News of the day from across the nation
1 Advocate dies: A former New York City police detective who was a leader in the fight for the Sept. 11 Victims Compensation Fund died Saturday at age 53. Luis Alvarez’s death from colorectal cancer was announced by Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea, who tweeted that he was “an inspiration, a warrior, a friend.” Alvarez appeared with former “Daily Show” host Jon Stewart this month to plead with Congress to extend the compensation fund. He was admitted to a hospice care within days of his testimony. The bill to replenish the fund that provides health benefits to police officers, firefighters and others who responded to the 2001 terrorist attacks passed the full committee unanimously. Alvarez traced his illness to the three months he spent in the rubble of the World Trade Center after the 2001 terrorist attacks.
2 Abortion law: A federal judge in Indianapolis blocked a new state law that would ban a second-trimester abortion procedure, just days before the law was set to come into force. The order Friday putting the Indiana law on hold was released hours after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to revive a similar law in Alabama that sought to ban dilation and evacuation abortions. The law passed by Indiana’s Republican-dominated Legislature this spring calls the procedure “dismemberment abortion.” It was set to become effective on July 1.
3 Admissions scandal: A man who authorities say paid $250,000 to get his son into the University of Southern California as a fake volleyball recruit became the 51st person charged in the sweeping college admissions bribery scheme. Jeffrey Bizzack, 59, has agreed to plead guilty to a fraud conspiracy charge, prosecutors said. Bizzack, of Solana Beach (San Diego County), gave a total of $200,000 to a sham charity run by the...