K2 Radio News: Flash Briefing For July 17th, 2017 – Morning
TONTO NATIONAL FOREST, ARIZ. (AP) - SEARCH AND RESCUE CREWS IN THE TONTO NATIONAL FOREST IN ARIZONA ARE LOOKING FOR A 13-YEAR-OLD BOY WHO WAS IN A GROUP THAT GOT SWEPT AWAY IN A FURIOUS FLASH FLOOD OVER THE WEEKEND. AUTHORITIES HAVE RECOVERED NINE BODIES. THE VICTIMS WERE AMONG 14 FAMILY AND FRIENDS WHO HAD MET UP FOR A DAYTRIP ALONG A POPULAR SWIMMING HOLE.
LOWELL, MASS. (AP) - SYRINGES LEFT BY DRUG USERS AMID THE HEROIN CRISIS ARE TURNING UP EVERYWHERE. THEY HIDE IN WEEDS ALONG HIKING TRAILS AND IN PLAYGROUND GRASS, GET WASHED INTO RIVERS AND ONTO BEACHES, AND LIE SCATTERED ABOUT IN BASEBALL DUGOUTS AND ON SIDEWALKS AND STREETS. THERE ARE REPORTS OF CHILDREN FINDING THEM AND GETTING POKED. SOME EXPERTS SAY THE PROBLEM WILL EASE ONLY WHEN MORE USERS GET INTO TREATMENT AND MORE FUNDING IS DIRECTED TO TREATMENT PROGRAMS.
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (AP) - THE U.N. SAYS AFGHANISTAN'S PROTRACTED WAR KILLED A RECORD NUMBER OF CIVILIANS IN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF THIS YEAR, BLAMING TALIBAN INSURGENTS FOR MOST OF THE DEATHS. OF THE 1,662 CIVILIANS KILLED IN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF THIS YEAR, THE REPORT SAID 40 PERCENT DIED AS A RESULT OF SUICIDE BOMBINGS, IMPROVISED EXPLOSIVE DEVICES AND PRESSURE-PLATE DEVICES. MORE WOMEN AND CHILDREN WERE ALSO AMONG THE DEAD THIS YEAR.
AMMAN, JORDAN (AP) - A MILITARY COURT IN JORDAN HAS CONVICTED A JORDANIAN SOLDIER OF SHOOTING TO DEATH THREE U.S. MILITARY TRAINERS AT AN AIR BASE IN THE COUNTRY. THE DEFENDANT WAS SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON WITH HARD LABOR. HE HAD PLEADED "NOT GUILTY," SAYING HE OPENED FIRE BECAUSE HE FEARED THE BASE WAS COMING UNDER ATTACK. AS HE WAS LED AWAY, HE SAID THAT "I WAS DOING MY JOB."
CARACAS, VENEZUELA (AP) - OPPOSITION LEADERS SAY MORE THAN 7 MILLION VENEZUELANS CAST SYMBOLIC VOTES REJECTING PRESIDENT NICOLAS MADURO'S PLAN TO REVISE THE CONSTITUTION. THE STRONG BUT NOT OVERWHELMING SHOWING LEFT THE OPPOSITION FACING TOUGH CHOICES TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE SOCIALIST LEADER SEEKS TO RESHAPE THE POLITICAL SYSTEM. ANALYSTS SAY THE 7,186,170 VOTES FOR THE OPPOSITION WAS AN IMPRESSIVE SHOW OF SUPPORT, BUT FELL SHORT OF THE OPPOSITION'S 7.7 MILLION-VOTE SHOWING IN 2015 LEGISLATIVE ELECTIONS.
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A MAN WAS ARRESTED ON FEDERAL CHARGES TUESDAY AFTER HIS EX-GIRLFRIEND TOLD POLICE HE "STRANGLED, SUFFOCATED AND ABUSED" HER THROUGHOUT THEIR RELATIONSHIP.
32-YEAR-OLD MATTHEW RICHARD WILLIAMS WAS BOOKED INTO JAIL ON TWO COUNTS OF STRANGULATION OF A HOUSEHOLD MEMBER, ONE COUNT OF DOMESTIC BATTERY AND A CHARGE OF FALSE IMPRISONMENT. IF CONVICTED ON ALL COUNTS, HE COULD FACE OVER 11 YEARS BEHIND BARS AND $21,750 IN FINES.
ACCORDING TO CHARGING DOCUMENTS, THE VICTIM TOLD POLICE THAT SHE WAS EMBARRASSED AND DID NOT REPORT THE ABUSE SOONER BECAUSE SHE WAS AFRAID OF WILLIAMS. SHE SAID THE WORST ABUSE OCCURRED ON APRIL 30.
AT ABOUT 2 A.M. AND 3 A.M., AS THE VICTIM SLEPT, WILLIAMS ALLEGEDLY DRAGGED HER OUT OF BED BY HER LEGS AND "TOSSED [HER] AROUND LIKE A RAG DOLL." HE THEN REPORTEDLY STRANGLED AND SUFFOCATED THE VICTIM MULTIPLE TIMES.
PHOTOS OF THE VICTIM'S WOUNDS REPORTEDLY SHOWED BRUISING ON THE VICTIM'S CHIN, NECK, ARMS, LEGS, BACK, TORSO AND FACE. SHE TOLD POLICE IT WAS THE WORST ABUSE SHE HAD SUFFERED AT THE HANDS OF WILLIAMS, BUT THAT HE REGULARLY CHOKED AND SUFFOCATED HER.
SHE ALSO SAID HER DAUGHTER OBSERVED THE ABUSE ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS.
WILLIAMS REPORTEDLY REFUSED TO ALLOW THE VICTIM TO LEAVE THE APARTMENT, HAVE FRIENDS, HAVE A FACEBOOK ACCOUNT OR ACCESS A PHONE.
HE MADE HIS INITIAL APPEARANCE IN NATRONA COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT ON THURSDAY, WHERE JUDGE STEVEN BROWN SET BOND AT $30,000 CASH OR SURETY.
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CASPER, WYO. (AP) - WYOMING HAS AN ABUNDANCE OF WIND BUT NOT AN ABUNDANCE OF WORKERS TRAINED IN WIND ENERGY JOBS.
WIND CAPACITY IN WYOMING WOULD DOUBLE IF ALL THE PROPOSALS ON THE TABLE FOR NEW FARMS ARE REALIZED. FIRMS LIKE THE POWER COMPANY OF WYOMING, VIRIDIS EOLIA AND ROCKY MOUNTAIN POWER ARE ALL LOOKING AT LARGE-SCALE DEVELOPMENT. AND THEY WILL NEED WORKERS TO BUILD THE FARMS AND THEN TO STAFF THEM FOR MAINTENANCE.
BUT TOWNS IN AREAS WHERE THE WIND FARMS WOULD BE BUILT HAVE FEW PEOPLE.
ROB GODBY IS DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR ENERGY ECONOMICS AND PUBLIC POLICY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING.
GODBY SAYS THE MARKET WILL TAKE CARE OF THE WORKER SHORTAGE, NOTING THAT THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY HAD THE SAME PROBLEM.