NEWS OF THE DAY
From Across the Nation
1 Catalina bison: The nonprofit organization that owns a majority of Southern California’s Santa Catalina Island plans to boost ecotourism by adding bison to existing herds, recharging a debate over the environmental impacts of the shaggy beasts. The Catalina Island Conservancy said there has not been a bison calf born on the island in seven years and the herd size has dwindled to 100. The conservancy board is working with the Laramie Foothills Bison Conservation Herd to bring two pregnant bison to the island. The descendants of 14 bison left by a movie crew in 1924 have attracted tourists to Catalina’s 76 square miles.
2 Nashville shooting: An argument that started over a dog led to a shooting that left eight people wounded in Nashville. Police said they were looking for two male suspects. Authorities responded to reports of gunfire early Sunday. None of the injuries were lifethreatening. A police statement said the two suspects began arguing and one of them had a dog with him. The suspect with the dog pulled out a handgun, police said. The second suspect left, then returned a short time later with a gun and accompanied by several other men. Gunfire then erupted.
3 Oil spill: Crews are continuing a cleanup operation from an oil spill that affected a stretch of coastline in Delaware and Maryland. Response crews have cleared debris and tar balls from the Indian River Inlet in Delaware to the Assateague Island State Park in Maryland, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control said. Beaches in Maryland are no longer affected by the spill. The spill was detected Oct. 19 as oil washed ashore at Broadkill Beach in Delaware and was spread by tidal action. Crews have removed an estimated 75 tons of oily sand and debris from coastal areas. The source of the spill is under investigation.
4 AIDS drug: A new study finds a shot of an experimental medicine every two months works better than daily pills to help keep women from contracting HIV from an infected sex partner. The news is a boon for AIDS prevention efforts. Results so far suggest that the drug, cabotegravir, was 89% more effective at preventing HIV infection than Truvada pills, although both reduce that risk. Cabotegravir is being developed by ViiV Healthcare in North Carolina’s Research Park with Pfizer Inc. and Shionogi Limited. The drugs for the study were provided by ViiV and Truvada’s maker, Gilead Sciences. “This is a major, major advance,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease doctor at the NIH.
5 Tax evasion: Sotheby’s helped an art collector dodge millions of dollars in New York sales taxes, the state attorney general says in a lawsuit filed Friday, accusing the prominent auction house of accepting bogus documentation to spare a top client a tax bill. The case involves $ 27 million worth of purchases of pieces by such artists as painter JeanMichel Basquiat and sculptor Anish Kapoor. Attorney General Letitia James’ office hasn’t publicly identified the collector. Sotheby’s said it “vigorously refutes” the allegations, calling them unfounded.