National Spotlight

SoCal Mudslides Immobilize Cars
Mudslides in Southern California trapped hundreds of vehicles Thursday and Friday, leading to the closing of Interstate 5. The 20 feet of mud caused traffic jams on the US-101 in Santa Barbara as drivers avoided the I-5. While the mudslides and preceding rain were not caused by El Niño, the damage may make it even more difficult for regions of California to accommodate El Niño this winter. latimes.com

ACS Updates Mammogram Recommendations
The American Cancer Society (ACS) revised its guidelines on Tuesday for when and how often women should get mammograms. The new recommendations advise women with an average risk of breast cancer to begin getting mammograms at age 45 and continue once a year until age 54, at which point they should begin mammography every other year if they are healthy and likely to live for 10 more years. Before the new guidelines, women were advised to get mammograms every year beginning at age 40. If they do develop breast cancer, women who are over 55 are likely to have less aggressive tumors than younger women, leading to the recommendation of mammograms every other year. nytimes.com

St. Louis Church Arsons May Be Connected
St. Louis, Missouri fire officials said they believe recent arsons at six predominantly black churches are related, but could not be sure race was a factor in the arsons. Since Oct. 8, six fires have been set in the door or entryway of churches in primarily black neighborhoods, fire officials said Tuesday. Officials in St. Louis have offered a $2,000 reward to anyone who has information that leads to the arrest of the perpetrators responsible. All fires were set when the churches were empty and no injuries have been reported. nytimes.com

International News

New Canadian Prime Minister to Take Office
Justin Trudeau of the Canadian Liberal Party became Canada’s prime minister-designate Monday, ending the nine-year run of Conservative Party leader Stephen Harper. Trudeau, whose father was Canada’s prime minister for 15 nonconsecutive years, hopes to increase funding of infrastructure, eliminate military involvement in Iraq and Syria, further relationships with the United States and legalize marijuana nationally. Trudeau will appoint cabinet members and take office Nov. 4. theguardian.com

U.S. Aircraft Plans Over Syria Diverted To Avoid Collisions
Military officials from the United States and Russia signed a memorandum of understanding on Tuesday in an attempt to avoid aircraft collisions and close calls in Syrian airspace. Russia, which began bombing parts of Syria last month, requested the full text of the agreement not be released, but a spokesman from the Pentagon said the memo addressed protocol for pilots and their crews to follow, and required aircraft to keep a safe distance. Earlier in October, the Pentagon said U.S. plans have been diverted to avoid a close encounter with Russian aircraft. reuters.com

Final Cuban Amnesty International Prisoner of Conscience Released
Cuba’s government released graffiti artist and activist Danilo Maldonado Machado on Tuesday. Machado, known as “el Sexto” was the last prisoner on Amnesty International’s Prisoners of Conscience list for the country. The artist had planned to release two live pigs painted with the names “Fidel” and “Raúl” in December, but was arrested before he was able to complete the act. Machado never faced formal charges, according to Amnesty International, and went on a hunger strike for several weeks while in jail. washingtonpost.com

A version of this story appeared on page 11 of the Thursday, October 22, 2015 print edition of the Daily Nexus.

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