NEWS OF THE DAY
Soda tax rejection: Voters rejected a measure that would have raised taxes on soft drinks in New Mexico’s capital city, giving a rare victory to the beverage industry after a string of recent defeats at the ballot box. The ballot initiative failed with 11,533 votes against and only 8,382 votes in favor, the Santa Fe city clerk’s office said. Opponents The vote came after similar taxes were adopted last year in cities from Philadelphia to San Francisco. Outside groups and political committees spent more than $3 million on the special election in Santa Fe, with opponents led by the soft-drink industry and supporters by billionaire Michael Bloomberg, a staunch supporter of taxes on sugary beverages.
Missile test: An unarmed missile capable of sending a nuclear bomb across the world was launched Wednesday from a coastal California military base amid rising tensions between the U.S. and North Korea. The unarmed Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missile blasted off from a silo from Vandenberg Air Force Base (Santa Barbara County) and delivered a single re-entry vehicle to a target about 4,200 miles away at Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. It was the latest aimed at checking the readiness and accuracy of a weapon system that forms part of the U.S. nuclear force. The U.S. has about 450 of the missiles, which can travel about 8,000 miles.
Spending bill: The House easily passed a $1.1 trillion government-wide spending bill on Wednesday, awarding wins to both Democrats and Republicans while putting off until later this year fights over President Trump’s promised border wall with Mexico and massive military buildup. The 309-118 vote sends the bill to the Senate in time for them to act to avert a government shutdown at midnight Friday. The White House has said Trump would sign the measure, which is the first major legislation to pass in Trump’s short, turbulent presidency.
Campus shooting: Two people died Wednesday in an apparent murdersuicide at a Texas community college, prompting an active-shooter alert that instructed students and employees to barricade themselves in rooms. Irving police said it doesn’t appear anyone else was hurt in the shooting at North Lake College. The names of the male gunman and female victim have not been released. It was unclear whether they knew one another.
“Sanctuary cities” ban: The Texas Legislature on Wednesday passed a ban on sanctuary cities that allows police officers to ask about a person’s immigration status and threatens sheriffs and police chiefs with jail time if they don’t work with federal authorities. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has pledged to sign the bill into law. The GOP-led Senate passed the bill despite objections from Democrats, who call the bill a “show-me-yourpapers” measure that will be used to discriminate against Latinos.
Chronicle News Services