Duke University students rally Wednesday during a forum outside the Duke Chapel in Durham, N.C. School officials are trying to find out who hung a noose in a tree on campus.

Duke investigates noose in tree

DURHAM, N.C. — Duke University officials are trying to determine who hung a rope noose from a tree, what the president of the elite Southern school described Wednesday as a vicious symbol in a region where lynchings were once used to terrorize black residents.

President Richard Brodhead told a crowd of several thousand gathered in front of the university’s Gothic chapel building that their presence was a rejection of that symbol. And he said that while administrators and campus police investigate who displayed the noose and why, it is up to each individual to reject racism.

Officials say the noose was found in the plaza outside the Bryan Center, the student commons building.

Shooting case costs $2.2 million so far

DENVER — Public spending to investigate and prosecute Colorado theater shooting defendant James Holmes has surpassed $2.2 million, weeks before opening statements in his trial, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.

It wasn’t immediately clear if that was an exorbitant figure for such a high-profile case. But the total does not include how much it has cost to defend Holmes, who is represented by the Office of the State Public Defender because he cannot afford private attorneys.

Holmes has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to charges of killing 12 people and injuring 70 on July 20, 2012. Jury selection began in January, and opening statements are set for April 27.

Holmes’ lawyers acknowledge he was the gunman, but they say he was in the grips of a psychotic episode. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

Officials in the Denver suburb of Aurora, where the massacre occurred, say they have spent more than $928,500 on the case. That includes more than $517,000 in overtime pay for police and other city employees.

Texas may limit gun data in med records

DALLAS — Texas lawmakers are considering a bill that would keep a person’s gun ownership status from being listed in their medical records, a move health providers worry would be an unnecessary government intrusion that harms their consultations with patients.

The bill would make Texas at least the second state to enact similar restrictions, following a 2011 Florida law on hold because of legal challenges.

Proponents of the Texas legislation say it’s narrowly crafted to avoid infringing on medical care while also preventing government agencies from accessing the information. Critics say the proposal would only hamper the open discussion of patient health and has no practical use.

They also note that medical privacy laws offer protections for a patient’s information and government agencies already track gun ownership data.

By The Associated Press