K2 Radio News: Flash Briefing For September 12th, 2017 – Morning

MIAMI (AP) - NASA'S KENNEDY SPACE CENTER IN FLORIDA REMAINS CLOSED, BUT APPEARS TO HAVE WEATHERED HURRICANE IRMA WELL. THE SAME HOLDS TRUE AT ADJOINING CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION. INSPECTION CREWS WERE OUT IN FULL FORCE TUESDAY. POWER HAS BEEN RESTORED TO NASA AND AIR FORCE FACILITIES BUT WATER SERVICE IS OUT. UNTIL THAT'S RESTORED, KENNEDY WILL STAY CLOSED TO NON-ESSENTIAL PERSONNEL.

POINTE-A-PITRE, GUADELOUPE (AP) - FRANCE'S PRESIDENT AND THE DUTCH KING WERE VISITING CARIBBEAN TERRITORIES ON TUESDAY THAT HAVE BEEN HAMMERED BY HURRICANE IRMA, TRYING TO QUELL ACCUSATIONS BY RESIDENTS THAT EUROPEAN GOVERNMENTS WERE UNPREPARED, SLOW TO REACT AND SOMETIMES EVEN RACIST IN THEIR RESPONSES TO THE DEVASTATION. FRENCH PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON SAYS FRANCE HAS PUT INTO PLACE A HUGE EMERGENCY RELIEF AIR BRIDGE EFFORT FOR THE ISLANDS AND WAS FLYING INTO ST. MARTIN TO MEET WITH RESIDENTS.

WASHINGTON (AP) - PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP HAS BEEN EAGER TO BUCK FELLOW REPUBLICANS AND EVEN DIRECTLY ATTACK THEM. NOW, A NUMBER OF MODERATE GOP LAWMAKERS NO LONGER WISH TO BE INVOLVED AND HAVE ANNOUNCED THEY WILL NOT SEEK RE-ELECTION NEXT YEAR. SEATS IN MICHIGAN, PENNSYLVANIA, WASHINGTON AND FLORIDA WILL LIKELY BE HEAVILY CONTESTED BY DEMOCRATS EAGER TO TAKE BACK CONTROL OF THE HOUSE.

WASHINGTON (AP) - THE WHITE HOUSE SAYS IT WILL SOON RELEASE LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES FOR ITS PLANS TO OVERHAUL THE NATION'S TAX SYSTEM AND TO ADDRESS HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF YOUNG IMMIGRANTS BROUGHT TO THE UNITED STATES ILLEGALLY AS CHILDREN. WHITE HOUSE LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR MARC SHORT SAYS ITS PRINCIPLES FOR THE TAX OVERHAUL WILL BE RELEASED "IN A MATTER OF DAYS, NOT WEEKS." HE SAYS THE WHITE HOUSE WILL BE PUTTING OUT ITS PRIORITIES FOR DACA IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS.

BEDFORD, VA. (AP) - A 60-YEAR OLD CONVICTED SEX OFFENDER HAS BEEN SENTENCED TO TWO 48-YEAR PRISON TERMS IN THE KILLING OF TWO YOUNG MARYLAND SISTERS MORE THAN 40 YEARS AGO. LLOYD LEE WELCH JR. PLEADED GUILTY TUESDAY TO TWO COUNTS OF FIRST-DEGREE FELONY MURDER IN THE 1975 KILLINGS OF 12-YEAR-OLD SHELIA AND 10-YEAR-OLD KATHERINE LYONS. HE WAS SENTENCED DURING THE SAME HEARING. WELCH ALSO RECEIVED A 12-YEAR SENTENCE IN TWO UNRELATED SEXUAL ASSAULT CASES IN IN VIRGINIA.
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THE NATRONA COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT ON MONDAY APPROVED A POLICY IT HOPES NEVER TO IMPLEMENT.
THE DISTRICT'S BOARD OF TRUSTEES APPROVED A REDUCTION-IN-FORCE POLICY FOR TEACHERS IF THE ECONOMIC SITUATION DETERIORATES TO THE POINT THAT LAYOFFS ARE NECESSARY.

DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT STEVE HOPKINS SAID THE DISTRICT DIDN'T HAVE SUCH A POLICY, BUT WOULD NEED ONE IF THERE WAS A WORST-CASE SCENARIO REQUIRING TEACHER LAYOFFS.
HOPKINS SAID THE DISTRICT HAS BEEN ABLE TO STAY ON TRACK FOR AN ANTICIPATED $12 MILLION REDUCTION IN FUNDING AND HAS CUT $4 MILLION TO $5 MILLION IN THE PAST EIGHTEEN MONTHS.

TRUSTEE DANA HOWIE OUTLINED THE POLICY AT ITS FIRST READING IN MAY.

SINCE THEN, THE TRUSTEES ADDED LANGUAGE TO THE POLICY THAT WOULD ALLOW TEACHERS FACING LAYOFFS TO HAVE AN ADMINISTRATIVE HEARING.

THAT REQUIREMENT ALREADY EXISTS IN STATE LAW, BUT THE REWORDED POLICY MADE THAT EXPLICIT.
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FIREFIGHTERS WORKED HARD OVER THE PAST FEW DAYS TO FIGHT THE COWBOY FIRE BURNING NORTHEAST OF EVANSTON.
AS OF SUNDAY EVENING, THE BLAZE HAD GROWN TO 1,592 ACRES AND WAS 70 PERCENT CONTAINED.

A WIND TURBINE CAUGHT FIRE EARLY SATURDAY AFTERNOON, AND FLAMES QUICKLY SPREAD INTO NEARBY SAGEBRUSH AND TREES.

SOME 30 FIREFIGHTERS ARE STILL WORKING TO SECURE 18 MILES OF FIRE LINE AND MONITOR HOTSPOTS.

AIRCRAFT DROPPED RETARDANT ON THE FIRE SATURDAY.

UINTA COUNTY FIRE WARDEN ERIC QUINNEY SAYS FULL CONTAINMENT WAS EXPECTED YESTERDAY OR TODAY AS FAVORABLE OVERNIGHT TEMPERATURES HELP CALM THE BLAZE.

NO ACTIVE FLAMES WERE REPORTED MONDAY.