Census review shows miscount in 14 states; it won't alter data
WASHINGTON >> The 2020 census undercounted the population of six states and overcounted residents in eight others, the Census Bureau said Thursday, a finding that highlighted the difficulties of conducting the most star-crossed population count in living memory.
The conclusions come from a survey of 161,000 housing units conducted after the census was completed, a standard procedure following each once-in-a-decade head count of the U.S. population. The results showed that six states — Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas — most likely have a larger population than was officially counted.
Eight states probably have fewer residents than were recorded, the survey found: Delaware, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island and Utah. The count in the remaining 36 states and the District of Columbia was basically accurate, the bureau said.
Geese crossing: Traffic stops as a line of Canada geese takes a stroll across a street in Johnstown, Pa., on Thursday.
Ex-deputy gets 18 years after detainees drown in locked van
COLUMBIA, S.C. >> A deputy in South Carolina whose police van was swept away by floodwaters in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, drowning two women seeking mental health treatment trapped in a cage in the back, was sentenced Thursday to 18 years in prison.
A Marion County jury found former Horry County deputy Stephen Flood guilty of two counts of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of reckless homicide.
Judges ordered Wendy Newton, 45, and Nicolette Green, 43, to be involuntarily committed the day they died, but their families said they were not violent. Newton was only seeking medicine for her fear and anxiety and Green's family said she was committed to a mental facility at a regular mental health appointment by a counselor she had never seen before.
Flood, 70 was sentenced about 30 minutes after the verdict.
U.S. attorney: Fake doctor guilty in $1.3M romance scam
TALLAHASSEE, FLA. >> A Florida man has pleaded guilty to defrauding more than 30 women of more than $1.3 million by pretending to be a doctor on online dating services, a U.S. attorney said Thursday.
Brian Brainard Wedgeworth, 46, who formerly lived in the Florida capital city of Tallahassee and in Center Point, Alabama, used 10 different aliases as part of the scheme, U.S. Attorney Jason Cody said in a news release.
“Our citizens should not be preyed upon by fraudsters who steal through overtures of affection,” Cody said.
Wedgeworth made promises to the women to con them into sending him money, jewelry and watches, according to court documents. He pleaded guilty to 25 counts, including wire fraud, mail fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering. The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service and the Internal Revenue Service.
Biden has an eye on China as he heads to S. Korea, Japan
WASHINGTON >> President Joe Biden embarked Thursday on a six-day trip to South Korea and Japan aiming to build rapport with the two nations' leaders while also sending an unmistakable message to China: Russia's faltering invasion of Ukraine should give Beijing pause about its own saber-rattling in the Pacific.
Biden's visit will include meetings with newly elected South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Their talks will touch on trade, increasing resilience in the global supply chain, growing concerns about North Korea's nuclear program and the explosive spread of COVID-19 in that country.
While in Japan, Biden also will meet with fellow leaders of the IndoPacific strategic alliance known as the Quad, a group that includes Australia, India and Japan. The U.S. under Biden has forged a united front with democratic allies against Russia.