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In the Nation

VERMONT

Student, 20, makes military history

A few days after two women became the first female soldiers to pass the Army's grueling Ranger School, a college junior in Vermont became a military pathfinder in her own right. And at first, she didn't even know it.

With no fanfare, Vermont National Guard Spec. Skylar Anderson became the first woman certified as a combat engineer - a battlefield job that, like many others, was once held exclusively by men.

"I knew I was going to be one of the first, but I didn't know I was going to be the first," said Anderson, a University of Vermont student.

Anderson, 20, will be able to work alongside combat troops to solve battlefield challenges as varied - and dangerous - as clearing minefields, building bridges under fire, or destroying structures to block the enemy's advance. The opportunity comes with responsibility, she said. "It's time to step up and not hide in the shadows," she said. - AP

WISCONSIN

1 dead in standoff

Authorities say a shooting at a motorcycle shop in Neenah, Wis., has ended with one person dead, a police officer injured, and one person in custody. Neenah police said a male came out of Eagle Nation Cycles holding a weapon and did not comply with police instructions. Police said he was shot at by officers, but also may have been shot at from inside the building. He died. An officer whose helmet deflected a bullet was treated and released. Police said they were uncertain what spurred the confrontation. - AP
TENNESSEE

A victory for UAW

The United Auto Workers union has gained a significant first victory at a foreign-owned automaker in the South, winning a vote by skilled-trades workers at Volkswagen's lone U.S. factory to have the UAW negotiate their collective-bargaining agreements. The workers who repair and maintain machinery and robots at the German automaker's plant in Chattanooga voted 108-44 for UAW representation. - AP