NEWS OF THE DAY
From Across the Nation
1 Inyo County fire: A wildfire burning in Inyo County threatened buildings Monday, including a historic railroad station, after it tripled in size overnight, officials said. The blaze burning through chaparral and shrub oak has scorched 3.5 square miles north of Bishop on the eastern slopes of the Sierra. Several communities and campgrounds in the Pleasant Valley Reservoir area were ordered to evacuate as strong winds posed a challenge, said Cathey Mattingly, spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Later Monday, the evacuation was lifted and most were allowed to return. At least 400 firefighters were working to contain the flames.
2 Power emergency: A federal judge on Monday approved a $300 million loan for Puerto Rico’s power company that officials say will help keep the troubled agency operating until late March. The ruling comes just days after the judge had rejected an initial $1 billion loan request made by a federal control board overseeing the U.S. territory’s finances. The board recently warned that the power company could see a $1.2 billion loss in revenue in the first six months after Hurricane Maria, which hit Sept. 20 and destroyed two-thirds of the power distribution system. Nearly 250,000 customers remain without power more than five months after the Category 4 storm.
3 Redistricting case: Pennsylvania’s high court issued a new congressional district map for the state’s 2018 elections Monday, all but ensuring that Democratic prospects will improve in several seats and that Republican lawmakers will challenge it in federal court. The map of Pennsylvania’s 18 congressional districts substantially overhauls a congressional map widely viewed as among the nation’s most gerrymandered. Most significantly, the new map probably gives Democrats a better shot at winning seats in Philadelphia’s moderate suburbs, where Republicans had held seats in bizarrely contorted districts. The redrawn map could boost the Democratic Party’s quest to capture control of the U.S. House. 4 Mail worker killed: A U.S. Postal Service worker was found fatally shot inside a mail truck along a highway in Dallas on Monday, and police are treating the case as a homicide. Sr. Cpl. DeMarquis Black said no arrests have been made, and investigators are trying to determine a possible motive behind the shooting. The victim’s name was not released. 5 Ambulances destroyed: A fastmoving fire Monday gutted an ambulance squad’s building in New Jersey, destroying five ambulances and causing at least $2 million in damage. The fire struck the American Legion Ambulance Association in Woodstown. Officials said oxygen tanks inside some of the squad’s ambulances exploded shortly after the fire began, helping the flames to quickly spread. Four squad members inside the building when the fire erupted managed to safely escape. One of the workers smelled smoke and alerted co-workers to leave the building. The cause of the blaze is under investigation.
Chronicle News Services