Nation and world briefs for Aug. 7, 2023
Thousands of young scouts to leave S Korean world jamboree as storm Khanun looms
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea is preparing to evacuate tens of thousands of scouts from a coastal jamboree site as Tropical Storm Khanun looms, world scouting officials said Monday. The World Organization of the Scout Movement said it received confirmation from South Korea’s government of the early departure for all participants in the southwestern county of Buan. That means quickly moving about 40,000 scouts from 158 countries, mostly teenagers, out of the storm’s path. South Korea’s weather agency said the region will be affected by the storm as early as Wednesday.
Ex-officer faces sentencing on a state charge for his role in George Floyd’s killing
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The last former Minneapolis police officer to face sentencing in state court for his role in the killing of George Floyd is expected to learn Monday whether he’ll spend any additional time in prison. Tou Thao has said he merely served as a “human traffic cone” in 2020 when he held back the crowd as former Officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, knelt on Floyd’s neck for 9 1/2 minutes as the Black man pleaded for his life. Minnesota guidelines have recommended four years for Thao’s conviction on an aiding and abetting manslaughter charge. He would serve that concurrently with his 3 1/2-year sentence on a federal civil rights charge.
A firefighting helicopter crashed in Southern California while fighting a blaze, officials say
CABAZON, Calif. (AP) — A firefighting helicopter crashed in Southern California while fighting a blaze in Riverside County. Fire captain and spokesman Richard Cordova says the helicopter was performing work Sunday under contract with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. A post by the Riverside County Sheriff’s office on X, formerly known as Twitter, says sheriff’s deputies responded at 7:20 p.m. PDT to an air emergency in the area of Pipeline Road and Apache trail as crews were battling the Broadway fire near Cabazon. The department is still investigating the crash and whether other aircraft were involved. There were no details yet on the number of injuries or fatalities.
