California agency cuts water deliveries
LOS ANGELES – One of California’s largest water wholesalers moved forward Monday on a plan to reduce the amount of water it delivers to more than two dozen cities and agencies serving 19 million people amid the lengthening drought.
If approved by the board of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California on Tuesday, regional water deliveries would be cut by 15 percent beginning in July. The district serves parts of Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties.
The effects of the cuts would vary between local water districts. Places that have done a poor job of conserving would have to crack down on outdoor watering and take other conservation measures and boost water rates to avoid paying a high price for extra water.
Ex-student sought in college shooting
GOLDSBORO, N.C. – A 20-year-old former community college student fatally shot a campus print shop director that he used to work under, just as his old boss arrived for his job Monday morning, school officials and authorities said.
A manhunt was underway for the suspect, Kenneth Morgan Stancil III. Authorities are pursuing him on an open count of murder, Wayne County Sheriff Larry Pierce said.
Authorities believe Stancil has left the area but is still in North Carolina. They have not released a motive for the shooting.
Ex-Blackwater guards get prison terms
WASHINGTON – A federal judge sentenced former Blackwater security guard Nicholas Slatten to life in prison and three others to 30-year terms for their roles in a 2007 shooting that killed 14 Iraqi civilians and wounded 17 others.
The carnage in Baghdad’s Nisoor Square caused an international uproar over the use of private security guards in a war zone.
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth sentenced Slatten, who witnesses said was the first to fire shots in the incident, to life on a charge of first-degree murder. The three other guards Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Dustin Heard were each sentenced to 30 years and one day in prison for charges that included manslaughter, attempted manslaughter and using firearms while committing a felony.
SpaceX delivery delayed by weather
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – SpaceX will have to wait another day to deliver groceries and an espresso maker to the International Space Station.
Fast-approaching storm clouds prevented the unmanned rocket from blasting off Monday afternoon. The company will try again Tuesday afternoon, but more bad weather is forecast. The odds of acceptable conditions are just 50-50.
SpaceX halted the countdown at the 2-minute mark as a menacing storm system moved into the 11-mile keep-out zone surrounding the Falcon rocket. The company had a single second to get off the ground.
Associated Press
