Your look at the five biggest and most buzz-worthy stories of the morning.
1. Obama says he has faith in Gen. Allen; Panetta: Don't jump to conclusions about Allen
President Obama still has faith in General John Allen, White House spokesman Jay Carney said Tuesday. Allen, the second top military official is being investigating for "potentially inappropriate" emails with Florida socialite Jill Kelley.
2. Attorney General justifies shooting; community says officers' families should be proud
Nearly one month after a high speed chase put a state trooper in the hospital, the incident has been cleared by the South Dakota Attorney General. The report released Tuesday shows that State Trooper Andrew Steen and Lincoln County Deputies Aaron Bartscher and Tom Krull were justified in firing their weapons and using lethal force on the October 17th pursuit of suspect Rachel Coleman.
3. COO of utility co. resigns over Sandy response
The chief operating officer of LIPA, a suburban New York utility company heavily criticized for its response to Superstorm Sandy, announced Tuesday that he is stepping down. Michael Hervey will resign at the end of this year after 12 years with the company.
4. Survivors of Indiana blast waiting for answers
Authorities investigating the cause of an explosion in an Indianapolis neighborhood last weekend believe natural gas was involved in the incident. Investigators are focusing on appliances as they search for what caused the deadly explosion, according to a city official on Tuesday.
5. Cleveland judge not happy with sign holding sentence
A Cleveland judge who recently sentenced a woman to two mornings of standing on a street corner holding a sign that says "only an idiot would drive on the sidewalk to avoid a school bus" is not happy with how she carried out the sentencing. He says Shena Hardin, who stood with the sign after she was caught driving on the sidewalk to avoid waiting for a school bus, merely leaned on her sign for an hour on Tuesday morning.
