Silence to mark Newtown date NEWTOWN, Conn. — Newtown plans to mark the fourth anniversary of the Sandy Hook school massacre with 15 minutes of reflective silence.Town official Pat Llodra has asked Newtown employees to refrain from doing any work, including answering phones, between 9:30 a.m. and 9:45 a.m. Wednesday.The town also will lower its flags to half-staff to honor the 20 children and six educators shot to death when a gunman entered the Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14, 2012. The gunman, who had earlier killed his mother inside their home, also killed himself.School Superintendent Joseph Erardi said Wednesday will be a full day of classes in the school system and will include quiet reflection and age-appropriate messages for students.Erardi said school staff also will provide talking points to parents who request help for having personal conversations with their children about the anniversary.

GM to recall police SUVsGeneral Motors plans to recall nearly 50,000 sport utility vehicles made for police departments and other government agencies because of a hazard in the cooling system.The problem affects the 2010 through 2014 models of the Chevrolet Tahoe Police Pursuit SUV. A GM notice sent to government regulators warned that the affected vehicles’ cooling fan could trigger an electrical short circuit due to corrosion from fluids leaking into the system. The notice says the short circuit could cause a fire, but it didn’t disclose if that happened to any of the 49,927 SUVs covered by the recall.More information from Chevrolet customer service at 800-222-1020. GM’s referral number for the recall is 16145.

Agency completes fire investigationOAKLAND, Calif. — Investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have their completed work at the scene of a fatal warehouse fire that broke out during a dance party, killing 36 people.ATF spokesman Alexandria Corneiro said Sunday the agency’s team has left the site but that the scene in Oakland is still being secured. The deadliest building fire in the U.S. in more than a decade ripped through the warehouse Dec. 2.Corneiro said in a statement that ATF special agent Jill Snyder, who leads the bureau’s San Francisco field division, and representatives from partner agencies will hold a news conference on Tuesday to talk about the investigation.Snyder said Friday investigators had ruled out a refrigerator as the source of the fire, but they were still looking at electrical systems as potential causes.Also on Sunday, funeral services were held for two victims of the fire.

Meteor shower peaks TuesdayThe Geminids meteor shower hits its peak on Tuesday, but a full moon will outshine the celestial show this year.NASA says the Geminids are one of the best and most reliable meteor showers. At its peak, 120 meteors can be seen per hour under perfect conditions.This year, the peak coincides with a full moon and that could make all but the brightest meteors invisible to the naked eye.NASA said sky watchers looking to see the shower should head somewhere away from city lights to a spot with a wide open view of the sky. Meteors can be seen starting around 9 or 10 p.m. local time and are viewable until the early morning hours.