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January 10, 2018 The Skanner Seattle Page 7 Bids & Classified World News Briefs Death Toll Hits 15 in California Mudslides; Search Goes On MONTECITO, Calif. (AP) — The death toll from the mudslides that struck Southern California climbed to 15 on Wednesday as rescue crews searched for anyone trapped, injured or dead in the onslaught that smashed homes and swept away cars. The drenching rainstorm that triggered the disaster cleared out and was no longer a hindrance as searchers made their way across a landscape strewn with boulders and covered shoulder-high in places with mud the consistency of wet cement. “Right now our assets are focused on de- termining if anyone is still alive in any of those structures that have been damaged,” Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said. He said that several dozen homes were de- stroyed or severely damaged, and that there are probably many more in similar condi- tion in areas still inaccessible. At least 15 people were confirmed dead, Santa Barbara County spokeswoman Ya- neris Muniz said early Wednesday as the search continued through the night. 7-Eleven Probe Opens New Front on Immigration LOS ANGELES (AP) — U.S. immigration agents descended on dozens of 7-Eleven stores before dawn Wednesday to open em- ployment audits and interview workers in what officials described as the largest op- eration against an employer under Donald Trump’s presidency. Agents targeted about 100 stores nation- wide, broadening an investigation that be- gan with a 4-year-old case against a franchi- see on New York’s Long Island. The audits could lead to criminal charges or fines over the stores’ hiring practices. The action appears to open a new front in Trump’s sharp expansion of immigration enforcement, which has already brought a 40 percent increase in deportation arrests and plans to spend billions of dollars on a border wall with Mexico. Hardliners have been pressing for a tougher stance on em- ployers. Derek Benner, a top official at U.S. Immi- gration and Customs Enforcement, told The Associated Press that Wednesday’s opera- tion was “the first of many” and “a harbin- ger of what’s to come” for employers. He said there would be more employment au- dits and investigations, though there is no numerical goal. “This is what we’re gearing up for this year and what you’re going to see more and more of is these large-scale compliance in- spections, just for starters. From there, we will look at whether these cases warrant an administrative posture or criminal inves- tigation,” said Benner, acting head of ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations, which oversees cases against employers. “It’s not going to be limited to large compa- nies or any particular industry, big medium and small,” he said. “It’s going to be inclusive of everything that we see out there.” Democratic Report Warns of Russian Meddling Across Europe WASHINGTON (AP) — A new report by To place your ad, email advertising@theskanner.com or go to www.TheSkanner.com and click on the “Ads” menu AP PHOTO/DANIEL DREIFUSS Advertising deadlines 12:00 Noon Monday Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. A member of the Long Beach Search and Rescue team looks for survivors in a car in Montecito, Calif., Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2018. Several homes were swept away before dawn Tuesday when mud and debris roared into neighborhoods in Montecito from hillsides stripped of vegetation during a recent wildfire. Senate Democrats warns of deepening Rus- sian interference throughout Europe and concludes that even as some Western de- mocracies have responded with aggressive countermeasures, President Donald Trump has offered no strategic plan to bolster their efforts or safeguard the U.S. from again fall- ing victim to the Kremlin’s systematic med- dling. The report commissioned by the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is the first from Congress to comprehensively detail Russian efforts to undermine democracies since the 2016 pres- idential election. It wastes no time in calling out Trump personally for what it describes as a failure to respond to Russia’s mount- ing destabilization activities in the U.S. and worldwide. The report was obtained by The Associated Press in advance of its public re- lease Wednesday. “Never before has a U.S. president so clear- ly ignored such a grave and growing threat to U.S. national security,” the report warns. No Republicans on the committee signed on to the 200-plus page report released by Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland. But even with- out GOP backing, the report’s recounting of Russian operations in 19 European nations foreshadows the still-unpublished Senate Intelligence Committee’s bipartisan inqui- ry into Russia’s role during the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Cardin said in a statement that he commis- sioned the report so Americans can see the “true scope and scale” of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to undermine de- mocracy. Trump Lashes Out at Feinstein for Releasing Transcript WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is lashing out at Sen. Dianne Fein- stein for releasing the transcript of an inter- view with the co-founder of a political op- position firm that commissioned a dossier of allegations about Trump’s presidential campaign and Russia. Trump calls the California Democrat “Sneaky Dianne Feinstein” on Twitter Wednesday. He says she released the testi- mony “totally without authorization.” Adds Trump: “Must have tough Primary!” Feinstein on Tuesday released transcript from the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Au- gust interview with Glenn Simpson, of Fu- sion GPS. Feinstein had the ability to release the transcripts as the top Democrat on the committee, and her staff helped conduct the interview with Simpson. Trump also repeated that the investiga- tion into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election is a “Witch Hunt” and says “Re- publicans should finally take control!” Deaths Threats Cause Lockdown After Teacher Handcuffed Video NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A Louisiana school board’s office went on temporary lockdown after getting death threats from around the world in response to widely viewed video of a teacher screaming while being hand- cuffed at a school board meeting. The threats have come from as far away as South America, Australia and England, as well as other U.S. states, Vermilion Parish School Board President Anthony Fontana told The Advertiser newspaper Tuesday. He said they’ve been reported to the FBI and lo- cal police. Middle-school English teacher Deyshia Hargrave was removed from Monday night’s meeting, forcibly handcuffed and jailed after questioning pay policies during a public comment period. The teacher’s union and the ACLU are investigating and two board members are complaining that the board treats women unfairly. A video posted by KATC-TV shows Har- grave complying with a city marshal’s or- ders to leave the Vermilion Parish School Board meeting in Abbeville, west of New Orleans. Next, she is seen on the hallway floor, screaming as the marshal handcuffs her hands behind her back. “Stop resisting,” the marshal says, hustling Hargrave toward an exit after lifting her to her feet. Russia Urges Turkey to Help Stop Rebel Raids in Syria MOSCOW (AP) — The Russian military has urged its Turkish counterparts to tight- en monitoring of opposition in northern Syria in the wake of a drone attack on Rus- sian military bases in the country. Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces repelled a series of drone attacks Saturday, adding that out of the 13 drones involved, seven were shot down and six were forced to land without causing any damage. The official military daily Krasnaya Zvez- da said the ministry sent letters to the Turk- ish military, asking it to deploy observers to Syria’s northern province of Idlib to ensure that rebels don’t launch more attacks. Russia has backed Syrian President Bashar Assad while Turkey has supported his foes, but they struck a deal last year to set up de-escalation zones in Syria, helping reduce fighting. Community Business Directory BEAUTY SALON & BARBERSHOPS We’re Here and We’re Not Going Anywhere Deans Beauty Salon & Barbershop OREGON’S OLDEST BLACK BEAUTY SALON & BARBERSHOP Serving our community since 1954 215 & 213 NE Hancock Portland, OR 97212 503.282.3379 Salon 503.282.3388 Barbershop STYLISTS: Kim • Sylvia • Kaycee • Pearl BARBERS: Curtis • Pearl DOCTORS Cold Snap Exposes Cracks in Upkeep of Timeworn Schools BALTIMORE (AP) — The recent spell of cold weather exposed the poor state of school buildings in many big-city districts, including Baltimore, where the failure of heating systems closed dozens of institu- tions after children were left shivering in frigid classrooms. Schools were challenged in other cities af- fected by the cold snap, including Philadel- phia and Bridgeport , Connecticut’s largest city, as pipes burst, heating units froze and other pieces of decades-old infrastructure gave out under the strain of record-break- ing cold. It’s no wonder; investment in school con- struction and maintenance has been falling steadily since the recession, according to an analysis by The Associated Press. Experts who have been sounding alarms about the state of many public school build- ings say the problems that struck last week are a direct result of years of inadequate funding for basic upkeep. The need is es- pecially great in urban centers where older buildings serve poorer children and main- tenance is often put off until it becomes an exponentially more costly emergency re- pair, said Mary Filardo, executive director of the nonprofit 21st Century School Fund, which advocates for better facilities. “The systems are vulnerable because they’re old and they’re well beyond their useful life, and so they fail,” Filardo said. INSURANCE
