NEWS OF THE DAY

From Across the Nation

_1 Ethanol restrictions:

The Trump administration is moving to allow year-round sales of gasoline with higher blends of ethanol, a boon for Iowa and other farm states that have pushed for greater sales of the corn-based fuel. President Trump said he would announce lifting a federal ban on summer sales of highethanol blends during a campaign trip to Council Bluffs, Iowa, on Tuesday. The long-expected announcement is something of a reward to Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, who as Senate Judiciary Committee chairman led a contentious but successful fight to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. The veteran Republican lawmaker is the Senate’s leading ethanol proponent and sharply criticized the Trump administration’s proposed rollback in ethanol volumes earlier this year. The change would allow year-round sales of gasoline blends with up to 15 percent ethanol. Gasoline typically contains 10 percent ethanol. The EPA currently bans the high-ethanol blend, called E15, during the summer because of concerns that it contributes to smog on hot days, a claim ethanol industry advocates say is unfounded.

_2 Excessive force:

A settlement has been reached in a civil rights lawsuit accusing a Pittsburgh-area school of creating a culture of verbal abuse and excessive force that allowed resource officers to shock students with stun guns and body slam them. A federal judge will have to approve the settlement filed Tuesday. Five black former students of Woodland Hills High School filed the lawsuit in August 2017 alleging that white school administrators filed false criminal charges to cover up alleged abuse. The former students will split more than $500,000 if the settlement is approved. It was unclear what the individual settlement amounts would be.

_3 Sexual abuse:

A Catholic bishop in Kentucky says his diocese has received 66 sexual abuse allegations against 27 priests since 1937, the year the diocese was founded. Bishop William Medley of the Diocese of Owensboro told news outlets in a statement Monday that the diocese has compiled statistics regarding sexual abuse claims against priests and individuals who identified themselves as child sexual abuse victims. The statement says 62 people made the allegations and 11 of the 27 priests accused were dead at the time of the claim. It says 366 priests have served in the diocese in some capacity. Since 2002, the diocese has spent more than $1 million on background checks and abuse prevention training.

_4 Wallet discovery:

When most people clean out their wallets, all they find is a few bucks and a couple of old receipts. Charles Dudley of Redding, Conn., found a virtual pot of gold in his — a winning, million-dollar Powerball ticket that would have expired soon, according to the Connecticut Lottery. The ticket was from the May 2 drawing, the lottery said last week. Dudley had 23 days left to claim the prize when he found the ticket. He claimed it Oct. 3. Dudley found the ticket stuck between some old receipts in his wallet, the lottery said.

Chronicle News Services