NEWS OF THE DAY
From Across the Nation
1 Absentee ballots:
Minnesota absentee ballots postmarked by Nov. 3 can be counted even if they’re received up to a week after election day, under a federal judge’s order turning back a Republican challenge to the extended balloting deadline. The ruling Sunday by U. S. District Judge Nancy Brasel upholds a Minnesota state court agreement spurred by the COVID19 pandemic that allows counting of absentee ballots received up to Nov. 10. State officials are seeing a record number of mailin ballots this year. The judge ruled that two Republicans who challenged the agreement on Monday lacked legal standing to challenge the deal.
2 Farm aid:
For the American farmers whom President Trump counts on for support, the government money is flowing faster than ever. Federal payments to farmers are projected to hit a record $ 46 billion this year as the White House funnels money to Trump’s rural base in the South and Midwest before election day. The gush of funds has accelerated in recent weeks as the president looks to help his core supporters who have been hit hard by the double whammy of his combative trade practices and the coronavirus pandemic. According to the American Farm Bureau, debt in the farm sector is projected to increase by 4% to a record $ 434 billion this year, and farm bankruptcies have continued to rise across the country.
3 Stolen baby:
A baby was removed from the womb of a 21yearold woman found dead in a small East Texas city, authorities said. The body of Reagan Simmons Hancock was discovered Friday morning in a home in New Boston, a city of about 4,600 people located 160 miles northeast of Dallas, Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Gregg Williams said Monday. New Boston police have said that a woman was later taken into custody by Oklahoma authorities and the baby did not survive.
4 Defendant deported:
Immigration agents have deported another accused rapist before he could stand trial in Miami state court. Alcedis Ortiz, 42, who is accused of sexually assaulting a 12yearold girl, was deported to Colombia, even though he was still awaiting trial on two felony charges, one punishable by life in prison. He spent nearly five months in immigration custody before he was deported on Sept. 28, an ICE spokesman confirmed Friday. The deportation comes less than two months after U. S. authorities had to extradite another suspected rapist back from Central America — because ICE agents booted him from the country before his trial in Miami. That case blindsided Coral Gables police, prosecutors and the victim herself.
5 Deadly blaze:
Four people killed in an eastern Missouri house fire included a married couple, their daughter and a granddaughter, the victims’ family members said. Two men who were boyfriends of the younger women escaped by jumping from secondstory windows, but suffered serious burns. One of the surviving men was first to report the fire around 2 a. m. Sunday in De Soto, a city of about 6,300, 45 miles southwest of St. Louis. The men were taken to burn centers in St. Louis for treatment. Fifteen fire departments were called to help put out the blaze.