QUICK HITS

1 Venice emergency: Italy’s government declared a state of emergency Thursday in floodravaged Venice, seeking to release funds to repair the historic lagoon city. A special decree approved 20 million euros ($21.7 million) in immediate aid aimed at helping the city recover. Water levels reached more than 6 feet above sea level Tuesday, just 2½ inches lower than a 1966 flood that stands as the city’s worst.

2 USC deaths: Police investigators are looking into drug overdoses as a potential cause of death among some of the nine students who have died this semester at the University of Southern California. USC President Carol L. Folt told the Los Angeles Times that the school is “doubling down” on education and outreach over drug and alcohol abuse.

3 Mandate to vaccinate: Parents in Germany must vaccinate their children against measles or face steep fines under a law passed Thursday. The law will require proof of immunization for children to be enrolled in preschool. Kids 6 and older, who are required by law to attend school, must also show proof of having received a vaccine.

4 Body in freezer: Authorities are searching for a woman after finding her husband’s corpse in a freezer kept in a bedroom of her Missouri home, where it may have been stored since he died last December. A witness tipped off police and said that Barbara Watters, 67, the man’s wife, had threatened to kill him if he did.

5 DHS moves: Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf was sworn in Thursday and announced that his undersecretary will be Ken Cuccinelli, acting head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The former acting deputy, David Pekoske, will go back to his role as the head of the Transportation Security Administration.