivisions in Cumberland and Harnett counties, said John McKinney of Fayetteville, who described himself as Maxwell's business partner and friend for more than a decade.

"He was a devout Christian and I really loved his family," McKinney said. William Maxwell also owned a couple of local car washes, while his wife Kathryn was a stay-at-home mother who taught Sunday school at Snyder Memorial Baptist Church in Fayetteville.

Son Cameron Maxwell attended 9th grade at Village Christian Academy in Fayetteville and his sister Conner was a senior. The school is affiliated with Village Baptist Church. "We're obviously very saddened by this tragic event and we're really concentrating right now on just meeting the needs of the students and staff at the school," said Lou Nelon, the church administrator. "Those kids were very well loved and respected. They were very well known here in town," Nelon said.

"They were just wonderful people, active in their church," said neighbor Kay Edwards, who has lived next door since 1994, when she moved back into the home where she grew up and where her 94-year-old mother still lives. "They were just good neighbors."

Edwards said she would often see family members walking their small dog through the quiet, leafy neighborhood.

"We're just all in shock," she said Tuesday. "You could not imagine this happening."

On Tuesday Evening, about 800 people gathered at the family's church for a candle-light memorial.

Pastor John Cook of the Snyder Memorial Baptist Church told those in attendance, "We have suffered an unspeakable loss as a community. "There’s not a person here tonight who is not hurting; not a person here tonight who wouldn’t do anything to help the family in their loss."

Cook said that's why it was important for people to come together as a community.

During the service several people shared stories and fond memories of the family.

Investigators examined Hasan's computer, his home and his garbage Friday to learn what motivated the suspect, who lay in a coma, shot four times in the frantic bloodletting. Hospital officials said some of the wounded had extremely serious injuries and might not survive.

The 39-year-old Army psychiatrist emerged as a study in contradictions: a polite man who stewed with discontent, a counselor who needed to be counseled himself, a professional healer now suspected of cutting down the fellow soldiers he was sworn to help.

Relatives said he felt harassed because of his Muslim faith but did not embrace extremism. Others were not so sure. A recent classmate said Hasan once gave a jarring presentation to students in which he argued the war on terrorism was a war against Islam, and "made himself a lightning rod for things" when he felt his religious beliefs were challenged.

Investigators were trying to piece together how and why Hasan allegedly gunned down his comrades in the worst case of violence on a military base in the U.S. The rampage unfolded at a center where some 300 unarmed soldiers were lined up for vaccines and eye tests.

Soldiers reported that the gunman shouted "Allahu Akbar!" - an Arabic phrase for "God is great!" - before opening fire Thursday, said Lt. Gen. Robert Cone, the post commander. He said officials had not confirmed Hasan made the comment.

Hasan's family said in a statement Friday that his alleged actions were deplorable and don't reflect how the family was reared.

"Our family is filled with grief for the victims and their families involved in yesterday's tragedy," said Nader Hasan, a cousin who lives in northern Virginia. "We are mortified with what has unfolded and there is no justification, whatsoever, for what happened. We are all asking why this happened, and the answer is that we simply do not know."

The 30 wounded were dispersed among hospitals in central Texas. W. Roy Smythe, chairman of surgery at Scott and White Memorial Hospital, said several patients were still at "significant risk" of losing their lives. Army briefers told lawmakers in Washington eight other people were treated at a hospital for stress and trauma.

The dead included a pregnant woman who was preparing to return home, a man who quit a furniture company job to join the military about a year ago, a newlywed who had served in Iraq and a woman who had vowed to take on Osama bin Laden after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Army Chief of Staff George Casey said he asked bases around the country to assess their security. He also said he was worried about a backlash against the thousands of Muslim soldiers serving dutifully in uniform.

Hasan was due to be deployed to Afghanistan to help soldiers with combat stress, a task he'd done stateside with returning soldiers, the Army said. Army spokeswoman Col. Cathy Abbott was uncertain when Hasan was to leave but he was in the preparation stage of deployment, which can take months.

In any event, the major was saying goodbyes and dispensing belongings to neighbors.

Jose Padilla, the owner of Hasan's apartment complex, said Hasan gave him notice two weeks ago that he was moving out this week.

Earlier this week, Hasan asked Padilla his native language. When Padilla said it was Spanish, Hasan immediately went up to his apartment to get him a Spanish-language Quran. Padilla said Hasan also refused to reclaim his deposit and last month's rent, surrendering $400 that the major said should go to someone who needed it.

"I cannot comprehend that the enemy was among us," Padilla said, as he teared up. "I feel a little guilt that I was basically giving housing to someone who is going to do so much destruction."

Neighbor Patricia Villa said Hasan came to her apartment the day of the shooting, and before, to give her vegetables, an air mattress, T-shirts, a Quran and offer her $60 to clean his Killeen, Texas, apartment after he left.

Jacqueline Harris, 44, who lives with her boyfriend, Willie Bell, in the apartment next door to Hasan, said he called Thursday at 5 a.m. and left a message.

"He just wanted to thank Willie for being a good friend and thank him for being there for him," Harris said. "That was it. We thought it was just a nice message to leave."

Bell said Hasan offered a farewell, saying, "Nice knowing you, old friend. I'm going to miss you."

According to a Killeen police report in August, an Army employee was charged with scratching Hasan's car, causing $1,000 in damage. Apartment manager John Thompson said the man charged was a soldier back from Iraq, who objected to Hasan's faith and ripped a bumper sticker off the major's car that said: "Allah is Love."

Kim Rosenthal, another neighbor, said Hasan didn't seem too upset by his scratched vehicle, even though it was damaged so badly that he got a new one. "He said it was Ramadan and that he had to forgive people," Rosenthal said. "He forgave him and moved on."

Hasan appeared less forgiving to Dr. Val Finnell when they were classmates in a 2007-08 master's public health program at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md.

He said that at a class presentation by public health students, at which topics like dry cleaning chemicals and house mold were discussed, Hasan talked about U.S. military actions as a war on Islam. Hasan made clear he was a "vociferous opponent" of U.S. wars in Muslim countries, Finnell said.

"He made himself a lightning rod for things," Finnell said. "No one picked on him because he was a Muslim."

Law enforcement officials said they are trying to confirm if Hasan wrote Internet postings that include his name about suicide bombings and other threats, equating suicide bombers to soldiers who throw themselves on a grenade to save the life of fellow soldiers.

Hasan is the Arlington, Va.-born son of Palestinian parents who ran a restaurant and bar in Roanoke, Va., from 1987 to 1995 and owned a small grocery store in that city.

His relatives in the West Bank said they had heard from family members that Hasan felt mistreated in the Army as a Muslim.

"He told (them) that as a Muslim committed to his prayers he was discriminated against and not treated as is fitting for an officer and American," said Mohammed Malik Hasan, 24, a cousin. "He hired a lawyer to get him a discharge."

Mohammed Hasan said outside his home in Ramallah that he heard about the shooting from a relative. "I was surprised, honestly, because the guy and his brothers are so calm, and he, as I know, loves his work."

Nidal Hasan is the eldest of three brothers. One brother, Annas, lives in Ramallah with a wife and daughter, and practices law. The youngest brother, Eyad, lives in Virginia.

"We don't mix with them a lot," Mohammed said. "Nidal like to stay alone, he was very calm. He minded his own business."

Hasan graduated from medical school at the Uniformed Services University in 2003, said Sharon K. Willis, speaking for the school.

He then entered a psychiatry residency program at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, which he completed in 2007. He returned to the university for the disaster and military psychiatry fellowship in 2007.

The first phase of that fellowship is earning a master of public health degree, which he completed in 2008. He completed the fellowship program in June.

A month later, Hasan reported for duty at Fort Hood.

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Blackledge reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Lara Jakes, Lolita C. Baldor, Cal Woodward, Devlin Barrett, Brett Zongker and Jessica Gresko in Washington; Sue Lindsey in Roanoke, Va.; April Castro and Jeff Carlton in Killeen, Texas; Dalia Nammari in Ramallah, West Bank; and AP's News Research Center in New York contributed to this report.

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