The nation in brief

Crowd in Charlotte rip council, mayor

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A furious crowd of citizens criticized and often shouted down the Charlotte City Council on Monday night, calling for resignations across the city and chanting, “Hands Down! Shoot Back!” and “No Justice, No Peace!”

Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts, who allowed people to speak for two hours, repeatedly had to stop the meeting, pleading for quiet. Sometimes the crowd quieted to allow people to speak. At other times, her requests were met with heckles and chants for justice.

Monday’s meeting was the first held by City Council members since Tuesday’s fatal police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott, which led to days of protest throughout the city.

Hours before the meeting, Roberts said in an op-ed that the city’s “lack of transparency and communication” about the release of video footage in the Tuesday police shooting of Scott was unacceptable.

But that didn’t satisfy some of the meeting’s attendees.

“I’m here to ask for [Police Chief Kerr] Putney’s and your resignation, mayor,” said speaker Henry Lee. “The way it was handled, the secrecy, the lies. We don’t deserve this.”

Californians flee fast-moving blaze

CLOVERDALE, Calif. — A fast-moving wildfire prompted the evacuations of 300 homes in the Santa Cruz Mountains while fire crews battled a blaze burning close to a geothermal power plant in Sonoma County, officials said Monday.

The blaze that started Monday on the southern edge of Santa Clara County quickly spread to 500 acres, threatening radio and television antennas, said California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Stephanie Stuehler.

A blaze that began amid hot, dry conditions and gusty winds in Sonoma County north of San Francisco forced the temporary evacuation of one of its 14 geothermal plants.

Brett Kerr, a spokesman for Calpine, which operates The Geysers geothermal complex, said evacuated employees were allowed to return to the plant, which started operating later Monday.

The cause of the fire was under investigation. Authorities said the fire was 20 percent contained.

Half said to leave

Iowa flood zone

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — A city spokesman said Monday that about half of the homes and businesses in an area of Cedar Rapids expected to see flooding have been evacuated.

The city asked residents and property owners along the rain-swollen Cedar River to leave by 8 p.m. Sunday, two days before the river is expected to crest. School was canceled and many businesses were closed.

Mayor Ron Corbett said nearly 10 miles of temporary levees have been constructed in just days, and 250,000 sandbags have been filled and placed to protect homes and businesses. More sandbags were being filled Monday to beef up barriers around critical city infrastructure.

Cedar Rapids is Iowa’s second-largest city, with about 130,000 residents.

A Section on 09/27/2016

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