Migrant deaths in New Mexico have increased tenfold

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico authorities are grappling with a growing number of migrants dying in the state’s border region, with the remains of more than 100 found in the first eight months of the year in the state. Many were discovered just miles from the El Paso, Texas, port of entry. That’s more than 10 times the number of probable migrant deaths reported five years ago. The Office of the Medical Investigator that performs autopsies for New Mexico has hired additional investigators to handle the influx. The numbers have surged as smugglers increasingly steer migrants into hot, rugged areas of the state.

Walgreens to close 1,200 US stores as chain attempts to steady operations at home

(AP) — Walgreens plans to close about 1,200 locations over the next three years as the drugstore chain seeks to turnaround its struggling U.S. business. The company said Tuesday that about 500 store closures will happen in its current fiscal year and should immediately help adjusted earnings and free cash flow. Walgreens leaders said in late June that they were finalizing a turnaround plan for its U.S. business, and that push could result in the closing of hundreds of underperforming stores. The company has been struggling for years with tight reimbursement for the prescriptions it sells as well as other challenges.

Lawyers told to apologize for blasting recorded screams in a Philly neighborhood

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A federal judge says lawyers must formally apologize for blaring a looped recording of a woman screaming last month as a test in a civil rights lawsuit against the city of Philadelphia. U.S. Judge John Murphy last week ordered the attorneys to apologize to residents where the hourlong test took place before dawn on Sept. 23. The lawyers represent a man who is suing the city for wrongful conviction for sexual assault. At issue in the lawsuit is whether the man could have heard the victim’s screams and sought to help her from two blocks away. A phone message seeking comment was left Tuesday for lawyers who represent the man suing the city.

Pandas arrive at National Zoo, but won’t be ready for public debut until January

WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Zoo’s long dark panda drought has come to an end. Eleven months after the zoo sent its three wildly popular pandas — Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji — back to China, a new pair of bears arrived late Tuesday morning. The three-year old giant pandas, named Bao Li and Qing Bao, were flown from China to Dulles International Airport in suburban Virginia, with a refueling stop in Alaska. They were loaded into special FedEx trucks and arrived at the zoo just before noon. Pandas have become one of the unofficial symbols of the nation’s capital, dating back to 1972 when Ling Ling and Hsing Hsing were sent as a gift from China following President Richard Nixon’s historic diplomatic visit there.