SILVERTON, Colo. -- A Colorado town near where a toxic mine leak earlier this month unleashed a torrent of heavy metals into Western rivers has decided to request federal disaster funds to clean up the mine.
The Silverton board of trustees and the County Commission in San Juan County approved a joint resolution Monday to seek the money. It's a reversal for local officials who had long feared that designating the mine as a federal Superfund site would harm economic development in the area.
That sentiment came under fire when the partly collapsed Gold King mine ruptured Aug. 5, spewing 3 million gallons of metal-laced water into a creek that feeds major rivers in several Western states.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had pushed for 25 years to give Superfund status to the Gold King mine and other idled 19th-century mines leaking heavy metals above Silverton. Superfund status would have secured funding for a comprehensive cleanup.
In the town's resolution adopted Monday, local officials agreed that 20 years of attempts to clean the mine waste without seeking additional federal disaster help "have not had the necessary financial resources to address every mine site with an environmental issue."
Ohio mom indicted in deaths of 3 sons
BELLEFONTAINE, Ohio -- An Ohio woman accused of killing her three sons over a 13-month period out of jealousy over the attention her husband paid them has been indicted on aggravated murder charges and could face the death penalty.
Aggravated murder charges against Brittany Pilkington of Bellefontaine were announced Tuesday by Logan County prosecutor William Goslee. Pilkington is jailed with bail set at $1 million.
Investigators say the 23-year-old smothered two sons, one in July 2014 and the other on April 6 of this year. Authorities took custody of her third son after he was born three months ago, but a judge allowed him to return home because there wasn't conclusive evidence that the older boys had been killed. The third son died Aug. 18.
Pilkington's mother said Pilkington told her in a jailhouse phone call that she's innocent. But police and prosecutors say Pilkington confessed Aug. 18, the day that 3-month-old Noah was found dead.
Clergy's victims seek nonchurch review
MILWAUKEE -- A group of clergy sexual-abuse victims called Tuesday for an independent commission to investigate molestation accusations that are sealed as part of a bankruptcy case involving the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
The move comes a day after church lawyers formalized a $21 million settlement between nearly 400 abuse victims and the archdiocese. It advances a position the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests has held for years: that church officials shouldn't be the first authorities to review reports of abuse by clergy.
Many of the abuse allegations have been made public as part of the case, but the survivors group says outside investigators should have access to all the complaints to ensure there aren't children who are still at risk.
Church officials have maintained that claims have been properly investigated. In the settlement filing, the church outlines the steps it has taken, including conducting annual outside audits, which have resulted in "exemplary reports from the independent auditors."
Eight sue dating website hit by hackers
LOS ANGELES -- Eight people across the U.S. who registered to use AshleyMadison.com are suing the website after hackers released personal and detailed information of millions of users, including financial data and sexual proclivities.
The lawsuits were filed between last month and Monday by Ashley Madison users in California, Texas, Missouri, Georgia, Tennessee and Minnesota. They all seek class-action status to represent the estimated 37 million registered users of Ashley Madison, a dating website for married people.
The lawsuits claim negligence, breach of contract and privacy violations. They say Ashley Madison failed to take reasonable steps to protect the security of its users, including those who paid a special fee to have their information deleted.
Last month, hackers infiltrated Ashley Madison's website and downloaded private information. The details -- including names, emails, home addresses, financial data and message histories -- were posted publicly online last week.
A Section on 08/26/2015