Wayne Byers Show – Morning – July 3

CSi Weather….

.REST OF TODAY…Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms in the Jamestown area, 40 percent in the Valley City area. Cooler. Highs in the mid 70s. Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph.

.TONIGHT…Showers likely and chance of thunderstorms. Lows

around 60. Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation

60 percent in the Jamestown area, 70 percent in the Valley City area.

.INDEPENDENCE DAY…Partly sunny with chance of showers and

slight chance of thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 70s. Northeast

winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation 20 percent in the Jamestown area, 30 percent in the Valley City area.

.THURSDAY NIGHT…Increasing clouds. Chance of rain showers and

slight chance of thunderstorms. Lows in the upper 50s. Northeast

winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation 40 percent.

.FRIDAY…Decreasing clouds. Chance of rain showers and slight

chance of thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 70s. Northeast winds

5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation 30 percent in the Jamestown area, 40 percent in the Valley City area.

.FRIDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of rain

showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the mid 50s.

.SATURDAY…Partly sunny. Highs in the lower 70s.

.SATURDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 50s.

.SUNDAY…Partly sunny with a 20 percent chance of rain showers

and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 70s.

.SUNDAY NIGHT…Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of showers

and thunderstorms. Lows in the lower 60s.

.MONDAY…Partly sunny with a 40 percent chance of showers and

thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 80s.

.MONDAY NIGHT…Increasing clouds. A 40 percent chance of showers

and thunderstorms. Lows in the lower 60s.

.TUESDAY…Partly sunny with chance of showers and slight chance

of thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 70s. Chance of precipitation

30 percent.

 

Thunderstorms are expected Wednesday afternoon into Wednesday night. Some thunderstorms may be severe with large hail to golf ball size,
damaging winds to 60 mph, and heavy rainfall possibly leading to
flash flooding.

There is a chance for thunderstorms each day through Tuesday.

 

 

Valley City  (CSi)  The Valley City Commission met in Regular Session Tuesday evening at City Hall. Mayor Carlsrud was not present.

Vice President, Commissioner Magnuson presided over the meeting.

APPROVAL OF CONSENT AGENDA

Monthly Reports from the Fire Chief, Building Inspector, Auditor, Municipal Judge and Public Works Accountant.

Monthly Bills for the City and Public Works in the Amount of $2,257,610.33

A Raffle Permit for Barnes County Ducks Unlimited

 

PUBLIC COMMENTS:  No One Spoke

Attorney General’s “A Citizen’s Guide to North Dakota Open Records & Open Meetings Laws” *A member of the public does not have the right to speak to the governing body at an open meeting. The public is only entitled to see and hear what happens at a meeting, and to record or broadcast those observations.

No personal attacks to persons present or not

No inflammatory language used during time that you have the platform

5 minute maximum or as directed by the chair

Thank you for participating in City Government.

 

NEW BUSINESS

Approved was the 2019-2020 Renewal of Gaming Site Authorization for Valley City State University Foundation at Shelly Ellig Field at Lokken Field; W.E. Osmon Fieldhouse; Valley City Town & Country Club; Valley City Eagles Club.  City Auditor Richter    

 

City Commissioners approved an Application for Property Tax Exemption for Improvements to 478 6th Ave NW.

Approved was an Application for Property Tax Exemption for Improvements at 1034 Viking Drive.

Approved was an Application for Property Tax Exemption for Improvements to 227 8^th Street Northwest.

City Assessor Hansen recommended approval of all exemptions.

 

Considered was the Renewal of Alcoholic Beverage Licenses for:

Woodland Steakhouse, applying late, due Jun 3^rd, in the paperwork, payment due, June 28, a violation of the City Ordinance.

The City Commission voted to approve the renewal of the  Alcoholic Beverage License and schedule a hearing for the violation

 

Sabir’s Dining and Lounge, the application was also late, due to the owner’s health issues.

The Commissioners voted to approve the application.

The request of the VFW Alcoholic Beverage License was incomplete, and the request was denied, and the liquor license is pending the completed application.

RESOLUTIONS:

Approved a Resolution Declaring Insufficiency of Protest for Paving Improvement District No. 118, at 5^th Avenue Northwest.  City Auditor Richter said, one protest was received, from Ryan Fromke, and insufficient.  They protested their property’s Special Assessment cost.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT

David Schelkoph said fireworks can be detonated until 11-p.m., July 5, and asked residents to make sure the fireworks is completely put out and cold, before disposal, and said the City Ordinance requires cleaning up debris from the spent fireworks.

He said the city and Barnes County has been discussing funding for Valley Recycling.  He said the Barnes County Commission will discuss funding at their next meeting.

He added that Central Avenue businesses remain open as the construction work continues, with the storm sewer installation completed as of Tuesday.

 

CITY UPDATES & COMMISSION REPORTS

KLJ updated the Central Avenue construction progress.

Vice President Magnuson thanked the community for their patience during the Central Avenue construction.

The meeting was shown live on CSi Cable 68 followed by replays.

Jamestown  (CSi)  Jamestown Tourism Director Searle Swedlund reminds residents that the public fireworks display will be held the evening of JULY 3^RD, starting about 10:30-p.m., at the Stutsman County Fairgrounds.

On Tuesday’s Wayne Byers Show on CSi Cable 2, he said, Jamestown Speedway has a negotiated a contract with the fireworks show, and has obtained a sponsor for paying for part of the $11,000 costs.  He added that the cost of a fireworks show is somewhat less if it’s not held on the 4^th of July, although the cost this year is a thousand dollars more than last year.

 

On another note the Drag Races at Jamestown Regional Airport will be held as planned on July 13 and 14, to be held on the airport’s taxiway, as approved by the FAA, which did not allow the drags to be held on the main runway, stemming from recent improvements.

Searle added Buffalo Days activities will be July 25-27 throughout Jamestown, including the downtown parade on Saturday the 27^th.

He added that the National Buffalo Museum has added a kids activity room for visitors, adding an increase in attendance at the Museum thus far this year.

He pointed out the Escape Room is now added at the 1883 Stutsman County Courthouse with the first activity there last week, in addition to the Escape Room now available at Meidinger Square in Downtown Jamestown.

 

Jamestown  (CSi)  The Alfred Dickey branch of the James River Valley Library System will be closed on the following dates for building maintenance and repair: Thursday, July 11 & Friday, July 12.  The Stutsman County branch will remain open for regular business hours of 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. For more information, call the Alfred Dickey Library at (701) 252-2990.

 

Jamestown  (Chamber)       Members of the Jamestown Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors and the Young Professionals of Jamestown held a ribbon cutting ceremony for Looysen I Care to celebrate the extensive renovations of their location. This business is located at 821 1^st Avenue South in Jamestown.

Dr. Steve Looysen and Dr. Alex Looysen along with their staff were on hand to celebrate. From medical issues to glasses, they can take care of your eyes. Call 701-252-3937 and make an appointment today!

Businesses qualify for a ribbon-cutting ceremony if they open, move, remodel, are under new ownership or change their name.  For more information, contact Emily Bivens by emailing: director@jamestownchamber.com or call the chamber at 701-252-4830.

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A federal judge will allow a waitress who claims she was fired because of her pregnancy to join a lawsuit against a Bismarck restaurant.

The judge decided Erica Davidson is within her rights to intervene in the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s lawsuit against the operator of 40 Steak & Seafood.

The Bismarck Tribune reports the EEOC claims East 40 discriminated against Davidson who says was fired just a few months after being hired in 2015 because she became pregnant.

East 40 attorney Michael Hoffman says Davidson was fired because she refused to commit to working at least three days a week, not because she was pregnant. The plaintiffs are seeking an unspecified amount of money to compensate Davidson for lost past and future earnings and for emotional distress, along with punitive damages.

 

 

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — The new chairman of the North Dakota Board of Higher education says one of his goals is to help address succession planning of college and university presidents.

The search for a new president at the University of North Dakota is the fifth one since Nick Hacker was named to the board in 2015. He says he would like to see shorter and more efficient searches.

Hacker, whose first official day as chairman was Monday, says the state also needs to work at retaining talented faculty and staff. He said that higher education is facing a workforce shortage like the rest of the state and it’s vitally important to retain professors and others.

Hacker runs the state’s largest title insurance and real estate closing company with 100 employees in 10 locations.

 

 

NEW YORK (AP) — Coffee bars selling $3 iced lattes are popping up in high schools, helped along by dairy groups scrambling for new ways to get people to drink milk.

It’s one small way the dairy industry is fighting to slow the persistent decline in U.S. milk consumption as eating habits change. At a high school in North Dakota, a $5,000 grant from a dairy group helped pay for an espresso machine that makes lattes with about 8 ounces of milk each.

It’s not clear how much coffee drinks in high schools might help boost milk consumption. But with consumption of milk in the U.S. down 40 percent since 1975, the dairy industry is looking for all the help it can get.

 

 

WILLISTON, N.D. (AP) — Police in Williston say a group of dogs bit two adults and two juveniles at a school.

Officers were called Monday to Rickard Elementary School on a report that the dogs had bitten four people.

The Williston Police Department and animal control officers investigated. A suspect from Williston was charged with failing to register as a kennel, five counts of no rabies vaccinations, five counts of having a pit bull in city limits and one count of having a vicious animal.

 

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The North Dakota Oil and Gas Division says a fire at a salt water disposal well has released brine and oil in western North Dakota.

The release happened Monday at the Carl Spackler SWD 1 salt water disposal well about 10 miles (16 kilometers) south of Alexander.

Operator Dakota Fluid Solutions Inc. reported Tuesday that lightning struck a saltwater tank, causing a fire that released 185,808 gallons of brine and 5,796 gallons of oil. The spill was contained by diking on location.

Inspectors have been to the site and will monitor cleanup.

Brine is a byproduct of oil production.

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The Three Affiliated Tribes have been granted trust status for the historic Figure Four Ranch.

The tribes bought the roughly 9,300-acre ranch that borders the reservation’s west side between Lake Sakakawea and the Little Missouri River in 1999, and converted it to a bison ranch.

They requested trust status nearly a decade ago, a move that would make the land tax-exempt. The Bismarck Tribune reports it wasn’t approved until May, with a deed-signing ceremony this week. The federal government attributed the delay to red tape.

Chairman Mark Fox said the change will allow the tribes to move ahead with energy development. Tribal officials also hope to develop tourism at the ranch, with expanded buffalo and elk hunting and the possible building of a hotel or resort.

 

In sports…

Fargo-Moorhead 6, Winnipeg 5

 

MLB…

(AP)  _ Chris Herrmann hit a grand slam in his first game for Oakland and the Athletics went on to beat the Minnesota Twins 8-6 for their fourth straight win. Herrmann was activated from the injured list before the game after being sidelined since spring training with a knee injury. He made an immediate impact in his debut when he connected off All-Star Jake Odorizzi to give the A’s a 6-3 lead in the fourth inning.

 

TORONTO (AP) — David Price pitched six innings to win his fifth straight decision, Rafael Devers homered twice and matched his career-high with six RBI, and the Boston Red Sox snapped a three-game losing streak by beating the Toronto Blue Jays 10-6 on Tuesday night.

Christian Vázquez had a homer among his three hits and Mookie Betts reached base four times for the Red Sox, who were swept in a two-game series against the New York Yankees in London last weekend. Boston lost 8-7 to the White Sox in its final game before travelling to London.

 

_ Evan Longoria had two impressive home runs among his four hits and drove in five runs, and Kevin Pillar also had four hits for the San Francisco Giants, who beat the San Diego Padres 10-4 on Tuesday night. The Giants, last in the NL West, have scored in double digits in three straight games for the first time since 2010.

_ Tim Beckham hit a pinch-hit homer in the eighth inning and the Seattle Mariners beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-4. Omar Narvaez also homered for the Mariners, who overcame early and late bullpen troubles and snapped a four-game losing streak. The Cardinals lost for the sixth time in seven games.

_ Cody Bellinger’s bases-loaded walk _ the fifth in a row given up by Arizona’s bullpen with two outs _ forced in the winning run in the ninth and helped the Los Angeles Dodgers edge the Diamondbacks 5-4. Greg Holland (1-1) appeared to lose total command after retiring his first two batters.

 

_ Justin Bour delivered a two-run single on the first pitch he saw after replacing injured American League All-Star Tommy La Stella, and the grieving Los Angeles Angels beat the Texas Rangers 9-4. The emotional win came a day after the death of 27-year-old pitcher Tyler Skaggs. He was found unresponsive in his room at the team’s hotel before what was supposed to be the series opener Monday.

_ Patrick Corbin pitched seven strong innings on an emotional night, Trea Turner doubled home the winning run in the ninth and the Washington Nationals beat the Miami Marlins 3-2. Yan Gomes reached on an error by third baseman Neil Walker with one out in the ninth.

_ Michael Conforto busted out of his slump in a big way, hitting a two-run double that snapped an eighth-inning tie and lifted the New York Mets over the Yankees 4-2 in their Subway Series opener at Citi Field. J.D. Davis homered and delivered a tying double to help the Mets rally from behind in the eighth for the second consecutive game. The Yankees did not hit a home run for the first time in 31 games, ending their record streak.

_ Christian Yelich hit his major league-leading 31st homer, but Yasiel Puig homered to start Cincinnati’s comeback and scored the winning run in the 11th inning, rallying the Reds to a 5-4 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. The Reds’ comeback ended Milwaukee’s streak of six straight wins at Great American Ball Park.

_ Yuli Gurriel homered twice and drove in four runs to lead the Houston Astros over the Colorado Rockies 9-8. Jose Altuve had four hits and Gurriel and George Springer finished with three hits each to help the Astros win their fourth straight.

_ Jake Bauers had four hits and drove in three runs, and the Cleveland bullpen bailed Trevor Bauer out of a late jam, helping the Indians beat the Royals 9-5. Bauer earned the win after six shaky innings, and All-Star closer Brad Hand worked the ninth to wrap things up. Jakob Junis (JAY’-kuhb JOO’-nihs) took the loss for Kansas City.

_ Adam Frazier is enjoying his return to the leadoff spot for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The second baseman hit a three-run home run off Chicago’s Mike Montgomery after a long rain delay to lead the Pirates to a 5-1 victory over the Cubs. One game after tying a major league record by clubbing four doubles, Frazier finished 4 for 4 and scored three runs as the Pirates won for the ninth time in 13 games.

_ Aaron Nola pitched eight innings, Jay Bruce hit a two-run double and the Philadelphia Phillies spoiled Dallas Keuchel’s home debut with Atlanta, beating the Braves 2-0 on Tuesday night. Nola allowed four hits, struck out eight and walked three in his second consecutive scoreless outing. The second-place Phillies, winners of six of eight, trimmed the Braves’ NL East lead to 4½ games in front of the seventh sellout at SunTrust Park this season.

_ Charlie Morton struck out six straight batters and a season-high 12 overall, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-3 for their fourth straight win. Morton pitched seven innings, giving up four hits and a walk two days after being named to the American League All-Star team. It was the 10th time in 18 starts that Morton has given up one run or fewer. Chris Davis’ sixth home run accounted for the only run off Morton.

_ The game between the Chicago White Sox and the Detroit Tigers has been postponed by rain. It will be made up on Sept. 27 as part of a straight doubleheader.

 

MLB-ANGELS-SKAGGS DEATH

UNDATED (AP) — A moment of silence was held before the Los Angeles Angels played at Texas, with the team lined up outside the dugout when Tyler Skaggs was remembered.

Public address announcer Chuck Morgan said the Rangers offered their deepest sympathies and condolences to Skaggs’ family, his teammates and the entire Angels organization.

A photo of Skaggs was shown on the huge video boards over right and left field before those screens, and every other screen in the stadium, went dark momentarily.

The entire Angels team and its staff remained on the field together for the playing of the national anthem.

The introductions of the starting lineups by Morgan before that were uncharacteristically subdued with the Angels playing heavy-hearted the night after the 27-year-old Skaggs died in his Texas hotel room.

And when the Rangers took the field for the start of the game, they ran out to their positions quietly without any music playing on the speakers.

In other MLB news:

_ Major League Baseball has upheld Manny Machado’s one-game suspension for his confrontation with an umpire. He missed Tuesday night’s game against the San Francisco Giants. Machado was suspended for “aggressively arguing and making contact” with plate umpire Bill Welke after being called out on strikes at Colorado on June 15.

_ Red Sox right-hander Nathan Eovaldi will pitch out of the bullpen when he returns from injury, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said before Tuesday’s game at Toronto. Red Sox relievers allowed 21 runs over 12 1/3 innings in back-to-back losses to the New York Yankees in London last weekend. Boston entered play Tuesday at 44-40, 11 games behind New York in the AL East and two games out of a wild card spot.

_ Yankees first baseman Luke Voit has been put on the injured list after straining his abdomen against Boston in London last weekend. He is New York’s 21st player to go on the injured list this season, one more than last year. He is the Yankees’ 14th player currently on the list, which includes outfielder Giancarlo Stanton and pitchers Luis Severino and Dellin Betances.

_Steven Matz is moving to the bullpen for now as the New York Mets again overhaul a major problem area with a flurry of roster moves. The team reinstated veteran relievers Jeurys Familia, Justin Wilson and Luis Avilán from the injured list before Tuesday night’s Subway Series opener against the New York Yankees at Citi Field.

_ The Baltimore Orioles have optioned right-hander Tom Eshelman to Triple-A Norfolk one day after he went five solid innings in his major league debut. Eshelman allowed two runs and six hits Monday night against Tampa Bay and was in line for a win until the Orioles bullpen gave up four runs in the final three innings of a 6-3 loss.

 

WOMEN’S WORLD CUP

LYON, France (AP) _ Alex Morgan celebrated her go-ahead goal with a cheeky tea-sipping motion and Alyssa Naeher stopped a late penalty kick to send the United States into the final at the Women’s World Cup with a 2-1 victory over England on Tuesday night.

The top-ranked United States will face the winner of Wednesday’s semifinal between the Netherlands and Sweden in the Americans’ third straight appearance in the World Cup title match.

Christen Press — who started with Megan Rapinoe out with a hamstring injury — put the United States up early in the match but Ellen White’s goal tied it before 20 minutes had passed. Morgan’s sixth goal of the tournament came before the break and on her 30th birthday. She hadn’t had a goal since she scored five in the team’s 13-0 rout of Thailand to open the tournament.

 

TENNIS-WIMBLEDON

 

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) _ American teenager Coco Gauff will try to follow up her upset win over Venus Williams with another victory in the second round at Wimbledon.

The 15-year-old Gauff will face Magdalena Rybarikova on No. 2 Court at the All England Club today.

Gauff would break inside the top 200 in the WTA rankings with a victory, having already become the youngest player since 1991 to win a match at Wimbledon.

Also, defending champion and No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic will face Dennis Kudla of the United States for the first time. Djokovic is seeking a fifth title at Wimbledon and his 16th Grand Slam trophy in all.

Last year’s runner-up Kevin Anderson takes on Janko Tipsarevic.

In other Wimbledon action:

 

Coverage on CSi 14 ESPN &  CSi 18 ESPN 2

_ Rafael Nadal had little trouble in making the switch from clay back to grass. Nadal began his search for a third Wimbledon title by beating Japanese qualifier Yuichi Sugita 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 to reach the second round.

_ Roger Federer shrugged off an early deficit to beat Lloyd Harris of South Africa 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 on Centre Court as he began his search for a record-extending ninth Wimbledon title.

_ Sam Querrey of the United States took the last nine games and upset No. 5 seed Dominic Thiem (teem) to make the French Open runner-up the third top-10 man already gone in Wimbledon’s first round.

_ Hard-serving American John Isner finished off his opening match at Wimbledon in straight sets, beating Casper Ruud of Norway.

_ In women’s action, Serena Williams opened her bid for a 24th Grand Slam title with a straight-set victory on Centre Court at Wimbledon. The seven-time champion at the All England Club beat Giulia Gatto-Monticone of Italy 6-2, 7-5.

 

NBA..

PHILADELPHIA (AP) _ A person with knowledge of the situation says the Philadelphia 76ers and Ben Simmons are negotiating toward a $170 million, five-year extension for the All-Star point guard.

The deal will begin in the 2020-21 season, said the person who spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday because neither the team nor Simmons has revealed details publicly.

ESPN first reported the negotiations between Simmons and the 76ers.

Simmons will make about $8.1 million this season, the last of his four-year rookie deal. Assuming the sides agree on what will be a full max, Simmons’ salary for the following season would jump to about $29.3 million and eventually rise to nearly $39 million in 2024-25.

 

NHL-MOVES

Coyotes sign Crouse

UNDATED (AP) _ The Arizona Coyotes have signed forward Lawson Crouse to a three-year contract. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The 22-year-old Crouse set career highs with 11 goals and 14 assists in 81 games with Arizona last season. He led the Coyotes and was second in the NHL with 288 hits.

In other NHL moves:

— The St. Louis Blues have re-signed restricted free agent Sammy Blais to an $850,000, one-year contract. Blais had a goal and two assists in 15 playoff games to help St. Louis win the Stanley Cup.

— The Carolina Hurricanes are keeping star forward Sebastian Aho and say they will match the $42 million offer sheet the Montreal Canadiens tendered him. General manager Don Waddell announced the move less than 24 hours after the Canadiens extended their offer to the 21-year-old restricted free agent.

— The San Jose Sharks have signed defenseman Dalton Prout and forward Jonny Brodzinski to one-year contracts. The Sharks also signed defensemen Artemi Kniazev and Nikolai Knyzhov; and forward Zachary Gallant to entry-level deals Tuesday.

 

COLLEGE BASKETBALL-UCONN-NCAA VIOLATIONS

UConn gets 2 years of probation

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — UConn’s men’s basketball program has been placed on probation for two years and Kevin Ollie has been sanctioned individually for violations of NCAA rules during his tenure as coach.

The NCAA Committee on Infractions outlined numerous violations Tuesday, most occurring between 2013 and 2018. It cited Ollie for failing to promote an atmosphere of compliance.

The NCAA agreed with penalties UConn self-imposed in January, including the loss of one scholarship for the 2019-20 season.

UConn fired Ollie in March 2018. The school and Ollie are in arbitration regarding $10 million the school says he’s not entitled to because the violations occurred under his watch.

 

NIKE-FLAG SHOE

Report: Nike pulls flag sneaker after Kaepernick complaint

NEW YORK (AP) — Nike is pulling a flag-themed tennis shoe after former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick complained to the shoemaker, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The shoe’s heel has a U.S. flag with 13 white stars in a circle on it, known as the Betsy Ross flag. Citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter, the Journal said that Kaepernick, a Nike endorser, told the company he and others found the flag symbol offensive because of its connection to slavery.

The Air Max 1 USA shoe had already been sent to retailers to go on sale this week for the July Fourth holiday, the Journal reports.

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey lashed out at Nike over Twitter, saying that he is asking the state’s Commerce Authority to withdraw all financial incentives for the company to locate there.

 

In world and national news…

BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) — The aid group Doctors Without Borders says the detention center cell struck by an overnight airstrike in Libya held 126 migrants.

The group’s Libya medical coordinator, Prince Alfani, said teams visited the center just hours before the airstrike and saw 126 people inside the cell that was destroyed early Wednesday. Alfani says survivors fear for their lives, and he called for immediate evacuation of everyone in the detention centers.

No one has claimed responsibility for the airstrike, which the U.N. says killed at least 44 people and wounded more than 130.

The airstrike hit around the same time as a phone call came in from a man saying he was among 60 people in a boat sinking off the coast of Libya, including 20 women and small children, according to Alarm Phone, which takes emergency phone calls from migrants.

There was no word on the fate of the boat.

 

 

SAN DIEGO (AP) — A secret Facebook group for Border Patrol agents that included sexually explicit posts has put the agency on the defensive.

One member says it was a forum for current and former agents to swap stories and vent. The former agent likened it to a bar where agents would gather after work. He says any agent active on Facebook would have likely received an invitation to join.

The agent, who retired last year in San Diego, spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he feared a public backlash.

The Facebook group included sexual posts about Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and insensitive comments about recent deaths of immigrants in custody. Members also questioned the authenticity of a recent photo of a father and daughter who drowned in the Rio Grande.

 

 

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Relatives of those killed in the U.S. Navy’s 1988 shootdown of an Iranian passenger jet have thrown flowers into the Strait of Hormuz to mark their deaths.

Iranian state television aired footage Wednesday of mourners in the strait, as armed Iranian Revolutionary Guard fast boats patrolled around them. They tossed gladiolas into the strait as some wept.

The July 3, 1988 downing of Iran Air flight 655 by the U.S. Navy remains one of the moments the Iranian government points to in its decades-long distrust of America. The U.S. Navy’s mistaken missile fire killed 290 people.

This year’s commemoration comes amid heightened tensions with the U.S., after President Donald Trump pulled America from Iran’s nuclear deal. Iran this week broke a low-enriched uranium stockpile limitation set by the deal.

 

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic presidential candidates moved to the mainstream the idea of providing full health insurance coverage for people who don’t have permission to be in the United States legally.

But turning that debate-night moment into reality would mean reversing longstanding federal policies that exclude people without legal immigration status from major health programs. The idea is so new that there’s no cost estimate.

Doubling down on tough immigration policies, President Donald Trump responded to the Democrats on Twitter: “How about taking care of American Citizens first?”

A CNN poll says a majority of Democrats favors government coverage for those in the country illegally. But among all Americans, 59% oppose the idea.

Not all the health care doors are shut now. Emergency rooms must attend all patients.

 

 

DETROIT (AP) — Former colleagues say ex-Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca has died at age 94 in Bel Air, California.

Iacocca was a master pitchman. He put the Mustang in Ford’s lineup in the 1960s. Two decades later, he became a corporate folk hero when he resurrected Chrysler.

He was famous for his TV ads from that time, in which he said: “If you can find a better car, buy it!”

Iacocca also wrote two best-selling books and was courted as a presidential candidate for 1988. He had a 32-year career at Ford and Chrysler and helped launch some of Detroit’s most significant cars — including the minivan, the Chrysler K-car and the Mustang.