NEWS OF THE DAY
From Across the Nation
_1 Cuba stowaway: A stowaway was found hiding in the cargo section of an airplane that arrived at Miami International Airport from Havana. Video shared on Twitter early Friday showed crew members surrounding the man on the ground after the Swift Air private charter landed. Airport spokesman Greg Chin said the man was taken into custody by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The 26yearold Cuban will be processed as a stowaway under federal law. Swift Air did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.
_2 Campaign 2020: Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper has ended his long shot bid for the Democratic presidential nomination and said he may instead challenge one of the most vulnerable Senate Republicans in 2020. In a video message Thursday, Hickenlooper said he had heard from many in his state urging him to enter the Senate race. “They remind me how much is at stake for our country. And our state,” he said. “I intend to give that some serious thought.” Colorado’s shift to the left could put Sen. Cory Gardner’s seat in jeopardy for Republicans.
_3 Kidnapping suspect: A man suspected of kidnapping his 80yearold mother from a nursing home in Reno was arrested Friday after a standoff in the Los Angeles suburb of Bellflower. The Sheriff ’s Department said Roger Hillygus was taken into custody around 2 a.m. at an apartment complex. His mother, who has dementia, was not hurt. Reno police said the woman was taken from the home Aug. 9 by her son, although he is not her guardian. On Thursday night, deputies arrived at the Bellflower apartment and a barricade situation ensued.
_4 Chesapeake health: Maryland scientists have been warning of a growing “dead zone” in the Chesapeake Bay, and new data confirms the dire warnings. Natural Resources Department data shows an area with little to no oxygen spread to 2 cubic miles by late July, making it one of the worst in decades. By comparison, July dead zones averaged about 1.35 cubic miles for the past 35 years. The worst section includes the lower Potomac and Patuxent rivers and much of the Bay, from Baltimore to the mouth of the York River. University of Maryland environmental scientists say heavy rains washed wastewater and agricultural runoff into the bay and produced oxygenstealing algae. Scientists fear it could harm crabs, oysters and the state’s seafood industry.
_5 300 tourists stranded: Heavy rains led to mudslides and caused excess water from a culvert to damage a road, isolating tourists in Denali National Park in Alaska. Denali Park Road, the only roadway inside the vast park, was closed Friday to all traffic at mile 30. The National Park Service said in a news release it anticipates reopening the road Saturday. Also Friday, the Alaska Railroad said it has halted service north of the park because of the failure of a retaining wall caused by high water in the Nenana River. Passenger and freight service will be suspended through the area until late Monday at the earliest, a railroad statement said.