The nation in brief

Judge OKs waterline plan for Flint

DETROIT — U.S. District Judge David Lawson approved a plan Tuesday to replace waterlines to 18,000 homes in Flint, Mich., marking a milestone in remediating a 2014 city decision to draw water from a river without first treating it to prevent lead contamination.

Flint will be responsible for replacing lead and galvanized-steel pipes that carry water to homes. The cost could be as high as $97 million, with federal and state governments paying the bill. Pipes at more than 700 homes have been replaced so far.

The court-ordered pipe replacement is unprecedented in the United States, said lead attorney Dimple Chaudhary of the Natural Resources Defense Council. The group, along with the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, sued Flint and Michigan on behalf of residents.

Flint’s water was tainted with lead for at least 18 months, starting in the spring of 2014. While under the control of state-appointed financial managers, the city tapped the Flint River as its water source while a new pipeline was being built to Lake Huron. But the river water wasn’t treated to reduce corrosion to lead pipes. As a result, lead leached from the old pipes and fixtures into drinking water.

Firm says oil in Dakota Access pipeline

Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners said it has placed oil in the Dakota Access pipeline under a Missouri River reservoir in North Dakota and that it’s preparing to put the line into service.

The pipeline’s developer made the announcement Monday in a brief court filing with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The announcement marks a significant development in the long battle over the project that will move North Dakota oil 2,000 miles through South Dakota and Iowa to a shipping point in Illinois. The pipeline is three months behind schedule because of protests and the objections of two American Indian tribes who say it threatens their water supply and cultural sites.

A spokesman for the developer, Vicki Granado, said in an email that the $3.8 billion pipeline is expected to deliver oil to Patoka, Ill., within a few weeks.

Despite the announcement, the battle isn’t over. The Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Sioux tribes still have an unresolved lawsuit that seeks to stop the project.

Immigration judge: Free detainee, 24

SEATTLE — A Mexican man who has spent more than six weeks in immigration detention despite his participation in a program designed to protect those brought to the U.S. illegally as children can be released from custody pending his deportation proceedings, an immigration judge ruled Tuesday.

Lawyers for Daniel Ramirez Medina, 24, said they expect him to be released as soon as today after the decision by Judge John Odell in Tacoma, Wash.

Ramirez spent 40 minutes answering questions from prosecutors during a two-hour hearing Tuesday, and he repeatedly denied having any connections with gangs, attorney Mark Rosenbaum said.

Immigration agents arrested Ramirez on Feb. 10 at a suburban Seattle apartment complex. Agents said Ramirez, who came to the U.S. at age 7, acknowledged affiliating with gangs. He adamantly denies any gang ties or making any such admission.

Ramirez has no criminal record and twice passed background checks to participate in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which allows young people brought to the U.S. illegally as children to stay in the country and work.

Judge: Governor can yank prosecutor

ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida’s governor has the right to remove a state attorney from a case after the prosecutor said she would not seek the death penalty, a judge said Tuesday as he denied a request to delay proceedings.

State Attorney Aramis Ayala said earlier this month that she wouldn’t seek the death penalty for a man charged in the slayings of his ex-girlfriend and a police officer. After her announcement, Republican Gov. Rick Scott removed her from the case and appointed a new prosecutor.

Ayala, a Democrat, said the governor overstepped his authority, and she is fighting to keep the case.

She asked a judge to delay proceedings for two weeks while she prepares an argument for the Florida Supreme Court. But Circuit Judge Frederick Lauten denied her request Tuesday and said State Attorney Brad King, who was appointed by the governor, will remain as the chief prosecutor in the case.

Upcoming Events