35,000 Postal Service jobs

on the chopping

block

The U.S. Postal Service announced new plans to consolidate or close 223 mail processing plants, putting 35,000

jobs at stake starting in late May or June. The plan would save $2.1 billion

and is part of the agency's broader effort to save $20 billion in the next three years. System wide, the Postal Service employs 150,000 employees

at 461 mail processing facility plants.

In Other NewsIn Other News A 9-year-old boy accused of accidentally shooting a classmate sat before a judge in juvenile court

Thursday. Bail was set at $50,000 during the hearing where preliminary charges were filed. Ultimately, the court will determine whether the case against the boy will continue as an 8-year-old girl remains critically wounded. Authorities say the boy brought a .45-caliber handgun he got from his mother's house to an elementary school in Bremerton on Wednesday, and the weapon discharged from inside his backpack just before classes let out, critically injuring Amina Kocer-Bowman. Under state law, children between 8 and 12 years old can face charges if a court makes such a determination. A capacity hearing in this case will be held in two weeks.

A baseball arbitration board has thrown out the 50-game suspension handed down to Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun after the 2011 National League MVP challenged the results of a December drug test that showed high levels of testosterone.

Pfc. Bradley Manning, the U.S. Army soldier accused in the biggest leak of intelligence documents in the military's history, was formally charged Thursday. Aiding the enemy is a capital offense, but prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty. If convicted on all the charges, Manning will likely face life in prison. The 24-year-old is suspected of giving hundreds of thousands of secret documents to the WikiLeaks website.