NEWS OF THE DAY
1 Presidential polyglots: The United States has not elected a president fluent in a language other than English in 72 years. And in a field of 11 remaining presidential candidates, only two could change that: Spanish speakers Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio. The last president who spoke a foreign language fluently was Franklin D. Roosevelt. He spoke both French and German.
2 Tainted water: The state Environmental Protection Agency says the latest round of tests in a northeast Ohio village has found high levels of lead in tap water at 11 of the 180 homes where owners voluntarily submitted samples. The EPA says that 618 homeowners in the village of Sebring in Mahoning County have submitted tap water samples so far and that 30 homes showed lead levels above the federal standard. Sebring has come under scrutiny in recent weeks after state environmental officials said the operator of the village water plant waited months to notify people about high levels of lead found in some homes.
3 Wrongly convicted: A man who served more than 20 years in prison for a murder he did not commit has been awarded $ 6 million by the state of Connecticut. Miguel Roman was released from prison in 2008 after DNA tests pointed to another man in the 1988 slaying of a 17- year- old girl in Hartford. In the award decision issued Monday, Claims Commissioner J. Paul Vance Jr. apologized to Roman “for the burden that he was forced to suffer” during his imprisonment. Roman, who is now 59, was sentenced to prison for 60 years after a jury convicted him in 1990 of the killing of Carmen Lopez. Vance said Roman was convicted despite a lack of physical evidence tying him to the crime.
4 “Happy Birthday” song: Music publisher Warner/ Chappell Music will return $ 14 million in fees to settle a lawsuit that challenges its claim to “Happy Birthday,” one of the world’s best- known songs. A federal judge in Los Angeles ruled in September that Warner/ Chappell didn’t own the lyrics and had no right to charge for their use. Under the deal, Warner/ Chappell will give up its claims to the ubiquitous song and reimburse those who paid licensing fees.
5 Philly No. 1: Lonely Planet gave some love to the City of Brotherly Love on Tuesday, ranking Philadelphia the No. 1 place to visit in the United States in 2016. “Philly’s on a roll right now,” the travel guide company said. “The city is experiencing a transformation to its urban core, yet retaining its deep American history and uniquely gritty flavor.” The company noted that Philadelphia hosted Pope Francis in September and will welcome the Democratic National Convention this summer. In November, it was named the country’s first World Heritage City. Rounding out its top 10 list for 2016, in order: Natchez, Miss.; Yellowstone National Park; Birmingham, Ala.; Alaska; Somerville, Mass.; Northwest Arkansas; San Antonio; Southern New Mexico; and Milwaukee.