NEWS OF THE DAY
From Across the Nation
1 Severe storm: A major nor’easter pounded the East Coast on Friday, packing heavy rain, snow and strong winds as residents from the mid-Atlantic to Maine braced for coastal flooding. More than 2,800 flights were canceled, most spread across airports in the northeast. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker activated 200 National Guard members to help with the storm. In Duxbury, south of Boston, officials urged people to evacuate. All of Rhode Island was under flood and high wind watches through Sunday morning. 2 Child cruelty: A Southern California couple were arrested on suspicion of child cruelty after deputies found them living in a cramped and filthy desert shack with their three children and dozens of cats, authorities said. Deputies noticed the shelter Wednesday while conducting a check of the area near Joshua Tree, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff ’s Department. The dwelling cobbled together with plywood and plastic sheeting was only about 4 feet high and 10 feet wide. Two adults and three children, ages 11, 13 and 14, were living along with about 40 cats on the property without electricity or running water, said Captain Trevis Newport. Daniel Panico, 73, and Mona Kirk, 51, were charged with three felony counts of child abuse Friday.
3 School shooting: Three weapons were seized from a Georgia teacher accused of firing a handgun in his classroom after he set the family car ablaze two years ago, according to a sheriff ’s report obtained Friday by the Associated Press. Deputies said they brought teacher Jesse Randal Davidson to a hospital for a mental evaluation and took the rifles after he torched the vehicle on Aug. 13, 2016. This report and two others from Dalton police show Davidson has been hospitalized at least three times in recent years as people worried about his state of mind. Davidson didn’t hit anyone when he allegedly fired a handgun out his classroom window at Dalton High School on Wednesday, but it caused chaos and immediate calls to abandon the idea of arming teachers as a solution to school shootings. President Trump has endorsed arming teachers after the killings of 17 people at a Florida high school two weeks ago.
4 Russia probe: Stormy weather forced the postponement of an arraignment Friday in Virginia for President Trump’s former campaign chairman on charges including tax evasion and bank fraud. High winds closed the federal courthouse in Alexandria. A grand jury indictment there accuses Paul Manafort of hiding from the Internal Revenue Service tens of millions of dollars he earned representing pro-Russia politicians in Ukraine.
5 Dorm eviction: Hunter College in New York City is trying to evict a former student who it says is illegally squatting in her dorm room. The college has filed a lawsuit against Lisa Palmer, 32, saying she owes more than $94,000 in unpaid residence hall fees since she dropped out in 2016. Palmer was issued a 30-day eviction notice in September. She says she plans to stay and fight the case.
Chronicle News Services