NEWS OF THE DAY
From Across the Nation
1 Hate crimes: Authorities are investigating two possible hate crimes against Islamic centers in Sacramento and Davis. A burned Quran filled with bacon and hung by a handcuff from a fence at the Masjid Annur Islamic Center in Sacramento was reported to sheriff ’s deputies Saturday. In a separate incident, someone driving by in a car threw pages torn out of a Quran at the Islamic Center of Davis on Friday night during evening prayers. In January, a woman broke windows at the Davis mosque and left bacon strips on the entrance handles. Lauren Kirk-Coehlo, 30, received five years’ probation after pleading guilty to a felony hate crime.
2 Execution appeal: A convicted Ohio killer who survived a botched execution attempt in 2009 has asked a federal judge to prevent a second trip to the state’s death chamber. Romell Broom was sentenced to die for the 1984 rape and murder of 14year-old Tryna Middleton in Cleveland. The state stopped Broom’s execution after two hours when executioners couldn’t find a usable vein after 18 needle sticks. Broom is only the second U.S. inmate to survive an execution after the process began. Broom’s attorneys argued in a court filing that a second execution attempt is cruel and unusual punishment.
3 Amusement park fall: A teenager fell about 25 feet from a gondola ride at an upstate New York amusement park Saturday night, tumbling into a crowd of park guests and employees gathered below to catch her. The unidentified 14-year-old girl was taken to a hospital in stable condition with no serious injuries, the Warren County Sheriff ’s Office said. The accident happened on Sky Ride at Six Flags Amusement Park, about 55 miles north of Albany. Video posted online shows her dangling from the gondola as a crowd gathers below, before she loses her grip and falls. It’s not clear how she slipped under the safety bar. Officials inspected the ride and said it was in proper working order. 4 Mobster auction: Artifacts connected to some of the nation’s most notorious gangsters have sold for more than $100,000 at auction. A diamond pocket watch that belonged to Al Capone along with a handwritten musical composition he wrote in Alcatraz in the 1930s were among the items that sold Saturday at the “Gangsters, Outlaws and Lawmen” auction. The watch fetched the most — $84,375 — according to Boston’s RR Auction.
5 Flooding: About 90 homes remain under mandatory evacuation orders after levee breaches along the Kings River in Fresno County. The Tulare County Sheriff ’s Office posted aerial photos Sunday showing several submerged houses at the Kings River Golf and Country Club. Deputies went door to door asking residents to leave after a 15-footwide breach opened along the river Friday. The Fresno Bee reported that floodwaters have damaged seven structures and 18 RVs in an area east of Kingsburg. Crews were bringing in sandbags to fill the breaches. A flood warning was in place until Monday.