NATION/WORLD BRIEFING Man gets federal prison for Ross Stores insider trading
HHS: Florida migrant child detention camp emptying out
HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Federal officials said a Florida detention camp that housed thousands of migrant children is emptying.
Health and Human Services Department spokeswoman Evelyn Stauffer said in an email that all children are either with family members or at smaller state-licensed facilities. The camp housed about 14,300 undocumented children since March 2018.
Last month, HHS expedited the process for sending child migrants to live with relatives already in the U.S. by eliminating a fingerprinting requirement for adult siblings and grandparents. It also stopped universally requiring child abuse and neglect checks unless there are special concerns.
The Homestead facility, which will remain capable of housing migrant children, has been a frequent subject of protests and visits by members of Congress opposed to President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
Bottled water company closing following tainted water crisis
HAVERHILL, Mass. – A Massachusetts water company is closing after its bottled water was found to be tainted by potentially toxic chemicals.
Spring Hill Farm Dairy CEO Harold Rogers said that what he called “unwarranted attention on our company” and changing regulations in different states and the federal government gave them no other choice but to shut down. The company has been in business for 117 years and employs over 30 people.
High levels of PFAS chemicals were found in water bottled by the Haverhillbased company. These man-made chemicals are used in nonstick and waterproof coatings and have been linked to cancer and other health problems.
The water is sold under various instore brand names at Stop & Shop, Whole Foods and elsewhere.
3 arrested in killing of off-duty Los Angeles police officer
LOS ANGELES – Three suspects were arrested Friday in the fatal shooting of an off-duty Los Angeles police officer, officials said. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti described those arrested as the “primary suspects responsible for the murder of Officer Juan Diaz” and said they were taken into custody in the cities of Temecula and Murietta in Riverside County.
Francisco Talamantes, 23; Cristian Facundo, 20 and Ashlynn Smith, 18, all of Temecula, were booked on suspicion of murder and held without bail, police said.
OAKLAND, Calif. – A man who made millions in insider trading involving the Ross Dress for Less store chain was sentenced to 2 ½ years in federal prison.
Saleem Khan pleaded guilty in January to conspiracy and securities fraud. In the plea agreement, Khan said that from 2009 to 2012, he used inside trading information he got from a friend in the Ross Stores finance department to make money on options contracts involving the California-based discount clothing retailer.
Khan acknowledged making more than $3.5 million but the government said his gains could have amounted to as much as $8.2 million.
In 2016, Khan agreed to pay more than $15 million to settle a civil case filed by the federal Securities and Exchange Commission.
Ferries capsize, killing seven during Philippines storms
MANILA, Philippines – At least seven people died and 31 others were rescued when three ferry boats separately capsized in bad weather Saturday between two central Philippine island provinces, the coast guard said.
Police said at least seven people were missing after the inter-island ferries either turned over or sank in rough seas, wind and rain between Guimaras and Iloilo provinces. A search by the coast guard, police and villagers was underway.
The dead included six women and a man, coast guard spokesman Armand Balilo said, adding that one of the ferry boats, M/B Chichi, was carrying at least 42 passengers. Another boat, M/B Keizha, reportedly had four crewmen on board, while the third ferry, M/B Jenny, carried an unspecified number of people who were rescued and brought on board a coast guard ship, he said.
UK emergency workers race to cut water levels at damaged dam
LONDON – Emergency workers raced to lower water levels behind a damaged dam in northwest England as forecasters warned more bad weather was on the way.
Pumps reduced the water level in Toddbrook Reservoir by 20 inches since Thursday, but authorities warn that pressure on the 180-year-old dam remained severe. A Royal Air Force helicopter continued precision drops of sandbags into a gaping hole on the dam, while specialist contractors placed concrete grouting around the bags to bind them together.
The dam was damaged last week after heavy rains sent torrents of water rushing over its spillway. Britain’s meteorological office is warning of further rain on Sunday, with the risk of floods and lightning strikes.
Firefighters have brought in large pumps to pull water out of the reservoir and into the River Goyt. Emergency crews are now pumping 5.6 tons of water per minute while inlets into the reservoir are also being dammed.
More than 1,000 people were evacuated from the town of Whaley Bridge, about 175 miles north of London.
UN: Monthly Afghanistan casualties highest since 2017
KABUL, Afghanistan – July saw the highest number of civilian casualties in Afghanistan in a single month since 2017, the U.N. mission said Saturday.
Its preliminary findings indicate more than 1,500 civilians were killed or wounded, mainly due to a spike in casualties from insurgent attacks. It did not provide a breakdown of deaths and injuries, but said the overall number was the highest for a month since May 2017.
It said more than 50% of casualties were caused by bombings. A roadside bomb tore through a bus in western Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing at least 32 people. A complex attack on the office of the Afghan president’s running mate last weekend killed at least 20 people. The target of the attack, former intelligence chief Amrullah Saleh, escaped unharmed. No one has claimed either attack.