Floodwaters from glacier near Alaska’s capital city break record levels

(AP) — Sections of Alaska’s capital city are riding out record floodwaters as rainwater and snowmelt flow downstream from a basin dammed by the Mendenhall Glacier. Residents in some parts of Juneau had evacuated ahead of peak flooding. Waters crested Wednesday. Flooding from the basin has become an annual concern for residents. In past years the flooding has swept away houses and swamped hundreds of homes, but this year officials installed temporary barriers to protect homes. The Mendenhall Glacier is a thinning, retreating glacier that acts as a dam for Suicide Basin, which fills each spring and summer with rainwater and snowmelt.

Parents and child killed when tree falls on car as heavy rain and flooding hit Tennessee

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — A mother, father and child were killed when a tree fell on their car during heavy rain and flooding in Tennessee, where submerged roads also led to dramatic rescues of people trapped in their cars, authorities said Wednesday. The three were killed when saturated ground caused a large tree to fall in the Chattanooga suburb of East Ridge just after midnight, Hamilton County Office of Emergency Management spokesperson Amy Maxwell said. Additionally, a body was found when authorities were searching for a man who was swept away when he ran past firefighters and a barricade that blocked a flooded road Tuesday, according to the Chattanooga Fire Department. The local police and medical examiner will determine the cause of death. The flooding prompted rescues of people stuck in homes and swamped vehicles. Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp declared a local state of emergency Tuesday night. Residents were urged to exercise extreme caution.

Environmental concerns could halt construction at Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ immigration jail

MIAMI (AP) — The fate of a makeshift immigrant detention center in the Florida Everglades dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” hangs in the balance, as a federal judge considers whether building on sensitive wetlands violated environmental laws. Last week, the judge ordered a 14-day halt on construction while witnesses testified. The lawsuit, filed by environmental groups and a Native American tribe, argues the facility was set up without necessary environmental impact considerations. Florida and the Trump administration claim the rules don’t apply since the state is running the center. The judge has yet to decide on a preliminary injunction. The center, opened in July, has faced criticism for poor conditions.

Harvey Weinstein’s next retrial — or sentencing — could happen this fall

NEW YORK (AP) — Harvey Weinstein faces sentencing and another possible retrial in his New York City sex crimes case. But it’s still unclear when they’ll happen — and whether the former movie mogul will be back in front of another jury at all. Manhattan Judge Curtis Farber said Wednesday he’ll sentence Weinstein on Sept. 30 — but only if there’s no retrial on a rape charge that the last jury failed to decide. The 73-year-old Weinstein was convicted in June of forcing oral sex on a TV and movie production assistant in 2006. The charge carries a possible sentence of up to 25 years in prison.