NEWS OF THE DAY
From Across the Nation
1 Sex assault case: A former Stanford University swimmer convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman outside a campus fraternity party is appealing his conviction. In papers filed Friday, lawyers for Brock Turner said the initial trial was “a detailed and lengthy set of lies.” They hope a new trial will also help overturn his mandatory lifetime requirement to register as a sex offender. The case gained national attention when Judge Aaron Persky sentenced Turner to six months in jail. Turner was convicted of three felony counts of sexual assault. 2 Attack anniversary: San Bernardino on Saturday marked the second anniversary of the Dec. 2, 2015, terrorist attack that killed 14 people and wounded 22 others. Officials called on residents to join in a moment of remembrance at 10:55 a.m. Saturday — the time when husband-andwife assailants opened fire at a gathering of health services workers at the Inland Regional Center. The county posted photographs of the victims on its social media sites, asked residents to lower flags to half-staff, and held a 14-mile memorial bike ride. The attackers, Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, were killed in a shootout with authorities.
3 Missing teen: A 27-year-old Florida soccer coach found in upstate New York with a missing teenage girl has been arrested. Police are holding Rian Rodriguez on a charge known as interference with child custody. He has a hearing Monday to determine if he will be extradited. Officials say Rodriguez and the 17-year-old were stopped by New York State Police on Friday near Syracuse. Authorities say the girl apparently sneaked out of her bedroom window and had been missing all week. She has been reunited with her family.
4 Island offer: Media magnate Ted Turner says he will sell an island to South Carolina to help a popular but eroding state park. The state Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism has asked state legislators to pay $5 million for St. Phillips Island, located near Hunting Island State Park. Turner has owned the 4,682-acre barrier island outside Beaufort since 1979 and listed it in 2014 for $24 million. Turner said the island has offered an opportunity to interact with nature and that he hopes future generations will be able to enjoy it. St. Phillips is among the largest privately held, undeveloped barrier islands left on the coast.
5 Drunken critter: An opossum that apparently drank bourbon after breaking into a Florida liquor store sobered up at a wildlife rescue center and was released unharmed. Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge officials said the opossum was brought in by a Fort Walton Beach police officer after a liquor store employee found the animal next to a broken and empty bottle of bourbon. Michelle Pettis, a technician at the refuge, said the female opossum appeared disoriented, was excessively salivating and was pale. The staff pumped the marsupial full of fluids and cared for her as she sobered up. “She was good a couple of days later,” Pettis said.