NEWS OF THE DAY
1 Gerrymandering: The Supreme Court is allowing a court-ordered redrawing of congressional districts in Pennsylvania to proceed, denying a plea from Republicans to block it. Justice Samuel Alito on Monday rejected emergency appeals from Republican leaders to block an order from the state Supreme Court in Harrisburg to devise new congressional districts. The state high court ruled last month that the 18 districts violated Pennsylvania’s constitution because they unfairly benefited Republicans. The state court gave lawmakers and Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf three weeks to submit a replacement plan, after which the state justices might draw up their own map. Alito handles emergency appeals from Pennsylvania.
2 Pedestrians injured: A Florida man faces multiple charges after police say he drove his MercedesBenz into a group of people on a sidewalk in Miami Beach, injuring three adults and two infants. Police spokesman Ernesto Rodriguez said the infants remained in critical condition Monday morning with skull fractures and other injuries. A police statement said Matthew Timothy Miller, 29, was also taken to the hospital following the Sunday crash. An officer asked Miller to provide a sample for a blood-alcohol test, but he refused. He was arrested on five charges including reckless driving and driving with a suspended license.
3 Illinois politics: An outspoken Holocaust denier is likely to appear on the November ballot as the Republican nominee for a Chicago-area congressional district. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Arthur Jones, 70, of Lyons, is the only Republican candidate in the March 20 primary for the 3rd Congressional District. The heavily Democratic district stretches from Chicago’s southwest side to suburban Western Springs and LaGrange. Jones calls the Holocaust “the biggest, blackest lie in history.” He says he’s a former leader of the American Nazi Party. Jones has run before but never been a viable candidate. Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider says: “We strongly oppose his racist views and his candidacy for any public office.”
4 Aqueduct drowning: A dive team has recovered the body of a Southern California man who jumped into an aqueduct to save his 9-yearold son. The two were riding bikes Sunday along the waterway in Hesperia when the boy lost control and fell in, said Cindy Bachman of the San Bernardino County Sheriff ’s Department. Osbaldo Rodriguez, 31, dove into the swift-moving water but never resurfaced. The boy made it out safely. Rescuers searched for nearly two hours before recovering the man’s body a short distance downstream. There were at least six deaths in the Hesperia aqueduct in 2017.
5 Thirteen sons: A couple in Rockford, Mich., with 13 sons is expecting a 14th child in April but waiting until birth to learn the sex. Jay Schwandt says this will likely be their last child, but his wife, Kateri, says they also thought their 13th baby would be their last. Kateri Schwandt says she’s used to large families, as one of 14 children herself.