FOUR PEOPLE were wounded in a shooting at a high school in Texas on Wednesday (Shutterstock).

Four persons were shot at a Texas high school Wednesday before a suspect – an 18-year-old student – was taken into custody.

The Associated Press is reporting that Timothy George Simpkins was arrested by Arlington police. He was booked for three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and being held in lieu of $75,000 bail.

Police say that one person was in critical condition, a second in good condition and a third treated and released. A fourth was wounded but did not need hospitalization.

The shooting stemmed from a classroom battle and was not an attack on the school by outsiders, authorities said.

Arlington, population 400,000, is a suburb of the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The baseball Texas Rangers and the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys play in stadiums in Arlington.

Some relief – for now– on debt ceiling

A TEMPORARY raising of the debt ceiling may be forthcoming (Shutterstock).

A deal struck Wednesday on a temporary increase in the federal borrowing limit relieves – for a while – the danger of default on the nation’s financial responsibilities.

According to The New York Times, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) relented a bit and agreed to allow Democrats to vote on an extension that would run through December.

“Around here, two months is a lifetime,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders, chair of the Senate Budget Committee. Sanders is an independent, but he caucuses with the Democrats.

McConnell’s change from not allowing a temporary debt ceiling increase was prompted, The Times reported, by pressure from the business community, lobbying groups such as AARP and the Biden Administration who predicted a financial collapse if the U.S. defaulted on its obligations.

Also in the news…

• The Zodiac Killer case is still open, according to the FBI, referring to the killer of five people in the San Francisco area in the Sixties.
• A requirement for people to show proof of vaccination when entering bars, restaurants, nail salons, shopping centers and entertainment venues was approved by the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday.
• A federal judge in Texas on Wednesday issued an order suspending that state’s restrictive abortion law.

Sports: Dodgers win, 3-1, will  take on the Giants

UPDATE: Chris Taylor’s two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth lifted the Dodgers to a 3-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday, advancing them to the National League Division Series against the San Francisco Giants, starting Friday.

After barely missing the National League West title, the Los Angeles Dodgers will host the St. Louis Cardinals this evening in the NL Wild Card game. The winner advances to the NL Division Series against the San Francisco Giants, who finished one game ahead of the Dodgers. Check back here later for the results.

Weather: Playing it cool in West OC

Clouds, cooler temperature and some rain are in store for the West Orange County area. Thursday’s daytime high should be 71, with an overnight low of 63 under cloudy skies. Morning showers are predicted for Friday with a high of 69 and a low of 55. The sun should return by Saturday with temps rising to 72 during the day, but cooler (54) at night.