Politics
U.S. military officials free Iraqi town from ISIS
The town of Rutbah, Iraq, has been declared “secure” from ISIS by Iraqi forces, a sentiment that is echoed by the U.S., according to spokesman Col. Steve Warren of the U.S.-led coalition. Rutbah, a strategic town that sits on the main road connecting Iraq to Jordan, had been used by ISIS as a staging area for fighters and weapons for the past couple of years. While U.S. officials acknowledge the importance of retaking Rutbah for the Iraqi forces, they are changing their military campaign against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. “Now the focus of the campaign is shifting more toward taking back the enemies’ centers of gravity in Iraq and Syria, Mosul and Raqqa,” said Army Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland, head of Operation Inherent Resolve.
Entertainment
Elton John, other celebrities take stand against House Bill 2
Sir Elton John has joined numerous other celebrities in their distaste for House Bill 2, a North Carolina bill that bans individuals from using public bathrooms other than those that correspond to their biological sex. John penned an essay for “The Hill” about House Bill 2, calling it a “discriminatory bill.” John wrote in his essay, “This brand of ignorance deliberately shuts out the perspective of an already marginalized community.” A number of performers have canceled their concerts in North Carolina to protest the bill – including Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, Nick Jonas and Demi Lovato – costing the Greensboro Coliseum hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Washington, DC
Undelivered mail found in Washington sewer
U.S. Postal Service investigators are looking for the person responsible for leaving 25 trash bags worth of undelivered mail inside of a sewer in Northeast Washington. On Monday and Tuesday, D.C. Crews used a claw-like tool and pole to pull the mail out of the sewer basin, filling 25 trash bags, according to D.C. Water spokeswoman Pamela Mooring. A resident had found the piles of mail on Monday, reports WJLA-TV, who then notified the postal service. On Wednesday, the undelivered mail was being sorted through, according to Lance Norrington, a spokesman with the U.S. Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General. The agency has apologized for the incident and is working to find out how the mail ended up in the sewer.
Virginia
Police investigate homicide in Alexandria
The Fairfax Country police are investigating a fatal early-morning shooting just off Richmond Highway in Alexandria. Police Sgt. Roger Henriquez says they are investing the shooting as a homicide. According to police, a man was shot around 2:20 a.m. Friday outside of the Cityside Huntington Metro apartments. The man was found unresponsive, and was pronounced dead at the scene. There is currently no word yet on any suspects or a motive.
Maryland
3rd suspect in Iowa shooting arrested in Md.
A third suspect in the killing of a man at a mobile home park in Key West has been arrested in by Maryland, according to Iowa officials. Tacari Minifee was taken into custody outside a shopping center in Gaithersburg, Maryland, on Thursday. According to an Iowa arrest warrant, 19-year-old Minifee could be charged with first-degree murder and robbery. Minifee will be returned to Dubuque for prosecution, although authorities are not sure when. He is accused in the death of 21-year-old Colin Brown, who was killed on April 2 after at least three people forcibly entered his home. Two other suspects, 18-year-old Imere Hall and 21-year-old Taylor Shaw, plead not guilty in court in Dubuque, Thursday.
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