NEWS OF THE DAY
From Across the Nation
1 Maine election: A federal judge rejected a lawsuit Thursday by a Republican incumbent from Maine who lost the nation’s first congressional election held under a candidate-ranking system. Democrat Jared Golden defeated Bruce Poliquin in the November contest, which allowed voters to rank up to four candidates. Poliquin won the most votes but failed to get a majority. Votes cast for two trailing candidates were then reassigned to voters’ second choices, which swung the election to Golden. Poliquin then filed a lawsuit alleging that the new balloting system, also called ranked choice, violated the U.S. Constitution. He asked Judge Lance Walker either to declare him the winner or order a second election for the 2nd Congressional District. But Walker, a recent appointee by President Trump, did neither. The judge said he failed to see how Maine’s candidate-ranking system undercut voters’ First Amendment rights
2 Obama honored: Former President Barack Obama was honored with the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Award at a gala in midtown Manhattan Wednesday evening. “I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but I’ve been on this hope kick for a while now. Even ran a couple of campaigns on it. Thank you for officially validating my hope credentials,” Obama said during his remarks. The organization’s president, Kerry Kennedy, presented the award, which celebrates leaders “who have demonstrated a commitment to social change.” Past recipients include Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, Bono, George Clooney and Robert De Niro. This year also marks the 50 anniversary of Robert F. Kennedy’s campaign for the White House.
3 Mine rescue: Three adults safely rescued after several days in an abandoned West Virginia coal mine were mobbed by loved ones in a teary reunion, then they thanked the crews that got them out. The three walked out of an ambulance at a fire hall in Whitesville to the screams of relatives for a brief reunion Wednesday night before being taken to a hospital. Randall Williams, whose daughter, Kayla Williams, was among the rescued, said she had gone into the mine in search of copper. Reports of people entering abandoned mines in search of copper to sell are not uncommon. Abandoned coal mines contain toxic levels of gas, and roof falls, flooding and other dangers may exist.
4 Smuggled finches: Customs officials at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport say they found 70 live finches hidden inside hair rollers. Authorities say a passenger arriving from Guyana on Saturday had the songbirds in a duffel bag. The New York Times reports officials believe the birds were brought to the U.S. to participate in singing contests. Customs officials say people bet on how many times the finches chirp, and a winning male finch can sell for up to $10,000. The birds were turned over to veterinarians to the U.S. Agriculture Department, and the passenger was sent back to Guyana.